Don't we have standardized English grammar and pronunciation?
In point of fact, we do not. The French have a governing body for their language. We don't and never have. We have several "recognized authorities", who conflict with each other in varying ways that only really matter to pedants.
But we'll let that go because that's a side point. You're arguing a point that's not in dispute. I'm not talking about grammar, I'm talking about accent. If you from the Deep South, myself as a white person from the suburban middle part of the country, and an African-American from here all read the same sentence written out verbatim, I would be the one that people thought had "no accent".
Now, I do have an accent. I have what they call a vanilla accent, because it's "plain". The hypothetical person of color in the experiment could have the exact same accent, minus the "whiteness"... but if his voice "sounds black", it will register as "more of an accent" than mine does, "sounding white".
That's my point. White is the default. White is the norm that everything's measured against.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2009-12-22 06:19 pm (UTC)In point of fact, we do not. The French have a governing body for their language. We don't and never have. We have several "recognized authorities", who conflict with each other in varying ways that only really matter to pedants.
But we'll let that go because that's a side point. You're arguing a point that's not in dispute. I'm not talking about grammar, I'm talking about accent. If you from the Deep South, myself as a white person from the suburban middle part of the country, and an African-American from here all read the same sentence written out verbatim, I would be the one that people thought had "no accent".
Now, I do have an accent. I have what they call a vanilla accent, because it's "plain". The hypothetical person of color in the experiment could have the exact same accent, minus the "whiteness"... but if his voice "sounds black", it will register as "more of an accent" than mine does, "sounding white".
That's my point. White is the default. White is the norm that everything's measured against.