What for you talk like that?

Matthew Jones has written an article called "Speaking in Tongues" for the diversityinbusiness.com website. An excerpt is below:

As a community, many African Americans have long been offended by the notion that they speak differently from the rest of society. Some are easily offended when they hear others make a comment about someone else “talking Black.” However, Dr. Baugh estimates that 80 percent of Americans can successfully identify the racial or linguistic heritage of an unseen speaker after hearing only one word, based on a study he conducted in 1999.

I find this statement particularly interesting. I've been "accused" throughout my life for talking "proper" or as black folx tend to say "talking white". Munchkin's teacher said that she talks proper. You know what people? It's called English. Learn it, use it and prosper because of it.

Black people are bilingual and don't even know it. We are talking the same language all the time, but depending on who is listening to the conversation, it's another language. You feel pressure from society to blend in and pressure from your community not to sell out. It's very hard to balance the two. I think this is the main reason I went to a mainstream university as opposed to a HBCU. My life wasn't going to be spent surrounded by black people exclusively so why subject myself to that in college. I really appreciate the diversity that I afforded myself with that opportunity.

For the record, I will continue to be who I am. My name is already unique, I refuse to be discriminated against because of the way I talk.