Why do African Americans have a Southern accent?

<In fact you'll often notice that when black people are aroun other black people there's a tendency to speak with a stronger accent and use more "black" terms or phrases.>

You can replace 'black' with any group of people, it has nothing to do with the fact that they are black, it is about identity and confirming ones own within a given group.

Gay people are more gay with other gays and eskimos are probably more eskimo like around other eskimos.

Well put, Russconha. Hmmm. Now you got me thinking about gay eskimos.

I definitely codeswitch between my California and Texas friends. I still don't know how to handle Louisianians :-P (yes, that's what they call themselves... not Louisianans... I don't get it either...)

I codeswitch when talking to friends from high school. I find myself using typical 1970s stoner slang a lot more and using "fucking" as an adverb. "That's a fucking beautiful guitar, man". Similarly, when I talk to one of my old girlfriends, who lives in France (but who is Spanish and married to an Iranian guy), we use Farsi words in a Sanish sentence but conjugate the Farsi verbs using French grammar rules. Since we're the only people around us doing that it re-inforces a sense of solidarity between us,much like Russconha was referring to.

That's so true! I hate it when my husband has been around his family for any length of time, because he comes home sounding like a backwoods hillbilly. No offense to backwoods hillbillies. ;)

Also, it doesn't even have to be when we're around other people! I tend to immerse myself in literature and film, many of the British variety, and at the end of the day I catch myself using accents that clearly do not belong in Missouri.

Bill is correct in part. There is a tendency among African Americans to maintain patterns of speech for the sake of solidarity. Once in a while you will hear some one referred to as an Oreo, black on the outside and white in the middle. A good part of that is related to speech, and a good part of African American’s ability to succeed among white Americans is related to their ability to code switch between "Black English" and "White English". Most white Americans can’t imagine going to a doctor or a lawyer who speaks with a traditional African American accent. Most would, however, go to an African American Doctor or lawyer if s/he spoke the same way as they do. There are many books on this subject if you care to look into it. And there really is no way of separating classism from racism in the United States, and language is deeply rooted in both of these.

<eskimos are probably more eskimo like around other eskimos> much less than if they were around you. eskimos don't like being called an eskimo. you should call them inuit!

Flizz is correct. It's a sad sad day when a dude in Brazil has to remind a guy in California the correct term for our friends up north.

>>Bill is correct in part. There is a tendency among African Americans to maintain patterns of speech for the sake of solidarity. Once in a while you will hear some one referred to as an Oreo, black on the outside and white in the middle. A good part of that is related to speech, and a good part of African American’s ability to succeed among white Americans is related to their ability to code switch between "Black English" and "White English". Most white Americans can’t imagine going to a doctor or a lawyer who speaks with a traditional African American accent. Most would, however, go to an African American Doctor or lawyer if s/he spoke the same way as they do. There are many books on this subject if you care to look into it. And there really is no way of separating classism from racism in the United States, and language is deeply rooted in both of these.<<

Yes, but there are some more subtleties to such. One key detail is that in very many areas, middle and upper-class blacks still do not speak like white people of the same social class in the same area. For instance, middle and upper class black people here in southeastern Wisconsin will speak General American around white people, but they do not speak the dialect spoken by white people here or even more General American-like variations on such. Hence they still do not sound like white people here overall even when they do not speak AAVE.

Even in "White English" you will find group accents. You have the Italian descent accent (mostly in NYC), Irish, New England accent, the Southern drawl, and so on. They are indeed more subtle when compared to "Black English", or "Ebonics", as some would call it.

Well, maybe the Southern drawl ain't that subtle...

"Well, maybe the Southern drawl ain't that subtle..."

A full out Southern accent wouldn't be subtle, but there are speakers with a somewhat hybrid accent that would be.