Haha. That picture is crackin' me up. I can see them all doing the Dave Chappelle "white voice".

I've been told by plenty of people (including my own mother) that I sound like "a white girl".

*shrugs*

Let's call a spade a spade. We know what people mean when they say "sounding black vs. sounding white." It is vernacular, verbal and non-verbal cues. It's not voice, it's how your thoughts manifest between your lips, tongue and teeth.

No, this study does not surprise me. When's the last time you saw a non-entertainer/athlete/pastor multi-millionaire that "sounded black?"

ugh– been hearing it all my life. always bristle a little. its never meant/taken as a compliment. white people meanwhile seem to take great pride in being told they sound "black". so what is that?

I went to a white elementary school sooooo… guess the "accent" stuck? also, my mom says she never talked baby talk to me or allowed me to speak improperly.

i dont know, its just the way i tak at this point, i dont think about it anymore… much

Yes, I get what the guys at freekanomics are saying. One can speak standard English and still "sound black". Sounding white includes tone, diction,pitch etc… When I think of blks who "sound white" Brian Gumbell,Condi and Wayne Brady come to mind.

i have been told I sound white since I was a little girl.

some people call it "sounding black," I call it sounded uneducated and annoying.

My sister gets this all of the time. It's funny since she's a teacher and whenever she calls home to a black parent about their kid's bad behavior, many of them immediately want to blame the 'white' teacher as they defend their child's atrocious behavior (that's another post).

We're from Jamaica, but came here as children and grew up in a racially mixed environment. I definitely get that sometime if I've spoken to people over the phone and then meet them in person. For some reason though, people think I sound British over the phone. I certainly don't here it.

Years ago I used to work in a Barnes and Noble and white people were always 'complimenting' me on the way I spoke. I didn't know what to make of it. The reality though is that I and my sister and other siblings have gotten more flack from black folks than white. Some black people really seem to suffer from a severe lack of self esteem and need to find a way to rag on anyone they think is acting 'better' then them. The crazy part is once they realize I'm Jamaican, then it becomes okay to speak this way.

Wow, people really compliment you for sounding "white"? I definitely sound white more than black, but I get super self conscious when a black friend goes on rant mode about black people sounding white (I think we all have such friends).

I remember they were once a vip members of Richromances.com. I don't know if they have remove them or not.

I definitely believe that there's an average difference in accent between groups that shows through even when instructed to say the exact same sentences. There's even a discernible Asian-American accent. My voice… is kind of strange. Not only is it racially ambiguous, it's gender ambiguous, as well… I've been accused of sounding like a robot (which, in light of the aforementioned attributes, makes sense) way more than I've been accused of sounding white by other blacks. To date, I don't think a white person has ever said anything about my voice that I remember. Is anybody from here commenting over at the Freakonomics blog? I was going to go over and give some of the commenters "what for" because of the conclusion that many of them jumped to that "sounding black"=sounding low class/having poor grammar, only to discover that a ton of people were already "holding it down" and saying pretty much everything I wanted to say.

"When’s the last time you saw a non-entertainer/athlete/pastor multi-millionaire that “sounded black?"

Hell, I'm stumped trying to think of a black non-entertainer/athlete/pastor multi-millionaire whose voice I've heard before. *SMH*

"white people meanwhile seem to take great pride in being told they sound “black”. so what is that?"

While speaking or singing? Because I've heard of the latter a lot, but the former, not so much.

When Im with my mom, we get that all the time.

WHats messed up is when they assume Im another race (I still dont know why). Its ok until they find out Im Black, then they're surprised.

Joy.

When they say an employee sounds "Black" and makes less money because of it, what does that mean? The employee speaks Ebonics? The employee knows 2 words and says both of them wrong… axe & conversate? Like Chris Rock said re Collin Powell …"white people act sooo shocked when they hear he can talk. they start cheering and call him 'articulate.' the man is secretary of state. what's he gonna say— 'I thinks Ima drops me a bomb today'?" SMH

I mean, it's deeper than that, too… pun intended. Blackmen tend to have deeper voices than the nasal tone of whitemen (many whitewomen, too, are extremely nasal) but as Blackmen rise in corporate America, they tend to let up on some of that bass to seem less threatening…. so they tend to seem real corny when they talk… all high, throwing their heads back to laugh at mess that aint even funny. SMH @ Sambo

For me, I used to sound reeeeeeal white, but now Im like, bump that mess. Now I'll throw in Southern accents, street drawls, slang, texture, inside jokes …whatever… just in an effort not to sound all monotone & bland.

I've been told by several people that I sound white, BUT a blind (white) guy that I guided once said that I sound like Hillary Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. As Hillary Banks is black, I say that I sound black… but not for employment purposes.

I have since tried to lose any valley girl-isms and I still cringe a little when I hear my voice recorded somewhere because it sounds way better in my head. In my head, I sound like Deborah Roberts. In reality, I sound like (drumroll please) Hillary Banks.

For me, I used to sound reeeeeeal white, but now Im like, bump that mess. Now I’ll throw in Southern accents, street drawls, slang, texture, inside jokes …whatever… just in an effort not to sound all monotone & bland.

LOL. I "shift" a lot which I always found disingenuous, but whatever. Perhaps I'm over thinking things. I still use words like "perhaps" and "disingenuous" regardless of my audience. I just trade "fugly" for "hot a– mess" when I speak with my black friends vs. my non-black ones. Conversions:
sexy –> "mmmmm mmmmm"
"hi honey" –> "hey chica"
spouse, partner –> "boo"
"mistress" –> "sideline ho"
anything negative –> "a mess," "a hot mess," "a hot a– mess," "boo boo"
"curvy" –> "thick," "juicy"
any objectionable woman –> "heiffa"
"trashy," "ghetto" –> "coonish," "n-erish" (Flavor Flav franchise)
"slutty" —> "ho-ish" or "ho-like"

Its funny cuz you're right… some people really consciously turn it on and off, I know I do. Especially at work when I answer the phone. The really funny thing is when people do it without being concious of the change. My grandmother for example, a strong Black West Indian woman who went from maid to supervisor at a law firm…. she has an accent some of my college roommates couldn't understand and one of those loud carrying voices that grandma's possess but as soon as that phone rings….smh.

I guess it's a 'survival' thing. As bad as it sounds we all knew that by speaking the way we speak at home (slang, accents and such) we wouldn't rub the higher ups in the work place the right way (read: white folks) so we adapt to get ahead and better our families. Its horrible sounding but true.

Oh. I forgot.

mad, jealous –> "salty"

I hate the concept of "sounding black/sounding white" I think it's a ridiculous notion. Yes I understand what they mean but I also want people to elevate their thinking.

Some would say I "sound white" but I believe I just sound like myself neither white nor black. I don't understand why we insist on boxing ourselves in on this topic.

Who came up with sounding white and black and why? I think we would do better if we stop trying to categorize it and classify ourselves as sounding one way or the other and explain what it really means to have a different tone, diction, accent, etc. It's simply a reflection of where you are from–the community/environment that shaped you and it isn't good or bad trait–only when we believe what some of our brothers and sisters say when they make fun of us for sounding one way or the other or when a white person tells us we speak so well. At what point do we just start loving who we are, which means if we "sound black" we love that and own that and if we "sound white" we love that too. Why do we feed into the b.s.

It is what we make it and I believe we all deserve to sound like God intended us to sound and not subscribe to some jacked up philosophy.

Mostly I sound "white", but with both NY and North Carolina running through my blood any accent might come out when I'm relaxed.

My boyfriend and I "fight" about this all the time. Who sounds whiter? He's an actor so he shook that Texas accent off as soon as he got off the Greyhound in Port Authority.

Use the versatility to your advantage.

It is screwed up. If your grammar is correct and you don't throw in lots of slang, you're said to "talk white," and it's really an accusation. Forget the accents.

It's similar to saying that people who are focused on their education are trying to be white. From that perspective, to act "white" (inaccurate by the way since most Americans, whites included, aren't book worms) is to do well. So black = bad??

Sometimes, you can tell from the timbre of someone's voice what race they are, and it might have nothing to do with vocabulary and slang. Long before I knew who it was, I knew Darth Vader was voiced by a black man. The rich, baritone and clear diction of James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman made them famous.

Having an accent is an entirely different thing. I'm from Brooklyn/Staten Island, but my parents were extremely careful when I was growing up, and I don't have a horrible accent like many of my Italian-American neighbors. People can't tell where I'm from, which makes me happy, because nothing makes you sound like a mouth-breathing idiot unworthy of a job than a Brooklyn accent. It's socioeconomic death.

here's a riddle for you:

If a black woman who sounds white and doesn't have a criminal record competed for a job against a white woman who sounds black and has a crimnal record, who gets the job?

Angelina Jolie.

“white people meanwhile seem to take great pride in being told they sound “black”. so what is that?”

While speaking or singing? Because I’ve heard of the latter a lot, but the former, not so much

Think Tom Jones. I know two Asian men who have deep basey(tp) voices who "sound like brothers."

A quick summery.

Lil Wayne,Magic Johnson& Charles Barkley=blacks who speak ebonics/AA vanacular and sound black.

Collin Powell & Barack Obama=blacks who speak standard English but still sound black.

Condaleza Rice, Bryan Gumbel and Wayne Brady=blacks who speak standard English and sound white.

If people think you are white when they speak with you on the phone, then you are a black who sounds white.

RhymesWithSilver because nothing makes you sound like a mouth-breathing idiot unworthy of a job than a Brooklyn accent. It’s socioeconomic death
Is the Brooklyn accent below the Long Island accent?

One more thing, the article also mentioned how a Southern accent equals sounding black in terms of lower income earnings.

@ChicNoir: the Long Island accent makes me a little homicidal. The funniest is when it's on a very affluent (nouveau riche of course) young person.

My number one reason for not wanting to raise children in Boston is the Boston accent, not the racism, segregation, etc. Hahvahd, Somahville, Medfahd, Pahk Street and Reveah are all hilarious, but not coming out of the mouth of my non-existent offspring. I'm not even sure I want kids, but dammit, if I have them, I know I'm moving to Connecticut.

I do automatically assume that Southern people are black because all the Southern people I know are black. I don't really think most Americans have room to pass judgment. The Appalachian, Cali beach bum and BMore accents aren't exactly classy nor can one ever associate them with wealth. Same for Rhode Island one (think Peter Griffin).

YeahDaria, I, too, think it's disingenuous to switch up, but I do it, too. So, even though I do it, it's probably disingenuous of me to be driven all nuts when Oprah is all "chiiiile, tell me all about your last movie" (chile being Tom Cruise.) This drives me nuts. I mean, I can see if she's talking to somebody Black??? but to be all "chiiiiile, tell me 'bout the roy'l jewels" (chile being Queen Elizabeth,) there is something really wrong about that.

J, go watch her Howard commencement speech. That is the worst case of shifting ever.

Tom is considered "down" for some reason. I don't think she does that with John Travolta.

People always tell me I sound like a white girl. Some people who get to get to know me say I don't act like "a Tameika." I dated a guy who once made fun of me because I went to college. Then, there are the people who say I don't dress like a black person from Jersey.

I am who I am. If they don't like it kick rocks.

Oh and Bklyn DreamZ, my mom is the same way, yelling at me and my sister about how she doesn't have any grandkids yet, but as soon as that phone rings she's a sweatheart.

@ChicNoir- you know, I think the Long Island accent might actually make my ears bleed faster than the Brooklyn accent. But it's always weird going home and hearing a friend talk about going to the "mawwwl" with their boyfriend "Ant-nee".

As for the study connected with this thread, it's a "chicken and egg" problem, isn't it? Are you just more likely to find these speech patterns where the poor people live, or can you prove the speech pattern created made them poor? That said, if you want to be competitive, it always pays to be able to communicate with the greatest number of people possible. Speech patterns that strongly indicate your origins get in the way of that, so we tend to perceive them negatively.

Daria, DON'T.PUSH.ME.CAUSE.I'M.CLOSE.TO.THE.EDGE? I reeeeally don't need to see Oprah speaking @ Howard today. I reeeeeeally don't. I can only imagine, um, honeychild. (And I assume you mean she's speaking like that —- AT A COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT.) SMH

I don't know. I guess American-born Blackfolk, we have our own vernacular… our own 'language' that we slip into…like when people use their own language to talk to one other. Isn't that the point of slang? To talk to one another? To use the proverbial dog whistle? So it bothers me when we use our language to talk to *other*folk… particularly whitefolk. It's so coonish to me. But I know I do it, too… particularly when they start working my last nerve, in an effort to draw an imaginary line….. to be revolutionary or something… like 'Ha! I'm speaking in code and YOU don't understand! You'll be saying it a year and a half from now." *eyeroll*

Daria, oh! You *said* it was Howard's commencement. UGHHHHHHHHHHH. Boo, I got so worked up at the mental image of Billionaire O standing up at that podium & yall-ing like she just ran off the plantation, I must have glossed over that part as I fell and hit my head on my chair. SMH

Bullshit