Speech Patterns and Racial Wage Inequality
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Abstract:
Speech patterns differ substantially between whites and African Americans. I collect and analyze data on speech patterns to understand the role they may play in explaining racial wage differences. Among blacks, speech patterns are highly correlated with measures of skill such as schooling and ASVAB scores. They are also highly correlated with the wages of young workers. Black speakers whose voices were distinctly identified as black by anonymous listeners earn about 10 percent less than whites with similar observable skills. Indistinctly identified blacks earn about 2 percent less than comparable whites. I discuss a number of models that may be consistent with these results and describe the data that one would need to distinguish among them.
[Editor’s Note: “Speech Patterns and Racial Wage Inequality” can be downloaded or read as a PDF document here.]
(Posted on July 9, 2008)
Comments
If you sound ghetto, or countrified, people assume that you are ignorant. I am a native speaker of an American country dialect, as well as being fluent in standard English. I have often observed that people will re-evaluate their opinion of me when I change from one dialect to another. The solution to accent bias is to be fluent in standard English. It may be unfair to assume that your accent or your peculiar vocabulary and phrasing make you ignorant, but if you don’t know standard English, as used by any American writer, then you probably aren’t very well educated, no?
Posted by Schoolteacher at 6:41 PM on July 9
These people set out to find bias, against non-whites and only non-whites, and then build their experiments around that. Correction, build their society around that. The best he could do was ‘find’ a 10% and a 2% difference? He doesn’t have long at University…
Posted by at 7:18 PM on July 9
Gosh, what a surprise! People who sound like functional illiterates and who can’t speak grammatical English earn less than people who speak the English language correctly.
This is but further evidence of racial discrimination against people who sound illiterate, uneducated, and downright stupid.
Posted by john at 7:51 PM on July 9
Years ago, Roy Wilkins emeritus director of the NAACP took issue with Crisis Magazine, the magazine published by NAACP. His disagreement was on the topic of language. Ebonics was then the craze, and one lunatic after another opined that it was racist not to accept ebonics as being a substitute for Standard English. In Oakland, they thought that the entire scheme of language should be changed to Ebonics, everybody speaking ebonics, and to hell with Standard English. Roy Wilkins related the story when he talked with an eminent Black professor who said to him, “Mr. Williams, I’d like to AXE you a question.” Roy Wilkins’s reaction to the question was a wince. He immediately was skeptical of the man’s stature as an educator.
Posted by at 9:48 PM on July 9
In the real world (not Hollyweird), this is obviously true. Blacks hold themselves down by accusing any black who is articulate and well spoken as “actin’ white”. I call it “acting successful.”
The irony is seeing the ghetto thug rappers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars perpetuating thugdom through the use of profanity laden ebonics.
Posted by at 11:35 PM on July 9
Schoolteacher is right.
My mother was a teacher of a foreign language. You have to have good English grammar to be able to teach a foreign language. Her verb conversions and rules for adverbs, adjectives, and noun agreement are very easy for anyone to understand. She was always quick to correct my grammar if need be.
I’m told by people that I’m articulate. I am. I don’t have to search for what I’m trying to say. I don’t use sentence fillers (Um; Well, you know, etc.)
I can ‘twang’ it out when I want to. I can speak Ebonics(my mom is probably better). It’s hilarious and both are right on. Being born in the South to white, educated parents; I think I knew subconsciously early on that sounding too southern makes people think you’re less intelligent, even if you’re not. I’ve studied several different languages, because I like to learn languages. Starting with one’s native language is a good idea.
Just a little effort………
Posted by at 11:53 PM on July 9
I love how the producers of the First 48 television show have to use subtitles when the invariably black suspects are being interrogated by police. I feel sorry for the police who have to listen to these dregs of society confess to their tawdry murders.
Posted by at 12:05 AM on July 10
This has nothing to do with dialect; it has everything to do with being clearly understood, and being understood without attitude and affectation. As a linguist, I have always been amazed at how a people who so abhor their slave past still speak with expressions and affectations that were common among American slaves in the 19th century. I hear local black television news/weather announcers pronounce short E’s like short I’s (“timpercher” for temperature), and I suppose that today, this is quite acceptable. If a White announcer were to speak this way, he/she would probably be considered a “wanna be.” Look at other studies where folks with what Americans believe to be British accents are given all kinds of privileges because to Americans, they sound educated, interesting, whatever. This goes back to the 19th century when America culturally lagged behind Britain (or at least perceived such). I knew an Australian professor of English in college who never corrected students who believed that she was from England when they couldn’t tell the difference between Australian and English dialects because, as she said, “being from England gives me clout.” And it did.
Posted by Barbara Preston at 1:09 AM on July 10
The liberals actually want to keep Blacks down. They prove it by calling Black street jive talk “Ebonics”, as if it were a real language. Many Blacks keep other Blacks down by making fun of then when they “talk White”.
Posted by at 7:14 AM on July 10
What is wrong with not wanting your employees who may come into contact with the general public to speak intelligently and not say he be, she be, we be, or use axe for ask?
Posted by Robert at 9:08 AM on July 10
I am an educated southerner and come from educated parents. I completely agree with the previous poster in that we as southerners are just as discriminated against as the blacks when we go up north or far away. Ask any southerer who has lived/visited in say Boston or New York and they will tell you about how ignorant and hillbillyish they were perceived and treated. Accents tell us a lot and for whites it can be deceiving, however for the blacks you are better of to trust your instincts. KF
Posted by kingfish at 10:16 AM on July 10
Lol….if you sound “ghetto”, you ARE ignorant, is the issue here. The problem is not that people are being judged by the way they speak. The problem is, they are CORRECTLY judged by how they speak.
Dress too.
Posted by at 11:00 AM on July 10
“Roy Wilkins related the story when he talked with an eminent Black professor who said to him, “Mr. Williams, I’d like to AXE you a question.””
Just because it may be difficult for him to say a word the way you would like it said, is not in and of itself a reason to question his verasity. Making fun of people in an effort to control them is what liberals do.
Posted by at 1:53 PM on July 10
“”earn about 10 percent less than whites with similar observable skills.”” That statement goes to the heart of the matter. These are young people entering a working world that is governed by a ”starting wage” and then raises. Very few people enter the business world negotiating a contract that is significantly different from their peers. Reminds me of a conversation I had awhile back with someone who made this claim; this lady was an nurse and a large hospital. I asked her, “are you given a set rate based on education and years of service?” SHe replied that she was, but continued by saying that she made less than her co-workers because she chose to work fewer hours. Somehow that was her argument that she earned less due to race and gender.
Posted by cartman at 2:35 PM on July 10
A friend of mine is an air traffic controller. He told me stories about how blacks came to the center for the first cut..NONE made it in the four years he was an instructor there. He told me how they would say “Delta fow fiddy fow you be maintainin one fow thousand” He was ready to tear his hair out. He said they just couldnt stop the ghetto ebonics no matter how much help they got. Forget the fact they couldnt think of two things at once. I love to talk to this guy. An incredibly sharp individual. He is convinced that blacks have a ceiling of tenth grade intellect. 70% was what was needed to be accepted to the ATC program. He told me no black ever got above 50%. Most would get in class the first week and quickly realize they didnt have what was necessary but since they got paid to be there during the program, they just goofed off for the rest of the eight weeks. Taking up space and making it tougher for the people who were truly trying to be air traffic controllers.
Im glad the ATC program doesnt have Affirmative Action. Can you imagine making an approach in a snowstorm and hearing some Shaqueesha screaming ebonics into the radio??
GOD HELP US!
Posted by Capt. Kirkegaard at 4:02 PM on July 10
The blacks that I have come into contact with seem to be aware of this differential and are doing their best to correct the problem. I noticed that they add “You know what I’m sayin” after every sentence. It is nice to know that they are so conscientious.
Posted by at 5:37 PM on July 10
Growing up with a school teacher as a mother, I was constantly told that speaking properly was essential to my success. I was told that regardless of how smart I might be, people may think less of you for not speaking correctly. At a young age, I did not take this all to heart, but as you get older, you realize that being able to speak “proper” english is an important element of success, especially if you work in a business environment.
Our society (and I think most societies are like this) looks down upon people who don’t speak proper english. Whether that be someone speaking in Ebonics, or with a southern drawl. Even some east coast accents are frowned upon. It’s just the way it is. The bottom line is, people shouldn’t get all worked up because they don’t want to speak proper English.
If you don’t take care of you lawn, you neighbors may think you are a slob. If you don’t want people to think that, then you make your lawn presentable. The choice is yours.
Posted by at 7:20 PM on July 10
Illiterate morons tend to sound like illiterate morons; is anyone surprised that there’s a correlation with lower wages? Our ears are remarkably accurate tools sometimes.
I think what people are wincing at is what might be done with the results of this study. Some liberal will declare yet again that “unequal” means “unfair,” and something must be done to raise the wages of dolts, punish those who’ve mastered the language, and require employers to deny the evidence of the senses. It’s already illegal to ask many questions at job interviews; maybe soon it will be illegal to require applicants to speak.
Posted by at 8:27 PM on July 10
“Roy Wilkins related the story when he talked with an eminent Black professor who said to him, “Mr. Williams, I’d like to AXE you a question.””
[Just because it may be difficult for him to say a word the way you would like it said, is not in and of itself a reason to question his verasity. Making fun of people in an effort to control them is what liberals do.]
Posted by at 1:53 PM on July 10
The word, my black friend, is “veracity” not “verasity,” but veracity had nothing to do with the poster’s comments. He was writing about competence, not truthfulness. (veracity.) And saying “axe” when the word is “ask” is not what the poster “would like for him to say,” it’s the correct way to pronouce the word itself. It has nothing to do with preference.
By mistaking veracity for competence you might brush up a bit on word meanings yourself.
Posted by mitch at 10:40 PM on July 10
7:20 wrote: “Growing up with a school teacher as a mother, I was constantly told that speaking properly was essential to my success. I was told that regardless of how smart I might be, people may think less of you for not speaking correctly. At a young age, I did not take this all to heart, but as you get older, you realize that being able to speak “proper” english is an important element of success, especially if you work in a business environment.”
_________
This was my exact upbringing! My mom was an English teacher, and correct use of the language was stressed when I was growing up. As a result, I write for a living and pronounce words like a BBC announcer.
Posted by at 2:50 AM on July 11
Capt Kirkeegaard:
Your story sounds fake!
While I am aware of the fact that some Black peole have a distinct voice patter that one can detect,my wife who is a telephone operator and I have talked about this a few times. That being said. however,I smply do not beleive that every Black person who applied for a job as an air traffic controller (or even most for that matter)said “delta fow fitty fow you be maintain one fow thousand” Sorry, I just do not beleive this.
You know I think as a few other posters have mentioned, that sometimes some of our fellow White Amreners are so eager to vent their resentments about Blacks and other non-Whites that they will go to any length (even fabricating stories) in an effrot to satisfy their urges.
The fact is that such tactics do not advance our cause, but rather they give our opponents ammunition and they probably dissuade otherwise rational Whites from joining our movement.
The fact is that we have too few allies as it is. We need to think about what we post on this board.
Posted by Tom at 5:27 PM on July 13
“The fact is that we have too few allies as it is. We need to think about what we post on this board.”
I agree with you Tom. Especially about posters using black-speak, like, “delta fow fitty fow you be maintain one fow thousand”
I’m not sure what the goal is, but generally it makes the poster himself look pretty stupid. I wouldn’t say, never imitate the speech of someone else like that, it just usually makes the poster look like an idiot, and evil. For some reason, literature expressing dialog in a southern accent (although I’ve always found it hard to read) isn’t considered to be in bad taste. I’m a WN who posts on here and I find 4/5ths of the ‘black speak’ here offensive, for some reason.
Margaret, one of my favorite posters on AmRen, used to do black speak on occasion. I didn’t really find it pleasant to read when she did it either. I did love her ‘raps’. She would compose little WN poems in a style similar to rap music.
Posted by Dr. Smith at 10:21 AM on July 18