2 Detroit teens: I Don't 'Act White' . . . I Don't 'Speak White'

[LeannaM]

I don't know if "black speak" is a dialect or laziness. Some would probably argue that Redneck dialect may also be laziness, since it's pretty far from proper English as well.

If someone is speaking to me, especially professionally, I prefer proper English. If they're talking to each other, it doesn't really bother me.

I think everyone should be able to use proper English, but do I expect them to speak properly all the time, even while just talking to each other? Not really. It would be nice if everyone talked properly all the time, but most people don't. In the Midwest, even casual talk may sound more proper, simply because Midwesterners generally don't have that much of an accent. But when you go to other parts of the country, there are various dialects and accents.