See this why I can’t because him saying no was racist to me https://t.co/mEealnE9UJ
— SIMULATION DOLL (@frankenfemme_) October 7, 2020
While scrolling through my Twitter feed at 3 a.m., having given up on any attempt at getting a full night’s sleep, I came across a video clip featuring a white man and a Black woman, entitled “Ugandan/ American Accent Challenge.” Before watching the video, I glanced at some of the comments it received, including one that read “But for real we need to save her” and others that insinuated the video was racist. Despite forewarnings of a cringe-worthy clip, my curiosity got the best of me and I pressed play.
The video begins with the white man, who is the one holding the camera and filming, introducing himself as American and then the woman introducing herself as Ugandan. The man proceeds to say various English words in an American accent, and the Ugandan woman repeats the words in a slightly different-sounding accent, but in English nonetheless. At various points throughout the video, the man responds to her pronunciation of a word with a confused look, a mocking remark, or a flat-out “no.”
What authority does this man have to determine what is or is not correct speech? His smug, condescending demeanor is deeply rooted in ideologies about language, race, gender, and nationality. His expressed disapproval of her accent reflects a belief in one’s own language/accent (in this case, Standard American English) as the only normal, authentic way of speaking. Although Standard American English is a myth that doesn’t exist in reality, it still influences the way we think about language and leads to the subordination and discrimination of other language varieties.
In this clip, language also intersects with race and gender. The condescending response to the Ugandan woman’s accent is linked to, and consequentially reproduces, gender and racial discrimination and inequality. The effects of these responses are multifaceted and complex due to the woman’s non-white, non-male status. Women often struggle to be heard and taken seriously when speaking, and being a Black woman makes the struggle that much harder. By criticizing the Ugandan woman’s “unfamiliar” way of speaking, the white American man (unconsciously) exercises hegemonic power and reinforces linguistic, gender, and racial prejudices.
This video serves as a reminder of the importance of being aware of our linguistic biases. With so many native and non-native language varieties, what does it even mean to sound “normal?” We must reject the notion that there is a single true, authentic way to speak in order to become more inclusive and less judgmental of language varieties.