# How many Americans can only speak "ghetto"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725 "2012-02-23T13:22:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/1 "2012-02-23T13:22:49Z")
> [@Have you ever served on a jury?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-served-on-a-jury/612804/118): > > I was called for jury duty maybe 8 times, and actually served twice. In the first case, I was an alternate on a murder trial. The two guys got into a fight over $10, one guy ran into his house, came back with a gun, shot the other guy in the eye and killed him. I thought it was interesting, especially since the court had a translator for several of the witnesses because they were speaking ghetto English. I learned what a hoopty was. That surprised me. In Britain, more or less anyone who spoke “ghetto english” would be able to make themselves understood to normal people if they had to. The only real exception I can think of is Irish Travellers but even then 99% would be able to. Oh, and Glasweigans. So what’s the deal with the above quote - how extreme is that? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/2 "2012-02-23T13:46:54Z")
That poster’s location says Israel, so I don’t know what part of the US s/he was in (although the second, unquoted paragraph mentions Balitimore, so maybe there.) My experience here in Chicago is that it’s “not many”. I work with mostly low income Black people in some of the most “ghetto” neighborhoods we have. I am a very, very White Girl, raised in a suburb in which you could very literally count the Black people on one hand. I have very little experience with AAVE outside of television and movies, in other words. Once or twice in an hour long conversation, I may ask someone to repeat something, to be sure I’ve got it accurately, but that’s mostly because of a mumble, not a dialect. My clients speak General American/Chicago to me, although they speak AAVE/Chicago with each other. I have noticed, “Giiiiiirl…” and some AAVE verb constructions creeping into my vocabulary though. “You itching?” and “You be itching?” are two distinct questions, although I try not to use either. Gotta watch it, lest someone think I’m making fun of them. I have no idea if we have dialect translators in our courts. Never hear of it before. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/3 "2012-02-23T14:02:03Z")
What it is, big mama? My mama no raise no dummies. I dug her rap! ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/4 "2012-02-23T14:24:12Z")
IME, people that speak AAVE think it’s just slang. I’ve even tried to explain that it’s its own separate dialect, but they seem to take offense to that. If they think they’re just being informal, then that implies that they think they and their peers can speak formally when they choose to. If I were bilingual, I wouldn’t assume everyone was bilingual, but since AAVE speakers seem to, I assume they all are. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/5 "2012-02-23T15:29:47Z")
You wanna have some fun trying to understand “ghetto?” Next time some gangsta thug is arrested, check to see if he has a facebook page. If he (usually it’s a guy) has a facebook page, and if it’s accessible to the public, you’ll have your work cut out trying to understand it. But I did learn a new term “kick-doe,” which I try to work in as often as possible. ETA: (Apparently this is about UK "ghetto english, so never mind!) ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/6 "2012-02-23T15:32:12Z")
> [@spankthecrumpet](#): > > That surprised me. In Britain, more or less anyone who spoke “ghetto english” would be able to make themselves understood to normal people if they had to. The only real exception I can think of is Irish Travellers but even then 99% would be able to. > > Oh, and Glasweigans. > > So what’s the deal with the above quote - how extreme is that? Really? Have you ever heards Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard given an interview? I have, but I’ll be damned if I understood a word of it. (and I’m not even going into Scotland here) ---
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/7 "2012-02-23T15:46:26Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > Really? Have you ever heards Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard given an interview? I have, but I’ll be damned if I understood a word of it. (and I’m not even going into Scotland here) Perfectly comprehensible to the average brit. And if not, it’s an accent thing, not a language thing. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/8 "2012-02-23T16:05:54Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > IME, people that speak AAVE think it’s just slang. I’ve even tried to explain that it’s its own separate dialect, but they seem to take offense to that. If they think they’re just being informal, then that implies that they think they and their peers can speak formally when they choose to. If I were bilingual, I wouldn’t assume everyone was bilingual, but since AAVE speakers seem to, I assume they all are. Well, it _is_ just slang, and I can see why people would be offended if you tell them it’s not. Slang means they know it’s not “proper” English but prefer to use it among their peers, while using more formal English when the circumstances demand it. Calling it a dialect is rather condescending - it’s effectively saying “These folks don’t speak properly because they don’t know any better.” ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/9 "2012-02-23T16:10:30Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Well, it _is_ just slang, and I can see why people would be offended if you tell them it’s not. Slang means they know it’s not “proper” English but prefer to use it among their peers, while using more formal English when the circumstances demand it. Calling it a dialect is rather condescending - it’s effectively saying “These folks don’t speak properly because they don’t know any better.” No, it’s not “just slang.” AAVE is a dialect whether anyone wants it to be or not, which btw does not imply that it’s the only dialect a person is capable of speaking. And frankly, calling it “not ‘proper’ English” is more insulting and condescending than calling it a dialect. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/10 "2012-02-23T16:21:07Z")
I can see people being offended when you lecture them about how they speak, whether you’re technically correct or not. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/11 "2012-02-23T16:21:47Z")
I think the objection to calling it “dialect” is the separateness that implies. It seems to say “You are not part of our culture, you have your own.” While that might be meant respectfully, (it doesn’t say “Your culture is less than ours”) it still says “You are you, and we are we” which is offensive to a group who basically built the city you are standing in. ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/12 "2012-02-23T16:23:05Z")
I think it’s pretty amusing that the term AAVE has been used 8 times in the above without a single definition. What does that tell you about the assumed audience? AAVE = African American Vernacular English ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/13 "2012-02-23T16:32:57Z")
[What’s up with it, Vanilla face?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asNhFgY7N4Q) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/14 "2012-02-23T16:38:02Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I think the objection to calling it “dialect” is the separateness that implies. It seems to say “You are not part of our culture, you have your own.” > > While that might be meant respectfully, (it doesn’t say “Your culture is less than ours”) it still says “You are you, and we are we” which is offensive to a group who basically built the city you are standing in. I thought it was built on rock ‘n’ roll. d&r ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/15 "2012-02-23T16:41:07Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I think the objection to calling it “dialect” is the separateness that implies. It seems to say “You are not part of our culture, you have your own.” Perhaps the lesson is that parsing the distinctions between slang, dialects, and vernacular—all of which terms are used in linguistics and none of which is unequivocally defined—is less interesting than noting that AAVE features unique and rule-governed differences from General American in terms of lexicon, syntax, and phonology. Thus I think **Chessic Sense** ’s point—which I agree, he needlessly muddled by trying to show off linguistic jargon (It’s OK, **Chessic**! We already know you know everything! No need to show off.)—is that AAVE is more than slang insofar as it represents more than just substitution of a less formal lexicon for a more formal one. Nevertheless, I do think AAVE is principally an informal register and that those who employ it are typically able to use standard General American in more formal contexts. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/16 "2012-02-23T16:50:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > And frankly, calling it “not ‘proper’ English” is more insulting and condescending than calling it a dialect. It’s not. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/17 "2012-02-23T16:52:09Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > It’s not. Sorry. I’m not even sure this is a matter of opinion. It’s basically _objectively_ true given the meanings of the two terms. “Not proper english,” by virtue of the meaning of the word “proper,” necessarily connotes some degree of condescension or disapproval at least. “A dialect” has no such connotation. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/18 "2012-02-23T16:56:54Z")
Amazed [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa1rjCZxtxo) wasn’t posted a microsecond after the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/19 "2012-02-23T16:58:24Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Thus I think **Chessic Sense** ’s point is that AAVE is more than slang No, that wasn’t my point. > [@TruCelt](#): > > I think the objection to calling it “dialect” is the separateness that implies. > [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > AAVE is principally an informal register and that those who employ it are typically able to use standard General American in more formal contexts. That was my point. If AAVE speakers were an entirely separate entity and culture, they wouldn’t be offended by the perceived implication. The OP asks “How many Americans can only speak “ghetto”?” Since these speakers are offended when you even imply that it’s even possible to only ‘speak ghetto’, the answer is “Not many, if any.” Seriously, what’s hard to interpret about “people that speak AAVE think it’s just slang…that implies that they think they and their peers can speak formally when they choose to.”? > [@](#): > > (It’s OK, **Chessic**! We already know you know everything! No need to show off.) Well, it’s about time. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725/20 "2012-02-23T17:18:46Z")
It is funny listening to my coworkers talk to their friends or family on the phone. They certainly aren’t speaking normal American English, but they also have no idea that this fat pale ginger old guy can understand anything they are talking about. I spent quite a bit of time living in or near the 'dubs in Oakland. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-americans-can-only-speak-ghetto/613725.md?page=2)