The Queen's English

There is no such thing as "Talking White".
Do you mean with a Texas Twang?
Or a Southern drawl?
Or like you're from Jersey or New Yawk?
Like a Valley Girl (or Dude)?
Do you mean like your from a trailer park?
Or Appalachia?
Or the Cajun pigeon of Southern Louisiana?

I used to watch King of the Hill.
Before moving to Texas, I thought Boomhower was just speaking gibberish.
But after being here for more than ten years - I understand every word the guy says.
It's just that I've become more familiar with the dialect.

There is no such thing as "Talking White".
It's just Standard American English.
We might be able to call it a media accent.
Or a corporate accent.
Actors and newscasters are often sent to speech coaches to scrub them of their regional accents when the move to the national market.
Why?
Because it's just easier to communicate.
It eliminates the distraction of the listener having to ask; "What?".

It's not the Queen's English either.
The Queen speaks British English.
The common practice of pretentious people, who over-articulate ev-er-y syllable, is just an affectation of intelligence.
No one naturally speaks that way.

A Northern California educator asked if I thought an ESL class to correct Ebonics was a viable option.
Another respected blogger told me that such a class would be seen as condescending.
But how do we eliminate the dialect from anything other than casual conversation?
Unless you're an athlete or entertainer - Ebonics seem to serve little purpose.