blaccent

n. a mode of speech which is said to imitate African-American vernacular English, especially when used by a white person. Also blackcent. Subjects: English, Derogatory

Editorial Note: This term is usually derogatory. Etymological Note: Black + accent

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Citations: 2001 Usenet: alt.tasteless.jokes (Dec. 21) “Re: 10 things a NIGGER would never say”: I like ur “blaCkcent’…*sniCker*. 2002 Usenet: alt.fan.conan-obrien (Sept. 7) “List for September 3-6 / 02”: Janeane Garofalo, after ranting about folks like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera copying the “blaccent,” “I mean, did you guys come up the hard way through the Mickey Mouse club?” 2002 Desson Howe Washington Post (Nov. 8) “Eminem Wins by a ‘Mile’” p. T37: To some, he’s the anti-Vanilla Ice, white with a blackcent. 2004 [Stumps McGurk (whiskeyblood)] Tons of T&A (Pittsburgh, Pa.) (Feb. 3) “Pant Pant Pant Pant”: I’m slowly being adopted at the new favorite employee of the crazy black girl in my department. I’ve been there two days. I think it’s because I told her that her weave must be in too tight if she thought I was ready to start taking calls. Ooops. Sometimes the blaccent just blasts out and there’s nothing for it. 2005 Des Life in text Format (Detroit, Mich.) (Mar. 7) “Things I Hate About Work”: Even if some of the whites put on a phony “blaccent’ and try to be down so to speak. Just cause you pushing a couple biracial babies, got a few black friends—one whom might be with you, like to fuck black dudes, listen to rap, ect. don’t mean we’ll automatically connect, remember that! 2006 John McWhorter The Sun (New York City) (Sept. 21) “The Color of His Skin”: With his light skin, African father and white mother, and only faint hint of what I call a “black-ccent”—the subtle vocal quality that makes most black Americans identifiable as black over the phone (yes, one can “sound black.” It’s been demonstrated repeatedly by linguistic analysis, and the “black-ccent” overlaps only partially with white Southern)—Mr. Obama would easily be cast by these types as “not too black.”

Posted 10 Mar 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend