A real blaccent is identified by tone

@shaythethey

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SoundTikTok sound · original sound - shaythethey

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Why it worked

The video addresses a nuanced cultural topic with a clear, authoritative perspective, sparking engagement through its bold claim about the mechanics of speech and identity.

Summary

The creator explains that a 'blaccent' is defined by vocal tone and cadence rather than just vocabulary. They argue that growing up in Black communities influences a person's vocal characteristics regardless of their race.

Structure

1Defining the difference between a blaccent and growing up around Black people
2Explaining that vocal tone and inflection are key identifiers
3Describing how shared community experiences shape vocal patterns
4Concluding that the sound of a voice is more significant than the words used

On-screen text

A REAL BLACCENT IS IDENTIFIED BY TONE THIS IS HOW YOU CAN TELL BLACK ACCENT UP AROUND BLACK PEOPLE. AND THIS IS WHERE THAT SPEAKING BLACK ISN'T A REAL THING GOES TO WASTE. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY A SUCH THING AS SPEAKING BLACK. BLACK PEOPLE HAVE DEEPER VOICES. WE HAVE A TONE TO OUR VOICE. I CAN TELL A BLACK VOICE IN A CROWD FROM A WHITE VOICE. AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE GROWN UP AROUND BLACK PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE, THEIR VOICE WILL BE DEEPER. THEIR VOCAL INFLECTION OPERATES ON A DIFFERENT VOCAL TONE. NOT ONLY ARE THEY SPEAKING WITH OUR VERNACULAR, BUT THE TONE OF THEIR VOICE WILL MATCH THAT OF A BLACK PERSON. BLACK PEOPLE AREN'T JUST IDENTIFIED BECAUSE OF HOW WE SPEAK. WE'RE IDENTIFIED BECAUSE OF HOW WE SOUND. THERE ABSOLUTELY IS A SUCH THING AS TALKING BLACK. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT'S THE WORDS YOU'RE USING, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE. A TRUE PERSON THAT HAS GROWN UP AROUND BLACK PEOPLE, IF I PUT BLINDFOLDS ON AND THEY SPOKE, I WOULD THINK IT IS A BLACK PERSON. THEY HAVE A BLACK VOICE. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE WORDS THAT THEY'RE USING. IT'S ABOUT THE TONE OF THEIR VOCAL CORDS AND HOW THEY MOVE. THERE IS A SUCH THING AS TALKING BLACK. AND TO SAY THAT THERE ISN'T IS TO ERASE HISTORY AND ERASE HOW SEPARATED WE'VE BEEN FROM SOCIETY AND HOW MUCH OUR VOICE HAS BEEN CULTIVATED IN THE PRIVACY OF OUR OWN COMMUNITY. AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE GROWN UP AMONGST OUR COMMUNITY, DESPITE BE NOT BEING OF US, ABSOLUTELY OPERATE THAT TONE OF VOICE. IF I PUT ON A BLINDFOLD AND I HEARD THE TRUE VOICE OF SOMEBODY THAT HAS GROWN UP AND BEEN AROUND BLACK PEOPLE IN THEIR UPRINGING, THEY WILL HAVE A DEEPER TONE OF VOICE. THEY WILL SOUND BLACK. BLACK PEOPLE HAVE A SPECIFIC SOUND. BLACK PEOPLE HAVE A SPECIFIC PRESENCE. AND BECAUSE WE GROW UP AROUND EACH OTHER, ALL OF US OPERATE WITHIN IT. WHEN I'M ON THE PHONE WITH MY MOTHER, I CAN ACT AS THOUGH I'M ONE OF MY SIBLINGS BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO REACH THEIR TONE OF VOICE. AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE ARE ALL BLACK. THE SAME CAN BE DONE WITH BLACK PEOPLE THAT GROW I MEAN, WHITE PEOPLE OR NON BLACK PEOPLE THAT GROW UP AROUND BLACK PEOPLE. THEIR TONE OF VOICE IS LOWER. THEY SPEAK DIFFERENTLY. THEY KNOW OUR CADENCE. IT'S MORE THAN JUST THE WORDS YOU USE. IT IS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOUND THAT COMES FROM YOU.

Original caption

In America, Black people have their own sound, their own dialects and their own vernaculars by region. If someone has a true blaccent, it should be highly reflective of the community they’ve been grown in. From the tone of our voices, to our cadence, to our inflection, we hold our own sound. #linguistics #blaccent #speaker #dialect #shaythethey

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Transcript

This is how you can tell who's doing a black accent and who grew up around black people. And this is where that speaking black isn't a real thing goes to waste. There is absolutely a such thing as speaking black. Black people have deeper voices. We have a tone to our voice. I can tell a black voice in a crowd from a white voice. And people that have grown up around black people, regardless of their race, their voice will be deeper. Their vocal inflection operates on a different vocal tone. Not only are they speaking with our vernacular, but the tone of their voice will match that of a black person. Black people aren't just identified because of how we speak. We're identified because of how we sound. There absolutely is a such thing as talking black. But a lot of people think it's the words you're using, but it's actually the sound of your voice. A true person that has grown up around black people, if I put blindfolds on and they spoke, I would think it is a black person. They have a black voice. It's not about the words that they're using. It's about the tone of their vocal cords and how they move. There is a such thing as talking black and to say that there isn't is to erase history and erase how separated we've been from society and how much our voice has been cultivated in the privacy of our own community. And those people that have grown up amongst our community, despite be not being of us, absolutely operate that tone of voice. If I put on a blindfold and I heard the true voice of somebody that has grown up and been around black people in their upbringing, they will have a deeper tone of voice. They will sound black. Black people have a specific sound. Black people have a specific presence. And because we grow up around each other, all of us operate within it. When I'm on the phone with my mother, I can act as though I'm one of my siblings because I know how to reach their tone of voice. And that is because we are all black. The same can be done with black people that grow I mean, white people or non black people that grow up around black people. Their tone of voice is lower. They speak differently. They know our cadence. It's more than just the words you use. It is about the structure of the sound that comes from you.