#ethnolects

[youmayhavenoquotes]

Ethnicity is an important part of social identity, and is portrayed through language use.

Kate Burridge & Jean Mulder

[youmayhavenoquotes]

[any pride taken in a native language may be] tinged with concern when you realise that other countries may not want to use the language in the same way.

David Crystal

[weareallmixedup]

I'm somewhat white passing, like people usually figure out I'm mixed, but my skin color is of my father's, who is white while my mother is black. And I was just wondering if it would be okay if I used AAVE? I've used it and no one's called me out on it, knowing my heritage, but I still want to be sure if I can even tho I'm semi-white passing and only half black.

The only questions people should be asking themselves when trying to determine whether or not to use ANY ethnolect are these: 

Is this ethnolect also a sociolect?

Am I a member of the ethnic group who originated the ethnolect?

If the ethnolect is also a sociolect am I a member of the social group/social community/socioeconomical group associated with the ethnolect? 

If the answer to the second question is “yes” proceed to question three. If the answer to question three is “yes” then do you, boo. If the answer to question three is “no” then ask yourself “am I wanting to speak this ethnolect for classist/ageist/other problematic reasons?” and if the answer to that is “no” then proceed to do you. If the answer is “yes” then take stock of yourself and your life and why you feel the need to do that. If you’re a passing member of a POC oriented ethnolect (conditionally passing or not), that’s a different issue unrelated to whether or not you should be speaking the ethnolect in question. That’s just my opinion as the armchariest of armchair linguists–Coyote