[Matt S.]

Is it true that Native Americans in the media speak in a slower, more deliberate fashion than Caucasians?

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Name : Matt S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Eastern European / Jewish, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 17, City : Los Alamitos, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dominique]

I would think it varies upon the individual. Ive heard 'whites' speak slow at times; most Ive heard have been those from Southern states such as Georgia (this is not to say it is limited in the south). Then i have heard Native Americans who babble. The speed of a persons speech could be dependent upon region they live in, up bringing, and just personality. Heres an idea: We especially dislike when people stereotype us, so lets avoid all stereotypes and generalizations from now on.

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Name : Dominique, Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Scientist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Kenny A.]

As a Native American who works with a lot of other Native Americans, I would like to answer your question. I see quite a few of the older Native Americans (mostly fullblood) who speak very slowly and deliberately. It is more the way they were brought up than anything. If, for instance, they are Choctaw like I am and grew up in a household where Choctaw is spoken, then they will have the 'Indian' accent and way of speaking. I grew up where my language was not spoken as often, and I am not fluent. I sound like most everyone else here in my part of Oklahoma: a hillbilly. The reason some Choctaws speak slower is that the Choctaw language has a radically different sentence structure than English. In Choctaw, the noun is spoken first, then any adjectives, then the verb. the sentence 'chahta sia hoke' which means 'I am Choctaw', directly translated would be something like 'choctaw, I am.' People who are used to talking in this manner have to think about how to structure sentences when they speak English. It makes them sound like they are deliberatley choosing their words. They are. I hope this answers your question. I just found this web site and I think it is a good one. I will try to answer any questions about Native Americans. Don't be afraid to ask - the only dumb question is the one not asked.

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Name : Kenny A., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 36, City : Talihina, State : OK Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Laura E. Laitinen]

Thank you for noticing the indigenous folk of this country and their speech. I believe Kenny gave a great response to the question. But I just think many caucasians are in such a rush to conquer something. . .anything that they talk way too fast. Maybe more should take the deliberate approach! : ) Peace.

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Name : Laura E. Laitinen, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Age : 30, City : Oneida, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Trainer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[alesa]

in school i studied linguistics, and one of the things i remember coming up in a class on discourse analysis was the perception that native americans spoke slower than other americans. i don't remember the precise reason the teacher gave, but in the course of talking the concept of silences came up. silences in standard english tend to be negatively stigmatized, one thinks the hearer doesn't understand what the speaker is saying (or is stupid, etc.) within a few seconds of the response. another issue that came up is that some native american cultures do not have that negative stigma placed upon silences, and that it is better not to answer, or to ponder on the question instead of just answering immediately. i don't know if native americans do speak slower, but consider the place of silences in discourse and ask, do we speak very fast?

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Name : alesa, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 25, City : NYC, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[alesa]

in school i studied linguistics, and one of the things i remember coming up in a class on discourse analysis was the perception that native americans spoke slower than other americans. i don't remember the precise reason the teacher gave, but in the course of talking the concept of silences came up. silences in standard english tend to be negatively stigmatized, one thinks the hearer doesn't understand what the speaker is saying (or is stupid, etc.) within a few seconds of the response. another issue that came up is that some native american cultures do not have that negative stigma placed upon silences, and that it is better not to answer, or to ponder on the question instead of just answering immediately. i don't know if native americans do speak slower, but consider the place of silences in discourse and ask, do we speak very fast?

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Name : alesa, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 25, City : New York City, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Jackie Anderson]

I have often wondered about the way some natives speak. I enjoy the deliberate and clear way of speaking. I wish some of our white teenagers, with their quick way of speaking, would adopt some of the precise language habits of native Americans.

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Name : Jackie Anderson, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 62, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : retired business owner, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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