Does ones dialect have any indication to their intellect?

Question

For example Marcus speaks with ghetto slang...does this mean he is less intellectual that Adam who speaks perfect english?

Answer 1

Excellent answers from Tasha and Janelle L. People of any degree of intelligence can belong to any social or cultural group; the way they communicate has nothing to do with actual intelligence.

Cultural stereotypes arise because others outside a group make broad assumptions about those of that group that are never correct for all of its members.

Answer 2

If you have ever been in a Walmart you might think that it does.

Answer 3

Not at all.  I consider myself to be "bilingual" in that I speak properly when I'm at work or in a professional setting but I speak "ebonics" when I'm relaxing with friends or family.  Different people have stronger points of their intellect.  So this Adam might be able to speak english without a mistake or mispronunciation but he might not be so street savvy.  Whereas Marcus can't write a paper without using improper english but he's got a 3.5 GPA.  It all depends on the person and the situation.  Teachers and parents need to stress how important it is to learn when to be comfortable and when to be professional or politically correct.  Dialect isn't always an indication of intellect.

Answer 4

I`ll say no. "Nuh bcuz he does talk so mean he cyah talk betta when is time to talk betta. He might be brighter dan Adam an all." Or should I have said it this way "Not because Marcus speaks that way means he can`t speak properly when the need arises. He is probably even more educated than Adam." I live in Trinidad and Tobago where dialect is the spoken word. But we can go into proper english at any point.

Answer 5

No way! Theoretically, all dialects are as worth being used as the standard accent. By the way, what makes a given dialect standard? Politics? Social powers? Speaking with a given dialect shows your ethnicity and origin (both socially and geographically), and has nothing to do with your intellect, even with your level of education.