DiscoverThe OpinionsJD Vance Is Wrong — Kamala Harris Isn’t Changing Her Accent
JD Vance Is Wrong — Kamala Harris Isn’t Changing Her Accent

JD Vance Is Wrong — Kamala Harris Isn’t Changing Her Accent

Update: 2024-09-231
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Recently, Republicans have taken to accusing Kamala Harris of using fake accents while on the campaign trail. In this episode of “The Opinions,” John McWhorter, an Opinion writer and linguist, argues the vice president is simply revealing a piece of herself by slipping into “Black English,” a form of code switching that is actually quite presidential.

Questions? Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

Comments (5)

Andi-Roo Libecap

I have echolalia, so I accidentally pick up the accent, dialect, vocabulary, or speech pattern of anyone I'm listening to. On the one hand, it's kinda cool because I'm not a bad mimic... but since it's involuntary, the downside is that I'm often accused of mocking a person or culture, which couldn't be further from the truth. Hearing this vignette about codeswitching was fascinating; I have so many questions!

Sep 23rd
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JD Vance Is Wrong — Kamala Harris Isn’t Changing Her Accent

JD Vance Is Wrong — Kamala Harris Isn’t Changing Her Accent

New York Times Opinion