"I personally think it would be a reasonable improvement if the 'average' American learned to speak English ."

hey, leadfingers..*grin*...good thing you ducked and ran!...now, just where IS it in jolly olde England that one goes to hear the "proper" form of English? Northumbria? Hull? Within earshot of the Bow Bells for a good education in Cockney? The BBC news programs?

goodness! If you can't find an 'avarage' Englishman, how are we gonna determine an average American an educate him?

Now, let me clarify my early post for Azizi and others who might think I am criticizing a group of people. The point is, slang, argot, vernacular, jargon, patois, etc.....is clear and useful within a group who understand its current usage.
"Noun: slang
Informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar"

If members OF a group find it 'cool' (*grin*) to play this game with each other so that they can maintain an identity and/or be intentionally confusing to outsiders, well....I certainly see why they might at times. But if they use ONLY this informal language, and are unable to switch into something resembling 'standard' speech for formal (i.e., business) occasions, it becomes a problem. People are passed over in job interviews, they get bad grades in school, they get into altercations with OTHER groups who use different slang and interpret words wrong. I note that it is difficult to search for origins of words like 'hooptie', because they were said before they were spelled, and whether 'hoop' or 'whoop' was the main basis gets muddy with time.

You, Azizi, are aware of much of the African-American culture and nuances of language, but because OF that awareness, you 'could' change your name, not admit your heritage, and not be identified in a forum like this.....that is, you are able to switch into or out of, a slang-based language at will. But I sometimes see those who either can't (or won't)....in fact, I often see posts from people who go out of their way to spell out their 'attitude' in unusual spellings and word usage.

Whether the group is African American, Cockney, Georgian peanut farmer, Texan or Maine fisherman, if they lose awareness of what is considered 'standard' speech and throw their slang (and more extreme forms of pronunciation) into all conversations, RT or VT, they do themselves a disservice, as well as placing unnecessary barriers between themselves and those they are trying to communicate with.

I remember in the Watergate hearings, Senator Howell Heflin using his VERY exaggerated southern drawl almost as a weapon to make points and intimidate witnesses. (There used to be websites commenting on this!)

as usual, I have rambled...and probably gone way beyond the original point of Sorcha's question...but Mudcat thread-drift does have a way of doing that, hmmm?

so...semi-rant over....you may all on with the original debate now...(not that you need my permission)