A very popular Ask the White Guy on the vernacular and/or slang that business people use and how it affects their careers prompted a slew of responses from DiversityInc readers telling us what they think about the language business people use and why. Is it an effort to find something in common? Is it because some people don't know any better, and if it is, should they not be hired because of it? At what point does the vernacular and/or slang that some business people use make them less valuable as employees?

Read on to find out what were the most popular responses.

Besides "Aks" and "Wiff," what other vernacular do you hear business people use? Click here to respond. Read past comments from DiversityInc readers or other Ask the White Guy articles.

(See also: What Do 'Aks' and 'Wiff' Say About You? and Don't Apologize for Your Accent)

Here's what you said about vernacular and/or slang you hear at work:

"Aks" and "wiff" are not slang words. They are pronunciations in the same vein as some Asians' pronunciation of "rice" as "lice." There are no diphthongs in the African languages that were native to black slaves in America. As a result, it poses a linguistic challenge to master certain words such as "ask" and "with" that contain diphthongs. It often takes generations to overcome certain linguistic differences. Yet, Asians are not belittled or berated for saying "lice" instead of "rice" and Hispanics don't appear to send HR personnel fuming for pronouncing "you" as "Jew." It is curious that African Americans are stigmatized and almost criminalized for their linguistic challenges while other groups are not.

--Arva Howard

My example in response to this question is not so much slang as it is just poor grammar. It's the simple sentence such as "Where is he at?" Putting that preposition at the end of similarly constructed sentences really irritates me. I hear it so often among supposedly learned folks, however, that I've begun to question whether there has been a change in what is acceptable grammar. Am I just "old school"?

--Camille Kellogg

I do NOT use what you refer to [as] vernacular but is really mispronounced words--and I believe "articulation and enunciation" may be considered redundant. In addition to strongly reacting to AKS and WIFF and YOUZ, etc., it is grating to hear the "creation" of other words--the word is "CONVERSING," there is no such word as "Conversating"! You seem to be making excuses for pathetic attempts at English.

--C. Kline

When I was growing up, kids who said "aks" or "nucular" (instead of nuclear) or "screet" (instead of street) were corrected. There was a recognition that this was not proper English, and we were told that would be frowned upon in the upper grades as well as in the workplace. Not only is there less of an emphasis on proper speech and grammar, but poor speaking abilities are sometimes seen by teens and young adults as more "authentic." And, what starts as a way of fitting in with peers becomes a speech issue that is difficult to undo, and it ultimately may have a serious impact on such things as job prospects. If I had two candidates interview for a position that requires interfacing with senior management, the fact of the matter is, I would be less likely to hire the one who said "aks" instead of "ask."

--Noelle Smith

"Bidness" for the word business. I don't think it is an attempt to demonstrate "sameness" with someone similar. I believe that for some it is similar to a twang or accent developed in certain areas of the country that are difficult to break or adjust. The question becomes whether or not that person with the southern accent, East Coast accent, etc., is any less effective in the job that they do because of it. I would bet that the answer is no.

--Myra Kern

The one I hear the most is GIT instead of get.

--Phoebe Garrison

If the opportunity presents itself, you should provide this valuable feedback that may result in a successful interview in the future for your candidate. I assume the candidate met all other qualifications for the job; therefore, they would appreciate your candor about what is potentially keeping them from successfully obtaining the position. I have faced this situation myself; when possible, I ask to escort the candidate out, giving myself a chance to provide feedback and enlightenment to the candidate. I know that it is placing yourself on the line; however, we must take these risks to play an intricate role in the continuing development of candidates for our companies.

--Barbara Williams

Nails on a chalkboard! When people repeatedly leave off the possessives when it SHOULD be used--Mama house, David car and adding s when it should NOT be one. Mines! I do believe when potential employers hear blacks using less than standard English, they assume that all speak this way. So when they utter the statement "You are so articulate" to those of us with a command of standard English, it makes sense and mean no harm.

--Marie West

The use of words like "aks" and "wiff" are used in corporate settings because they are used in other environments that people frequent. It is not necessarily bad speech; it is a part of cultural linguistics. Cultural linguistics are derivations of the so-called proper speech that is used in corporate America. It is a problem for me for someone to punish another for the use of a different lingo. Do you penalize a Cuban for speaking Spanish?  An Italian for speaking Italian? There is no difference. Usually the speech conveys the same meaning. The proper speech that is used in corporate America is used for convenience because almost everyone can understand what is being said. Using cultural linguistic speech can make people uncomfortable because they think they do not understand all of what is being said sometimes.

--Michele Josey

Brutha.

--Ward Johnson

I hear African Americans use "mines" to reflect the possessive. I told a friend that the correct use of the word was mine, and she became very angry. I also hear educated people say "da" for "the," which makes my skin crawl … At this point, I think Caucasians expect to hear it from African Americans and, therefore, do not hold it against us.

--Anne Bender

I am surprised that we have a "new" way to discriminate against people of color. When people come from the UK we do not mock their venacular or see them as less qualified. Yes, they are speaking English but not Standard American English. I agree with the writer, "yuuz" and y'all is used by white people all the time, and no one is questioning their ability. I challenge the African American that asked the question to look at his own distress around "sounding" black. When we were freed slaves, we certainly did not speak Standard American English, but you cannot tell me that [Frederick Douglass] or [Harriet] Tubman [weren't] brilliant. We have to stop being the "overseers" at work and continue to help each other. When is the last time you heard a white person state the person they interviewed was not white enough, or too white? It sounds like internalized racism to me.

--Amy Hunter

Unfortunately, I think many black people use those terms and actually don't realize that they are incorrect. If no one tells you, you don't know. We take exposure for granted. My mother was an English teacher, so I could not use those terms. However, people have a tendency to talk about you behind your back, but never to you. The failure is in our schools. Why aren't teachers correcting students? I also have a problem with our black colleges. I am a graduate of an HBCU. I interview students at other HBCUs and cannot understand why they are not corrected there.

--Kelly Brinkley

This is not about slang or vernacular. I work with people from many different areas of the country and have become accustomed to the accents and expressions they use to express their regional identity. The statements about "aks" and "wiff" could be explained away also, if one were inclined to practice tolerance. But clearly, he is allowing what is a pet peeve--the use of non-standard English--as a justification for practicing discrimination. If the applicant is otherwise qualified, why would the insertion of this non-job-related criteria disqualify him? What if he had a Southern drawl or a Valley girl accent? Would the applicant be disqualified for those reasons also? But even more disturbing is the writer's appeal to "black pride." Let's face it, this person has the same kind of "pride" as the Sgt. Waters character in A Soldier's Story. But the writer was correct about one thing--self-hate is very damaging, especially if one is blind to it.

--Cherri Branson

Another word that burns me up when I hear it used by minorities, formally educated as well as not, is the word "birfday" for "birthday". I usually ask the question "Where is the letter 'F ' in the proper spelling of the word?" As an educator who is a minority person of color (of Puerto Rican heritage), I cringe when I hear these words mispronounced. Unfortunately, it isn't always the fault of the student if it is what they are exposed to at home and at school.

--David King

Baffroom (bathroom)--almost any word that has the TH sound in the middle or at the end is pronounced with the F sound. I think this is done unconsciously, as people have been "allowed" to mispronounce these words for so long without being corrected.

--Tracy Powe

An anonymous friend says: Executives use idiotic sports vernacular. "See the game last night?" starts most meetings. This excludes most of the women present who are smart enough not to fall for the marketing ploys of professional sports. These men, she says, for the most part, are "couch-potato wannabes." As a woman, it is offensive at a business meeting when the men huddle in a corner of the room to jibber-jabber about what is only entertainment. I guess without these TV shows, they have no manhood.

--Penelope Wolfe

This is very disturbing to me. Why does a candidate have to speak a certain way in order to be chosen for a particular position?  If that individual is qualified in all other areas, why the heartache?  If the truth be known, none of us speak the proper English that our foremothers and fathers spoke, so who are we to criticize how another individual speaks? We are far removed from the "proper" English that some of our ancestors spoke 200 years ago.

--Jocelyn Hart

"I should have ran." This may be a southern thing; I've heard this from people from Alabama and Texas.

--Alan Taylor

I work at an educational institution. It drives me nuts to hear "I seen" her yesterday. Or, "Where are you at?"

--Carolyn T. Parson

Like, I don't know, I guess, you know what I mean, like? While it is unfortunate [that] hiring decisions are made on someone's use of "wiff" or "aks" instead of their overall qualifications, what do we do with all those people who use these filler phrases in their speech--throw them out of the pipeline too?

--Robert Amelio

Is your firm so homogeneous that anyone who does not speak with a Midwest accent does not get heard? If so, then your firm clearly has some work to do in finding hidden value. It is clear that you are passionate about your ability to help people become upwardly mobile in your organization and frustrated about the language issue. As a gatekeeper of your organization and a potential mentor, it is important to give people clues to the cultural norms of your organization. I don't know how to get this across to each person who you encounter, but if you have the relationship with the person, you are doing them and your firm a clear disservice not to let them know.

--George Yelder

I cringe when I hear this and no one steps up with a correction because that would be offensive--we correct our children if we are responsible parents, don't we?

--Doris Pavicic

I cringe at the vernacular language/slang in business and in general conversation. Throw under the bus? Nailed a presentation? Slang has its place but in general conversation, not so ... I am an African American woman and frankly I have never quite understood why other African Americans don't or won't enunciate. I look at many older African Americans with less education and they speak properly.

--Doris Day

There are several, but the two that I hear the most are: "sussess" instead of success, "doctorial" instead of doctoral.

--Eric Love

In nearly 25 years of working around the world as an IBM executive, Ernst & Young consultant, and former Air Force officer, I have heard the use of "aks" and "wiff" more times than I care to admit--mostly from fellow African Americans. I have been in positions to hire these people or influence the hiring decision. We simply must do better. To that end I now invest time in at-risk youth and college-bound or college students of color to work with them. I was born in the projects of Oakland and made the same mistakes as a high-school student but was pulled aside and told what I was doing--if I was not told and helped I would likely still be making the same mistakes today.

--Frank Shines

By all means, explain to the candidate(s) that his or her (mis)use of the King's English is likely what has hindered them from obtaining jobs (or promotions) and is what has brought you to your decision to not pass them on through the interview process. BUT, ASK FIRST IF THEY WANT YOUR FEEDBACK. Unsolicited negative feedback often results in defensive attitudes. It could even lead to personal attacks on you for not "helping a brotha (or sistah) out!" If after all this time they are ignorant of their improper use, pronunciation or enunciation, it is quite likely they will be ignorant to the constructiveness of your feedback. Of course, there are some who will appreciate your comments, but I suspect that most will not.

--Toni Beckham

More Readers' Comments >>