A hundred, or even fifty years ago, it did, but hasn’t in a long time. Back then, you had regional accents, like the heavy Chicago accent you hear in old SNL sketches from the 70s, but we have managed to somehow white wash it all away.

Now, our only two real American dialects are White and Black. Sure, you can still sometimes hear a Southern twang, but it’s just a cute affectation, no longer something _distinct_, that begs to be noticed and makes the speaker feel out of place.

Personally, I think it has to do with equality. An unintended side effect of people truly seeing each other as equal means that they subtly become the same. There was a time when whites hated other whites, but that has faded away, and with that the differences in language.

There is something sad in that. I do feel that we can reach a point where Black and White are truly equal. But I also hope that we can also do it in a way that keeps us unique.