Calpurnia explains to the children that at the African M.E. Church she assumes the dialect of the community because she does not want the others to think that she is trying to act superior--"puttin on airs"--to them.
Just as there is a division according to social class among white people--a 'caste system' as Aunt Alexandra terms it--there has been a division among the African-Americans that began during the days of slavery. (The field slaves were...
Calpurnia explains to the children that at the African M.E. Church she assumes the dialect of the community because she does not want the others to think that she is trying to act superior--"puttin on airs"--to them.
Just as there is a division according to social class among white people--a 'caste system' as Aunt Alexandra terms it--there has been a division among the African-Americans that began during the days of slavery. (The field slaves were perceived by the house slaves as "beneath them.") So, since Calpurnia works for an upper class white man, some of the black community who do field work or other manual labor may view Calpurnia as thinking she is above them if she does not speak as they do.
Because of this social division, Calpurnia explains that if she speaks standard English, the members may feel that she is speaking "white-folks talk" as she does in the Finch home. Further, she says that she cannot change any of the church members by speaking in standard English, anyway:
"...they've got to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn, there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language."
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