Accents. They can be sexy, obnoxious or just plain intriguing. A foreign accent may warrant questions like “Where are you from?”, “Is that your real voice?” or “Is there peanut butter in your mouth?” I myself have received both smiles and raised eyebrows when I casually order a ‘small cawfee.’ Everyone has their own affinity for certain accents. Most of what we are attracted or not attracted to are based on stereotypes.
Many Americans are charmed by a British accent because of our colonial perception of the British as elegant or high class. Others may be attracted to a French or Spanish accent because Paris or Barcelona are seen as romantic epicenters. I personally prefer an accent that connotes power or dominance, hence why I lose it whenever I hear Christoph Waltz speak.
But what about accents that are deemed less than sexy? Psychologists and linguists have been studying the social significance of accents and dialects for years as well as their exclusionary consequences. We subconsciously view a person’s accent as indicative of their education and income level. There is a difference between New Yorkers and New Yawkers. People who grow up in the same house together may not speak the same. We associate with different people, who either stand ‘in line’ or ‘on line.’ These subtle contrasts help us to form our identities, but do not define us. A person with a strong New York accent may be seen as tough, or crass, eminent of a lower-income neighborhood.
Isn’t judging someone based on their accent just an extension of class or ethnic discrimination? If you can detect ignorance, sass, or low education just by the way a person emphasizes certain syllables, how can you not use these presumptions to judge one’s character? A person from ‘Lawn guyland’ can be just as intelligent as a person from Long Island. The stigma against people with strong accents and dialects goes further then affectionately teasing them.
In the workplace, people with atypical accents or dialects are often discriminated against. Employers may not care where you’re from, unless they can hear it in your voice. We all strive for clarity and conformity in a professional environment. Too often we become frustrated with foreign professors, regardless of their credentials, simply because we can’t decipher what they are saying.
Many people feel pressured to conform and change their unique inflictions to seem more intelligent. Eliza Doolittle may have been proficient in disguising her cockney twang, but she could not change who she truly was. So even if we may try to feign normalcy in a work environment, we shouldn’t listen to the hate from anyone else, whether it be a significant other, or a very judgmental Starbucks barista. For every person who finds your voice repugnant, there will be at least three that find it fascinating. I was once told that my Queens dialect was ‘exotic.’
Everyone has their own perception of what is normal. If someone does not adhere to these perceptions, it is easy to denounce them or discredit what they have to say. Whether your voice reflects the briskness of London, the mellowness of Georgia, or the spunk of Brooklyn, have pride in where you’re from. Your accent may not make you unique, but the qualities you have adopted from your birthplace will influence your character and outlook on life.
Kristen DiPietra is an undeclared sophomore