So When We Say I Have An Accent Analysis

Accent reduction schemes work on the basis that regional dialect will be viewed negatively in workplace and attempt to change or completely change the way in which someone speaks. Evidence contradicts this as some regional accents can evoke a positive response and can be an asset in some

1. How important, if at all, is having one unique type of English that we all speak as Australians?

As long as I can remember my accent has always played a role in my life. There have been moments of uncertainty, discouragement, annoyance, and lastly pride. Throughout each emotional stage I’ve learn acceptance and responsibility of what defines me as a women who happens to be Latina. In Tanya Barrientos “Se Habla Español” she defines what resonates within me “Without having to offer apologies or show remorse. If it will help, I will go first. Aqui estoy. Spanish-challenged and pura Latina (45). She beautifully states the acceptance that too many find difficulty fitting in. Especially in a world that will defined you not only by your looks but as well as the way you speak.

The film “American Tongues” documents a variety of English accents that are present across the United States and highlights a lot of the opinions people have about accents and people who speak these accents. A large majority of the people who express opinions about other peoples’ accents tend to express negative views, as they see their own accent as the superior one. The film focuses on showing the array of accents found in the U.S., but also how a lot of people who speak these “inferior” accents work to learn “Standard American English” to increase their chances of getting jobs and communicating in more official domains. Although the film was made in 1988, it expresses views still present in today’s society towards different accents, as people tend to continue judging others based not only on what they say, but also how they say it.

In Gloria Anzaldúa article “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she shows us how different worlds so close can be so different. Anzaldúa shows that people have restricted freedom in society by the social norms set in them. Anzaldúa pressed her awareness and distraught on how people treat her depending on the type of language she uses. She also explains some of her emotions towards the way people are like with speaking and listening to accents. The article is how Anzaldúa explains how culture and accent shapes a person’s identity by being controlled and oppressed to fit into the social norms, which is how she creates cracks using language and code switching.

When I moved from Colombia to the United States on December of 2013, I started studying the language and using it for necessities. Despite of my efforts, I could not got rate of my accent and it made my pass a temporally hard time. People made fun of me and my bad speaking skills. Even though that I was from Colombia, for them I was Mexican. At the beginning it hurt my feelings because I knew that my speaking was not perfect but also it made me stronger, and made me want to improve it every day.

The language accent in Mexican people has a particular significance. The accent comes with stress. The Mexican Citizens put effort to learn English as a second language. However, it’s understandable that the accent of an American won’t be the same. As another person who comes from outside of the United States, An Example; in the play “Los Vendidos” Valdez talks about the multiple stereotypes of Mexican

While other younger people can change their accents because they might be possibly exposed to more diverse cultures or live abroad where their mother tongue is a secondary language, Roughgarden compares that with sexuality saying that some people can sway into heterosexuality or homosexuality and can be open when it comes to their orientations. (Roughgarden, 2009, 257)

There are many indicators of identity by which we are made known individually, socially and culturally; the best of these would be language and how it has shown great flexibility in accommodating the needs of people. Through language people have been able to establish their identities and cultivate friendships with others who share the same common ground. By looking at accents such as Broad Australian English, slang and phonological features as they apply to Australian varieties, we can see how it has forged solidarity and assisted in creating an identity on an individual and national scale.

Kuntz’s arguments are acceptable because they are somewhat related to the reason why I speak English with an accent. I was 16 years old when I came to the United States. At that time, my English vocabulary was very limited. Even without much English knowledge, my parents still wanted me to go school. I ended up going to Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, California. The first few weeks in high school were like a nightmare for me because, at that time, I could not understand what my teachers or classmates were saying in classroom. I had no friends at all.

While all the immigrants in the text must confirm in some way, only Ifemelu questions the rationale behind immigrants caving to societal rules. Although Ifemelu still believes the only way to be taken serious is to conform, she is conscious of her identity is being skewed. When she arrives at university, she finds herself uncomfortable that her english level is questioned, and “she shrank like a dried leaf.” Despite the fact that Ifemelu had spoken English al her life and led the debating society, she “cowered and shrunk”, and began to practise an American accent (174). Even though Ifemelu knew should have spoken out and claimed her fluency of English, but the fact that her English was even questioned made Ifemelu believe she must practice an American accent so she will never be questioned again. Ifemelu desires to seen as an intellectual as the people in which she is surrounded by, and in efforts to be seen this way Ifemelu is willing to compromise her own identity and fabricate one suited towards America. Not only does Ifemelu face her own personal

That when he speaks not like a citizen, you find him like a soldier. Do not take he rougher accents for malicious sounds,

My native language is Spanish and second language is English. The language I was first taught was Spanish, my parents and relatives all speak Spanish so it is my native language. When I started school at the age of 4 my teachers and classmates spoke only English. As the years passed by they started teaching me grammar rules and how to pronounce words. My parents spoke Spanish to me, but it was nothing compared to learning new nursery rhymes that helped me grasp the language without too much difficulty. I can communicate with people in Spanish but I feel like I have an accent with my Spanish. It does not come as naturally as my English does, I can say a sentence without thinking about it while Spanish I have to think of the meaning of words and I stutter when trying to say a complete sentence. At home I speak Spanish but when I am with friends, cousins, or out in public I only speak English.

Other forms of the English language are developed from speech communities with an intention, for efficiency and to show inclusion, and to exclude others. It also helps to convey a specific identity of the speaker, with the use of syntactic and phonological differences from Standard English. These modifications form non-standard dialects, transferring the speaker’s cultural background and language to provide a better perception and reflection of identity. The falling intonation accompanied with interrogatives in the Asian ethnolect, such as ‘Gravy?’, is the opposite of the rising intonation used for the same purpose by Australians, and can quickly cause conflict between the two communities due to the missing benchmark in language. Pronoun deletion in ‘No like’ (‘I don’t like it’) is a feature of many ethnolects (Greek, Aboriginal English), and is differing from the Standard, yet still helps to get the message across. Ethnolects develop from Standard English, and helps to express a user’s identity through their language use and in-group solidarity within the speech community.

In the poem Dharker writes, “When I speak on the phone and the vowel sounds are off…. they’ll catch on at once and pin it down” she explains how the way she speaks is way different than the way people in that country speak. She feels that it is easy for others to notice and that they will right away assume that she isn’t from there. There are many people that have accents and they might feel bad about it because they don’t sound like everyone else. It may seem that the way you speak shouldn’t be important because everyone speaks different but Dharker explains how her vowels may sound harsh when they should sound soft and that is when people assume she isn’t from there. It isn’t the way she speaks but, the way she pronounces her words that make her sound different from everyone else.