Accent Problems

Ethnolects for all minorities, especially for those who have lost their ethnic language due to linguistic shift, plays an important role in reflecting their identity. Lebanese Australian English, for example, is heavily influenced by Arabic sounds and has distinct pronunciation differences; such as the substituting the stressed vowel /a/ in the position of the schwa at the end of words. The use of Arabic lexemes such as ‘habib’ into the ethnolect, is akin to the SAE lexeme ‘mate’, but ‘it is used carefully and deliberately, and reflects the values that are different…from Anglo-Australian values’ (Moore); thus creating a sense of group identity and solidarity. In X’s situation, she has expressed strong connections with her ethnicity stating: ‘I lived in Australia but am still Chinese’ (77). SAE does not accurately reflect her cultural identity, and in social interactions, MAE would be used instead. MAE reflect her identity through the use of certain Chinese lexical and syntactic features, such as omitting the alveolar fricative /s/ when pronouncing consonant clusters (/bɪgfərən/, 29) and the non-standard use of the definite article ‘the’ (‘but the here’, 34). She also hopes for her ‘sons can the study the Mandarin very well’ (70-71), reflecting her views on her

My dialect is unique. You will not hear an accent like it anywhere else. Appalachian dialect is different from a southern accent. I have been made fun of because of the way I talk. I get comments on my accent some of which are verbally whereas some are silent. It can be either be “Aw, your accent it so cute or it can be you’re a hillbilly.”

This English barrier in regards to employment is also benefited by the ethnic residential concentration within Cabramatta. Fellow community members can provide job opportunities that suit migrant or non-English speaking workers in workplaces that also speak that language, including local shops and warehouses. See Figure 3 below- the delivery driver in this photo speaks Vietnamese and has poor English skills. He works for his Vietnamese cousin and delivers to Vietnamese store holders. This reveals that the ethnic residential concentration in Cabramatta has created a job opportunity where there otherwise may have not have been in other areas for someone with such poor English skills.

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.

“Mother Tongue” is an essay by Amy Tan that examines the ways in which people treat those who do not speak or act like them. Simply, how people perceive those that are different . The main purpose of “Mother Tongue” is to inform the readers of the ways they might intentionally or unintentionally be treating people who speak broken english as Tan’s mother does. This essay highlights the extreme importance of language and how it connects with everyone’s day to day lives.

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.

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 reason people may be obliged to change their accent is to feel like they fit in and not stand out, so that people from

Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker expresses prominent themes of language and racial identity. Chang-Rae Lee focuses on the struggles that Asian Americans have to face and endure in American society. He illustrates and shows readers throughout the novel of what it really means to be native of America; that true nativity of a person does not simply entail the fact that they are from a certain place, but rather, the fluency of a language verifies one’s defense of where they are native. What is meant by possessing nativity of America would be one’s citizenship and legality of the country. Native Speaker suggests that if one looks different or has the slightest indication that one should have an accent, they will be viewed not as a native of

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.

Language attitudes, which include people’s perception about the language variety in their own community and language varieties in other communities, has been one of the crucial topics in sociolinguistics since 1960s.

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.

Imagine moving to a new country and having to learn a foreign language. You do not seem able to speak without your accent and some words in your native language are coming out instead. Furthermore, you are unable to speak without pausing after almost every word. You are constantly looked down upon. People constantly correct your pronunciation and word choice. People look at you like you are not even speaking the same language. Thus, you only speak with people in your same social structure. They—like yourself—moved and had to learn the language of your new home. So, together you kept your native language alive and only talk to them because you know they will not judge you. In my opinion, This is reflective of

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self”. B.R. Ambedkar, in Develop with Fact: Neutralizing the Catalysts of Downturn, p. 57. There are many different languages spoken around the world. Sometimes it can create a barrier when trying to communicate. Other times it may cause you to be judged because you have a different accent, or you use different terminology. Language can play a small role in how people’s identities are formed., The language variety that you speak as a native language is closely tied to your geographical identity.

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.