Ever since I moved to the U.S., many people have told me that I have an accent. A girl in my fifth-grade math class said “You sound weird.” My AP English teacher asked me “You are not from here, right?” Most comments on my accent were harmless, but some were hostile. However, one malicious remark is enough to destroy confidence. For a long time, my accent felt like a scar, and any references to it sounded like attacks.
Society elevates the notion of the perfect, American English. Research shows that in workplaces, individuals with non-native accents are seen as “less intelligent, less loyal, and less competent.” As a result, they are less likely to be hired or are employed in lower positions despite being adequate candidates. This kind of pronunciation bias appears in numerous social contexts. Speakers with foreign accents are seen as disingenuous and often face more social judgments.
One time, when I was competing at a debate tournament with my school team, the judge explicitly told me “Your pronunciation makes you sound unprofessional.”
Linguistic discriminations exist not only towards foreign accents but also domestic intonations and semantics. In America, Southern accents are often perceived as less intelligent than their Northern counterparts. Certain southern phrases like “Y’all” and “Over Yonder” are seen as uncivilized. Similar biases are observed in Latino and Black vernaculars, where the dictations and grammar choices are denounced despite being semantically accurate.
Contrary to the negative connotations associated with these “inferior” accents, intonations of European countries like Britain and France are often perceived as more sophisticated. This phenomenon can be explained through the lens of colonialist influence. The world today still inherently associates former colonial countries with power, and regions in the Global South or Eastern Hemisphere are seen as inferior. In the United States, Black and Southern accents are often viewed as uncultured. This verbal prejudice is closely linked to America’s structural racism and contemporary society’s bias towards traditional agriculture lifestyle in the South.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Language is the archives of history.” Accordingly, language is constantly evolving and provides insight into the society in which it was shaped. An accent gives insight to the phonic of another language or a distinct culture or form of life. In the globalized world, accents represent diversity, and linguistic assimilation does nothing but erases cultural distinctiveness. Languages should be used to communicate meanings and express emotions. Languages can be used to interpret people’s thoughts, but the way they are presented do not represent people themselves. And while people talk with styles that might not be traditionally recognized, the words have served their purposes if they were understood by others.
I have come to a reconciliation with my accent. In modern society, diversity should be celebrated, not criticized. My accent is a testament to my identity and heritage. It represents the history of me and the communities I have been a part of. I embrace it wholeheartedly, for it defines who I am.
