Accents: Unique Regionalisms or Thorn in One's Side?

I never knew I had a "Long Island accent" until I was nine and I moved to south Florida. Kids thought it was so cool and would make me repeat words like, coffee, dog, walk, talk and anything with an "awww" sound. I enjoyed the attention for four years, and then when we moved back to New York. When back on Long Island, people would ask me where I was from. I would say that I was from Long Island and they would tell me that they didn't hear an accent. At age eighteen, I went to college in Boston where I was once again pinned as being from New York, although outside of New York, most people cannot tell the difference between a New York City accent and a Long Island accent.

The move to Boston was different. It was no longer cool to have the accent. I was often criticized for sounding uneducated. To make matters worse, I majored in theatre, where for most acting roles, I was required to speak standard American English. In Florida I over-dramatized my accent and went to great length not to lose it. In college, I tried to retain my identity, but ultimately lost a lot. In Boston people still insisted I had an accent, but in New York, people think I sound like an out-of-towner.

When I moved back to New York City in 2005, I began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Even though my students had accents from all over the world, it was preferred of course that I speak standard American English, so that the students could learn the "correct" way to speak English. Are accents unique to our regional origins? Or are accents a sign of someone who lacks education and culture?

I think accents are part of our cultural identity. Many of my students spend countless hours, time and money trying to lose their foreign accents, and I often discourage this. Now, I should mention that I fully endorse "pronunciation" classes, because it is important to be understood. But as long as you speak clearly and can be understood, then why lose the Korean, French, Italian, Spanish accent (among many)?

Sticking with American regional accents, I would have the same response. Many people stereotype certain accents. Often the south and New Yorkers get the bum wrap for being uneducated. People think we "sound stupid." I have a Masters Degree, so I'll be darned if anyone tells me my accent is indicative of how much education I have. At work, I do my best to speak with little or no accent, but lately I've been going out of my way to speak with my accent outside of work, even if I am with students.

My accent defines me. There are situations when I turn it off. In theatre, of course not all characters are from Long Island, so this is perfectly acceptable. But anyone who argues that an accent is somehow inferior, in my opinion, is indicating a lack of his or her own education and open-mindedness. Foreign accents and regional American accents give character to a person. If someone chooses to lose it, because they don't like the sound of it, then that is their prerogative. But to change in order to succumb to the pressure of "sounding smart" or "sounding normal" reflects a lack of tolerance on the part of those pressuring others to lose it.

I would make exceptions to my stance on the matter if it were an issue of not being understood. If a person cannot be understood, then the language becomes null and void. I often encourage my Asian students to enroll in our pronunciation election. I tell them that their accent is not the problem at all; it is simply an issue of being understood. Most of my students would trade their arm for the all-American accent. How boring our society would be if we all spoke standard American English!

According to the definition of the word "accent," everyone has an accent. We accept standard American English as people who speak with "no accent," but as a Long Islander, I'd have to argue that in my opinion, THEY have the accent! If someone with "no accent" comes to New York, they will stand out like a sore thumb. And while there is an understanding that the "no accent" is somehow superior to regionalisms, it reflects, what I believe to be, an obsolete viewpoint shrouded in racism, classism and many other influences that used to plague our society.

I fully understand that many people would argue my viewpoint, and I certainly don't think them to be racists or classists. But I would argue that that viewpoint is rooted in some of those ideas. I see it everyday. The French accent is "sexy" and a Chinese accent is "annoying." I see Americans all the time getting fed up with people who speak English with a Spanish accent. And I see Americans mock the southern accent. Even I am guilty of this. But where does that all stem from? Old-fashioned notions that certain groups of people are "better?" Seems likely.

In a time where diversity is being celebrated, I think accents should be lumped into that idea. Whether your accent is Chinese, British, Mid-Western or Southern, as long as we are communicating, we should accept these with open arms. It's evidence of our unique ability, as humans, to communicate with complex language structures.