Ethan Week 4: Accents are a Social Construct
My dad has a pretty noticeable accent when he speaks English. Not only does he mispronounce half the words he says, but even the ones he phonetically pronounces correctly sound off for some reason. I vividly remember teaching my dad how to pronounce the letter “H,” repeatedly enunciating the letter so he can imitate it, with no prevail. As an immigrant from China, this accent is bound to his lips; however, his accent doesn’t reflect his ability to communicate proficiently in English. In fact, my dad got a higher score on the English section of the GRE, a standardized test required to graduate from a university, than the average American. This distinction between accent and linguistic ability shows that accents are more than just the way we pronounce words. An accent, at its most basic level, is just physical differences in sounds shaped by factors such as geography and culture. These physical differences, however, are not inherently associated with the meanings that society assigns to them. For instance, there is nothing inherently “American” or “better” about the way someone pronounces a word. The way someone pronounces the word “water” can be different, but nothing dictates it as “worse.” However, society has created a prejudice against people who don’t have a native accent, especially in America. Many times, an American citizen with a foreign accent is considered “less American” than those with a stereotypical white person’s accent. Even if that person is just as understandable, others will unconsciously undermine their “Americanness.” Removing this inner bias is crucial to helping a nation like America become truly united. When a society discriminates against its own people due to social constructs like accents, polarization is inevitable. The American identity is built around freedom, individualism, and diversity. Judging someone based on how they pronounce the word “water” contradicts the very identity America claims to embrace. As Ben Fountain says, “The American identity is mind-bogglingly various.”
Image: learntalk.org
Hello Ethan! Like you, my dad also has a pretty noticeable accent when speaking English. He and my mom both struggle to pronounce the letter “H,” which they say as something that sounds like “hetch” rather than “aych.” Keep in mind that, just like your father, my parents also got their master’s degrees from colleges that heavily emphasize knowing English proficiently.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, America is not a perfect society, so I have noticed from time to time that in public, my parents get certain looks from others. When I was younger, I was deeply disturbed by this and did not want our family to be viewed as the ugly duckling. As a result, I tried to help them to begin to develop a “proper” English accent, but realized that it simply does not work like that.
I failed to recognize the beauty that lies in the way that they pronounced certain words; it serves as a remnant of their past experiences and lifestyle from India that they brought into this new world, and I think that is truly special. Obsessing over the way that you say something is most definitely a horrible thing to do, and I have given less attention to the occasional stares.
People should not be considered less American just because of the way they pronounce words. If we as a society can learn to accept people from various different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and instead all share the same values, only then can we grow stronger as a nation. Criticizing someone for their accent will only create a rift among people instead of inspire a sense of unity.
Hey Ethan! As I grew up learning English as a second language, I can somewhat relate to your dad to an extent. I grew up around people who had no clue how to pronounce the word “five” and mispronounced it as “phive.” Although my accent naturally became neutral over the years, I still mispronounce some words because it's not my mother tongue.
ReplyDeleteBut here I am, struggling and pushing my way through an AP English Language class—a class some of my native speaking friends did not even try to attempt. I’m not directly saying I’m great at the language, no. But I can speak for all of us “English as a Second Language,” or ESL people, that our accents do not bother us enough to stop our use of the language.
Hi Ethan! Your blog was very insightful and interesting. I like how you broke down the concept of accents and how society views them. It was very compelling.
ReplyDeleteI liked the inclusion of the example of your dad getting a better score on the GRE than the average American. It reminded me of the citizenship test that people take to become an American citizen. From what I remember, it mostly covers things like American history and the structure of the government, but like the GRE, the average American doesn’t score too well on tests like it.
I agree that having an accent typically correlates to not being as American as someone who is a native English speaker from the United States. People definitely see it as something to distinguish a person from everyone else, even if that person speaks better English like you said, is an American citizen, or holds the same American values that you talk about.
Your post also got me thinking about how there are even different American accents. Like someone from Texas obviously sounds very different from someone from California. But the difference in American accents is not seen as something bad or a way to exclude someone. So it additionally weakens the point of view that not having an American accent makes someone less American, because there are so many different American accents!
Overall, your blog was very interesting to read. I especially enjoyed how you ended off with a quote; it nicely rounded off your blog. I also like how you contrasted between the American identity that everyone knows and the way American society can belittle someone simply based on their pronunciations of certain words.
Hi Ethan. Your blog relates to me on a personal level because my parents also have accents. I hate it when I can visibly see them getting treated with prejudice just because they sound different.
ReplyDeleteI love how you mentioned your dads score and stated how he scored higher on the English section than most English americans, as it highlights how accents are not a baseline for how munich someone knows english.
Overall, I loved reading this blog and it related to me on levels past reading. Amazing Blog, Ethan.