Is imitating an unfamiliar accent to fit in with the locals considered wrong?
Letter To The Editor
Aaron L. Pereira
October 5th, 2014
Dear Jean Hannah Edelstein,
Upon reading your article on imitating unfamiliar accents, I would like to say that the strong opinions that are trying to be conveyed, are fairly one-sided, in my opinion. I mean to state my personal opinion with the upmost respect, since I feel that your argument was constructed using misinformed information. To understand why accents exist, we must look at how they originated. Accents are more than just words, as you call them out to be. Accents are different contexts of speech that are heavily influenced by one's background (which includes culture, environment, traditions, etc.). Since this is the case, I strongly believe that the use of an unfamiliar accent spoken in a different context (often influenced by a completely different background) can cause confusion among its unsure speakers. I do however understand, how speaking in an accent that familiar to the locals would be effective, but this would only work in moderation and can only be used to convey simple or basic ideas and messages across. I believe that the most effective alternative to this problem would be, to speak in a more basic constructed dialect of english, while clearly pronouncing words and speaking in a steady pace, understandable to most. To conclude, I do not completely think that your opinion is wrong, but I do think the method in which your argument is presented could be backed up by using socially and ethically appropriate pieces of information which are relatable to this day and age.
I look forward to hearing from you.
With regards,
Aaron Leo Pereira.
No comments:
Post a Comment