I’ve got friends from all walks of life, from many different countries and I’ve dated like I was a representative from the United Nations, so I can tell you I love nothing better than a good accent. The challenge is that many of my friends have grandparents or parents who have had a rough go of it here in the states when it came to employment…due to their thick accents.
My friend Erik’s dad was an Engineering professor back in Russia, but here he was a cab driver, a janitor and finally a superintendant at an apartment building. His accent was and IS just too thick. I think it’s charming and cute, but there is a stigma attached and that’s unfortunate.
My friend Ana, whose mom came from Puerto Rico with little more than the clothes on her back and a desire for a more glamorous life, had a thick, thick accent. It used to make me laugh because it was so cute when she was going to nursing school.
Now, even though she’s been here for at least 30 years, she’s made the decision to lose her accent. She’s thinking about accent training and while I will miss her saying things like “You don’t told me nothing” when she means “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know”, I know that she’ll be taken seriously as she moves forward in her quest for administrative duties in Nursing.
It’s important to be understood and it’s vital that we respect one another enough to communicate well.
Heck, I’ve got Scottish friends that I’ve had trouble understanding. It’s really a win/win for anyone who wants to reduce their accent.
I wonder if my dad’s people in Mississippi would qualify?
Heh…you know Southern folks have their own language.
Good luck out there…