I was attending a party some friends had thrown to celebrate the birthday of a friend of theirs. Present among the group was a person who made a remark in accented English to tease the birthday girl, who, owing to her business commitments, frequently interacts with clients based out of India. The comeback retort by the birthday girl was: “Why are you using a made-up accent?” And this led me to a thought. Read on.
We in India have grown up mocking those who speak English, and especially, ironically, especially, those who are fluent in English. Deep inside our hearts, we respect such people, we want to emulate them; but at the surface, we ridicule them with jibes such as – “Do you think you’re an Englishman?”. This is a classic way in which our insecurities with regard to being poor conversationalists in this language foreign to us play out; our defence mechanisms kick in as a result of our perceived inferiority when compared to people who have strong English language communication skills. The same is true when someone speaks English in a non-natural accent, an accent that is not Indian. And while deriding someone for speaking in English cannot be justified, it is a different kettle of fish when it comes to accents. For, almost always, the accents are actually fake, a put-on, a miserable attempt at copying foreign accents, in order to show-off. The reason Indians feel the need for this show-off, quite counter-intuitively, is their desire to appear as being proficient in English communication, trying to assuage their lack in the proficiency thereof by covering it up with an accent. And this is derision-worthy, on account of being fake. Or, is it?
Almost all of us agree that learning new languages is good for the human brain. Apart from the acquisition of a new skill, it helps create new connections between the neurotic synapses in our brains. But while learning new languages is fairly commonplace, how many times do we come across someone trying to teach herself a new accent? How many institutes do we find teaching classes in foreign accents? And if we don’t, why is it so?
One of the reasons could be the social mocking attached to speaking in different accents that do not come naturally to a person.
However, just like any other skill, or like learning new languages, should we not also look to learn new accents? Wouldn’t learning new accents also help develop and strengthen the mind? Wouldn’t it help us converse more confidently when in foreign shores? In fact, learning an accent, termed as accent reduction or accent modification, is a simpler way to enhance one’s oratory communication, to be able to sound different without having to learn a new language. If not to acquire a skill, one can modify her accent for the pure fun of it.
Accents are the English-language counterpart for the Indian dialects, differing from country to country and from region to region even within the same country. The accent imparts the underlying flavour in the spoken word; it is the garnishing on top of a language. It adds spice to the speech. It is what makes hearing one person speak in a language different from hearing another person speak in the same language. Accents make language interesting, and the spoken word music to the ears. Each accent like a different flavour of music.
And so, I sided with the chap who made a remark in accented English, fake as though it sounded. I sided with him not because he was learning an accent and so was justified in talking in one; I did so because he could have been learning and practising. Just as someone who is learning a new language is allowed to make mistakes; learning new accents, speaking in them, and goofing up, should be perfectly acceptable. And of course, you cannot master a new language or an accent without speaking it. In short: Learning and speaking in accents should be a thing.
Speaking in different accents is about pronouncing the same words differently. If not the gift of the gab, it can afford us the agility of the tongue.
