On Talking With An Accent
by Magda Kisielinska
When asked about my accent, I usually respond: “it’s Polish but I’ve been here for three years.” Notably, that would also be my answer to explain my general cultural background and level of adaptation to America. An accent tells a story. Here’s mine.
During my first year in the US, my accent would embarrass and upset me because I thought it would impede my ability to participate in classes or fit into the new community as well as I hoped I to. My words mashed together and the wrong vowel sounds came out at the wrong times. When I was nervous, I would speak faster and people would then not understand precisely what I was saying, and I would get more nervous and self-conscious:, you can see where this vicious cycle is going. In class, I would see my teachers hear the points I was making, but I knew they didn’t understand what I was saying as blank looks invaded their faces as they moved onto to the next person instead of commenting on what I had said. For the longest time, I wished I had been one of those cool kids who could pull out any accent out of their back pocket at any time, prompted to do so or not. My inability to control how I sounded added to the overwhelming sense of not being able to fit in culturally. The impact of culture shock made me an extraneous voice in the conversation, but on top of that, my voice was extraneous too. Over time, my accent softened, I learned to speak a little slower, and people around me got used to it, as I got used to their accents and their culture. I was finding my place.
The critical moment in my accent-acceptance journey occurred when during one of my travels a woman asked me if I waswere American upon hearing me speak English. In that moment, my little dream of sounding American came true! You would think I was ecstatic, but I felt sad. As if my Polishness was stripped away;, as if part of my identity was lost. The woman either had an incredibly sensitive ear or I sounded more American than anything that she’s heard before because two years later you can still hear the Polish in both my accents and my opinions.
Moral of the story? Your accent tells your unique story. Would it be easier for you to sound like everyone else? Of course! However, at that instance, a part of your identity would be swept under a rug. The variety of distinct ways of enunciating announciating and pronouncing sounds in English makes it beautiful.
Accepting and embracing your accent is intertwined with understanding and celebrating your uniqueness in America. Accents can become sources of inside jokes and little bonding moments. They are bitter-sweet as you sometimes may end up having to repeat what you’ve said twice, but hey, it’s all a learning curve both for the talkers as for the listeners. When it comes to adjusting to a classroom or social setting, you may end up picking up more “standard” emphasis patterns or annunciation but that change becomes part of your story, your English and you. Enjoy the journey.