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Should regional English accents be encouraged or discouraged?
Results so far:
| Encouraged | 78% | 341 votes | Total: 438 votes | |
| Discouraged | 22% | 97 votes |
Encouraged
by Anthony Megna
Created on: October 08, 2010 Last Updated: March 26, 2012
This is a sensitive issue for many folks, and for me as well. I come from the Boston area and at one time had a strong New England accent. When I took a voice and articulation class at Emerson College, I received a D because the teacher said my "regionalism" was something "not to be proud of"! I took offense to that, so I stepped on her dog on the last day of class. Just kidding, but really, "something not to be proud of"?
I'm sorry, but I'm proud of the fact that I'm from the Boston area, and it seems that no matter what part of the world I've traveled to, most people love to hear it when I say, "Park the car in Harvard yard". There is something about the New England accent that is totally unique, and for some reason people who aren't from this area love to hear that accent.
The main beef I have with the same English accents is that if we all spoke the same way and sounded alike, it would be somewhat robotic. The flavor of regionalism can be charming, and it's hard to imagine someone from the southern states not having a drawling southern accent. Do we really all want to sound the same? I think not.
Regionalism should be encouraged, as it is indicative of the region of the country that someone is from. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something to be proud of! No matter what my ex-teacher thinks, I will remain proud of my Boston accent for the rest of my life. Over the years, I've learned to control the accent, as I've lived in Australia, as well as other parts of the United States. So I've picked up a whole melange of different accents during my lifetime, and now I speak like no one else! But I'm always asked by different people who aren't familiar with New England to repeat certain words because they love to hear them. Words such as car, bar and virtually anything else with the letter R in it.
People are different, and the way they speak represents part of their lives. They should be proud of where they are from, and their section of the country is just as important as someone else. Why suppress part of their heritage? Do we really want everyone to speak the same? Of course we should all speak English as best as we can, as this is the main language of the country, but there is nothing wrong with different accents of the mother tongue!
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Discouraged
by Rebecca Mayglothling
Created on: September 20, 2009
Americans can be quite spoiled and take for granted the vastness of our country. America is one of the few countries on the planet which harbors many different ecological systems, from deserts, to deciduous forests, to tropical wetlands. Luckily, we are free to roam any part of these areas as free citizens of the country. Anyone who has partaken in adventures cross country has noticed vast differences in not just the landscape, but also the people, especially in their language abilities and pronounciation. Different regions come with different accents, and unfortunately different accents come with different stigma attached, and at times an inability for people of the same country to communicate.
The Southern accent, while bringing to mind hospitality and charm, has also been associated with less than average intelligence. The Brooklyn accent has been attached to hostility, while the slight yet exsisting southern California accent fosters ideas of snobbery. None of these stigmas may be true given the specific person, but these stigmas still exist in the collective American mind. For reasons of prejudice, regional accents should be discouraged.
This being said, there is nothing wrong with the color accents give to the American psyche. However, since we strive for equality for all mankind, standardizing speech may be a step in the right direction. Given the aforementioned prejudices against accents, standard accents for all may become a basic necessity.
Also, communication between countrymen can sometimes become an issue. People of Creole background in Louisiana may prove difficult for communication with a Boston native. Northern Californians may be confused by the regional pronounciations of a Floridian. Since our country is so vast and free, discouraging regional accents may assist with avoiding problems other countries face, such as a Northerner not being able to communicate with a Southerner of the same country. To solve these issues, we should look to our dictionaries to form one standard accent for all.
The standard dictionary has pronounciation guidelines and basic rules for the English language included with each definition. These pronounciation guidelines may be used to teach young children how to pronounce words. With assistance and time, Americans could possibly pull their language together and fuse into one general accent, this being the standard Webster Dictionary accent. One small linguistic change may be the beginning of a step toward one less prejudice in America. With America being the great "melting pot" of the world, we have enough issues with prejudice and communication. Reducing one of these issues may result in a stronger, more unified country, with native speakers sharing one general dialect and accent.
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