Everyone and their dog has an accent of some sort or another, but having it in a foreign language so that you sound noticeably "foreign" can be really difficult at times. People who have never lived in a foreign country and had to speak that language on a daily basis--truly assimilate--likely have no idea about how this process feels.
People immediately mark you as a foreigner and often times give you lesser treatment (i.e. trying to rip you off in stores, cultural racism). If they don't understand your accent, then that makes it worse. If they immediately start twenty questions about where you're from and whatnot, that isn't always wanted either. Those of us who like traveling and deeply exploring other cultures just want to do it many times without all the "fuss". That's not asking too much, is it? But yet I guess that's a big part of the travel challenge.
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True accents can make us somewhat of a target for various unwanted interactions, but it has been advantageous for me in various countries. I have received numerous drinks, lunches, dinners, places to stay, good conversations, girlfriends, regular friends, invitations to parties, etc. due to my accent. It is a great ice-breaker to initiate conversations. Yes, there is a downside to accents, but trust me there is also a big upside too. Ying and Yang, I guess. I would not want to speak these languages without an accent. The upside for me has outweighed the downside. Of course, it helps to wear a big smile.
ReplyDeleteEventhough here in the United States my identity is always a mystery, when I am abroad some people can tell and some people cannot. I am Mexican because my parents were born in Mexico and I have traveled back and forth. I grew up with Mexican Spanish as my L1. I am fully attached to my heritage culture, but I also have my American culture/ Western culture.
ReplyDeleteWhen I travel, usually people are confused about who am I. Some people can tell that I am from the United States because of my style. And others assume I'm such an American. When I go to Mexico I always get asked a lot of questions. I have no problem with it and sometimes they challenge my Mexican side and to some point they are correct. I wasn't born in Mexico, I am only Mexican in United States standard. This whole idea of who you are is very complex.
Now about the accent, everyone has an accent and if you travel outside your area, people will be curious and will ask you a million questions. I like this because they show interest and curiosity. I myself ask people where they are from when I here their accent. In mexico they know I am not from there because of my accent in Spanish...lol gotta love the diversity :)