SLC-S29/W6 - “Thinking and Ideas!| One Idea Worth Spreading!”

_{Yes, all accents! Source}

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When a French person speaks English with a French accent, we call them cultured. "Oh, so elegant." "So cute." But when an Ibibio person speaks the same English with an Ibibio accent, then what happens? They are ridiculed, mocked and laughed at.

If this isn't hypocrisy, then it has to be something even rarer, like high-strained absurdity. A phantasmagoric delusion caked in the soot of a dying logic.

This week on Thinking and Ideas, I wish to spread just one idea: The need to value every single accent.

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📌 Why it matters now

Have you ever wondered why one culture's accent is considered "musical" but the other is dismissed as "local"? For years, I grew up being told that my English sounds weird. I met strangers from other cultures who bluntly mimicked the way my words sound just to spite me.

"Oh, did you say 'iPhone' or 'hyphen'?"

It didn't matter if I tried to speak with clarity. What mattered was that I didn't sound "posh". But how on earth am I supposed to sound like Queen Elizabeth when I've never lived in Buckingham Palace?

This isn't just my reality.

I see it play out in other cultures as well — people mocking Indians for sounding Indian or Australians for sounding Australian. These accents are often stereotyped as "lower class" or assumed to be "bad English".

It's almost like we have been conditioned to tie an accent’s value to social status rather than the intelligence of the speaker.

_{Questions. So many questions. Unsplash}

I do have some questions for individuals guilty of critiquing people's accent:

• Why tie an accent's value to perceived social or economic status, rather than the clarity of the speech itself?
• Why place one language above the other, even when both are equally intelligible?

I'm bringing this up because we live in a world that promotes inclusivity. I'd love to see people accept not just their ethnical and biological differences but linguistic differences as well.

📌 Who needs to hear this most?

_{Our English might sound different. But we are united in our diversity. Unsplash}

This particular message is for the gatekeepers. Those who (sub)consciously believes that a local accent signifies lack of intelligence. It is also for the silenced. For instance, students and professionals, who constantly rehearse their words in their head, and are terrified to speak in large gatherings because they don’t sound posh or sophisticated.

Most importantly, this message is for parents and individuals who invest thousands of dollars and time trying to erase their personal or children's linguistic heritage by imitating British, American, or Australian accents.

I'd like you to remember that your accent is a living reflection of your history and heritage. It doesn't define your level of brilliance.

📌 The First Step
The next time you are about to judge someone (or yourself) for sounding "different," ask yourself just one question: "Is the message clear?" If the answer is yes, then the accent is irrelevant. The first step is to shift your focus from the texture of a voice to the tenacity of the idea. We have learned to accept our biological differences. It is time we respect our linguistic ones as well.

_{I invite @chant, @blessedlife, @Ilorgic, @aviral123, and @pandora2010 to join the contest by @ninapenda.}