individuality and accent..
not too sure about that one..
Myself I do have a slight accent but when people have the tendency to say but your accent is so beautiful etc, well, what is not so beautiful about it is being ignored in a shop when asking for help, talked down to/talked to as if I am 5 years old or mentaly challenged. Another one, if in a store someone notices you have an accent, they assume you're the sales person, as if we can only get low paying jobs, it could be true because a lot of employers are afraid to hire someone in a higher position that has an accent for fear of the image.What else is not so beautiful about it: ooh! you're french! stop right there: I have no french ancestry not from 100 years ago not from 500 years ago, I am as Canadian as someone can be if you know what I mean (Native)!
Does anyone that doesn't "have an accent" out there can truly know how it feels not to be listened to by a doctor when you have an accent? The truth is: noone wants to deal with us, noone is ready to tell their relatives: look my new boyfriend girlfriend has an accent; be cool, don't act stupid and don't try to mimick his/her accent, that would totally look stupid and make her/him feel like hell.
I am not "French", "Quebecois", "Metis" or "French Canadian"
To the same people that are trying to pull that one off with me, one thing that makes them pick up their jaws on the floor is when they learn about my numerous academic credentials and various awards but there is the odd person that will put down those same credentials, I did hear before : that is not a real university! How would you know? have you even been into one? oh, yes that's right, I forgot, that is part of the curriculum of a G.E.D to put down a "real" university because you don't have what it takes to be accepted to one, how odd, I have seen that same person attending a cultural event at that same "not real" university. Felling a bit stupide "dere"?
There is nothing more offending to tell someone that he/she has an accent, I think we're smart enough to notice our own accent and if it is to make conversation well, there is other ways to make conversation because that is just ignorant and rude.
Also, one thing I noticed, a lot of accent "bashers" cannot even see the intricacies of the "henglish " language IE: "you should"
should? pardon me? who are you to tell me "I have to"? see what I mean? why the obligation all of a sudden? what will happen if I don't? Advice? no thanks, like I said, I might have an accent but I am not mentally challenged.
Uh uh, probaly a few spelling/grammar mistakes in my post but not bad for someone that is not an "henglish" speaker right from birth,(and that didn't use the spell check tool!)
I have seen far worst than me from people that call themselves "true english speakers"
Darn right I will take a workshop to lose the accent