![]() I can honestly tell you that I was embarrassed about my accent, and I was determined to speak fluently and accent-free. Growing up as a teenager in Morton, Mississippi, I was desperately trying to fit in with the American culture. ![]() No matter how much I practice, I can’t speak English without an accent. I don’t know the biological reasons for this, but I can attest to that fact. They say that if you learn a new language after the age of 11, it’s pretty much impossible to get rid of the accent. ![]() I learned to speak English when I was 15. I took their drink orders, and the moment I turned around, one of the ladies told her companion, “I didn’t understand a word she said, did you?” They laughed. I approached my guests, and I said, “Welcome! Have you dined with us before?” They answered, “Yes, we have.” “Great, welcome back!” I replied. Years ago, I was working as a server at a Bonefish restaurant in Madison, Mississippi. Another young man started repeating my words as if there was an echo, laughed, and also hang up. One man yelled at me and said he didn’t understand a word I was saying and hang up. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. During my shift, I was assigned to make calls to voters in rural Iowa. I have plenty of stories to tell about my experiences of speaking English with an accent.įor example, I recently volunteered to make phone calls for a political candidate. It’s not a heavy accent, but folks often ask me where I’m from soon after they hear me say anything. To me, they try hard to communicate in English as clearly as possible, so I try to be patient. ![]() It’s evident that the customer service representative is not an English-native speaker because he or she speaks with a strong accent. We all know what’s like calling any 800 number: we dial 1, 2, 3…, etc., and soon we hear that millisecond high-pitch beep, and our call reaches a call center somewhere in the world-often either India or the Philippines. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |