Today I came across a workshop on improving your accent for Canadian English. It's focused on accent modification. It made me feel a little sad. I love accents and think they are an important part of ensuring that Canada remains a mosaic of so many different cultures. They provide colour immediately to a story and can also provide an instant connection when you hear someone else using the same accent you use. They can represent our own story in anything we say.
I lost my accent. When I moved to Nova Scotia when I was 11 I sounded different from everyone else and was of course teased for this. I worked hard to sound like everyone else and not like myself or my culture. That marked the beginning of almost a decade of being a bit divorced from my rock and anything about it. I wish it was something we celebrated more. Seeing that workshop today hit me a little harder than I thought it would. I'm not sure if I've really comprehended before that the start of losing my accent was also the beginning of losing that connection with culture and place for all those years.
(Caveat to this whole blog. I know the intention of this class was likely more about assisting people to have the communications they need to be understood. I just wonder if there's a way to reframe it and in broader society to celebrate that we are all different)
Being a Force for Good 