So where is your Accent from?

So much is at stake when you communicate. When arriving in a new country, mastering the ability to interact with locals becomes paramount. There is the new culture to comprehend, local jokes to decode, an unfamiliar city grid to navigate and survival pressures like how to pay international student fees, juggle a part-time job, submit vital documents to immigration or even use the public transport system. But the human spirit is strong and somehow we manage to settle in and call the city our second home.

But then, just when you think you have a handle on it all, you get the irritating question from many of the city’s inhabitants…

This question, often asked innocently (or ignorantly), is inappropriate.

This question is completely illogical.

Or, the question designed to test your own knowledge of your own language background.

Or how about this one?

We are from wherever we feel comfortable and call home anywhere on this globe.

If you are finding such questions irritating, how can you address individuals who are so set on receiving their answer?

Rather than taking the opportunity to meet a person full of possibilities and knowledge, such questions investigating your origins can be demeaning, even if they are not intended to be.

It is important to develop the ability to preserve your personal space if you find such interactions confronting. Not everyone is going to be offended by being asked “where are you from,” but for those who are, here are some fun suggestions!

If you want to advocate for your pronunciation and stop people feeling like they can freely comment on your speaking and language background, you can consider a strategic response approach.

Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer. You can have some fun with this one in particular:

Q: “I can hear you’ve got an accent. Where are you from?”
A: “I’m from Albert Park, how about you?”

Q: “That’s quite a strong accent I hear. What’s your background?”
A: “I come from an IT Background, I’m not sure what my accent is to do with that. What do you mean?”

Q: So where is your accent from?
A: I can hear you’ve also got a bit of an accent, tell me where yours is from and I’ll tell you where mine is from.

How do you feel in response to questions about your country of origin, accent or language background?

What strategies do you use when communicating to create a safe and empowering environment with your communication partners?

Take some moment to reflect on strategies you might use to better equip your speaking comfort when interacting with questions around your language background. Remember, you always have a choice around how you represent yourself and how much personal information you provide strangers or contacts with.

If you want to get some feedback on your English pronunciation, you’ve got to see Your Personalised Pronunciation Audit.

When you book you’ll score yourself a total audit into every single sound of English so that you learn which sounds need more work.

Blair, D., & Collins, P. (2001). English in Australia. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Cox, F. (2006). Australian English pronunciation into the 21st century. Prospect, 21(1), 3-21.
https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/australian-english-pronunciation-into-the-21st-century-2

Fletcher, Janet & Evans, Nicholas. (2002). An acoustic phonetic analysis of intonational prominence in two Australian languages. Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 32. 123 – 140. 10.1017/S0025100302001019.

Mompean, Jose A. & Gómez, F. (2011). Hiatus Resolution Strategies in Non-rhotic English: The Case of /r/-liaison. 17-21.

Moore, B. (2010). Speaking our language: The story of Australian English. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.

Penney, Joshua & Cox, Felicity & Szakay, Anita. (2019). Glottalisation of word-final stops in Australian English unstressed syllables. Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 1-32. 10.1017/S0025100319000045.