Poll: "People with foreign accents are looked down upon" Agree or Disagree?

[fantasticstatic]

Well as a person who does speak with a foreign accent, I can tell you that this statement is 100% true. A lot of people don't wanna talk to you, or don't wanna carry out conversations. Not only that, your opinion is also not considered 100% valid or correct, even if it is. What do you think?

Oh and those who say accents are sexy, I say, only some and you need to be a stud or a super model to pass for that!

Oh and please don't make this into a debate about if there is really any such thing as an accent. You all know what I am talking about.

 

[RossMAN]

It all depends on the foreign accent and the bigot who looks down upon them.

 

[Scrapster]

I wish I had an accent.

 

[soapdish]

No.

 

[fantasticstatic]

How about an Indian or Chinese one.

 

[Jothaxe]

Maybe have the poll choices be "good" or "bad" instead of "yes" or "no"... thats a little confusing.

 

[PCResources]

Yup, we definently should have a "foreign accent pride month"...

Patrick

 

[iamwiz82]

i have one professor from Ghana, one from Russia, one from Bulgaria, and two from Pakistan, and i can tell you i do not like having conversations with them because i cannto understand what they are saying, and i feel like i am downcasting them for asking them to pronuciate.

 

[iamfried]

Sure, like your opinion matters...:disgust:

 

[Scrapster]

Well as a person who does speak with a foreign accent, I can tell you that this statement is 100% true.

Shocking.

Scrapster picks himself up off the floor.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

I used to go thru the same things when I was younger. I had a slight Indian accent, and some people would refute anything I said, without really listening to it. They just dis-regarded me before I could complete a sentence. Now this was only with a few people, not everyone, so I don't want to generalize. Now this isn't a really thick accent, just a slight one.

However now I have grown out of that Indian accent; its funny how the way you speak is affected by where you live.

 

[kassy]

<< Well as a person who does speak with a foreign accent, I can tell you that this statement is 100% true >>


I have an accent and I can't say I have encountered this type of behaviour.

 

[Rio Rebel]

There is absolutely no doubt that this happens, and happens OFTEN. I have many friends who suffer from this perception problem because of their accent. Almost every one of them ignores it and just works that much harder, and I admire them for it.

I once heard a person offer this advice, and it sounds like good advice to me:
Never underestimate a person who speaks broken English. It means he knows AT LEAST TWO languages.

 

[iamfried]

Nice rio, good quote...

 

[Thanatopsis]

Ever seen the movie &quot;My Fair Lady&quot; or read the play &quot;Pygmalion&quot;? Eliza Doolittle is certainly looked down upon because of her accent, and in the words of Professor Higgins (paraphrased) &quot;Her speech condemns her to the gutter.&quot;

Granted, it's wrong to look down on someone simply because they have an accent. But it certainly can color another person's perception of that person.

 

[kassy]

<< There is absolutely no doubt that this happens, and happens OFTEN. I have many friends who suffer from this perception problem because of their accent >>


What nationality are they ?

 

[Rio Rebel]

Off the top of my head:

Brazil, Japan, Ethiopia, India, China, Argentina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Korea, and Senegal.

Usually, it's not intentional and overt, but it's a lack of respect. The person's contributions are not taken seriously because of the accent. Most people who discriminate (and often very badly) don't do it out of hatred or opposition, but subconsciously equating a person's broken English with a lack of education or intelligence.

 

[nomahe]

I totally agree, unfortunately. Rio hit the nail on the head. I have quite a few Ukranian friends. Some speak better English than the others,but, they are a hell of a lot smarter than most Americans I know.

 

[kassy]

Thanks for elaborating RR.
There several reasons why I may not have encountered it, neither of them impress me.

 

[Capn]

It's not just foreign accents, it's accents of all types. Isn't the redneck with a strong southern accent a comedic staple in America?

 

[vektor]

Just remember if you need to speak to someone and you have a forien accent.Just make sure to speak loudly and slowly.That should to do the trick.Also make it a habbit to speak to your boss, wife/girl friend, and family members as follows.Youll be on you way to instant popularity.Make sure you email me with your results.....good luck

 

[StormRider]

I like girls with accents.

Seriously, when I was in grad school, I encountered lots of people with accents (Russian, Puerto Rican, Tai, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Indian) and I don't think they were ignored.

 

[virusag13]

I love people with accents, and usually treat them better because I like to speak with people of a different culture. I enjoy the diversity.

 

[OS]

It also depends what kind of accent and what you look like. If you have a light european accent and are good looking, it doesn't really hurt you. But otherwise, it's probably the case.

 

[A5]

The accent doesn't even have to be foreign...what about people with Southern accents?