Should you change your accent?

Many people have the belief that if you have an accent then you should never change it as it is a true symbolism of who you are. But I disagree completely and believe that changing your accent isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, I think that the changing and merging of different accents in one person reflects their true personality more so than if they only had one accent all of the time. The changing of voice quality, pitch, tone and other things that make up an accent tend to tell stories of where a person has lived, what type of people they spend the most time with and who they have become. In short, accents that have been changed and merged together can tell you an awful lot about someone.

Another thing that an accent can do is change the way people perceive you, and by changing your accent even very slightly you can make one stranger have a completely different perception of you compared to how your friends see you. Being able to change your accent can be a great help in many ways as it allows you to fit into any situation. For example, at job interviews many people adopt a higher prestige, meaning that they change their accent so it sounds 'posher' than usual. This shows that changing your accent can be beneficial because by dong so many people have managed to gain jobs that they may not have been able to get if they had used their usual, regional accents. Another way that people have been aided by their abilities to change their accents is when people are with their friends and close family members. When in this situation, many people use a lower prestige by adjusting their accents to meet the accents of the peers, which allows them to fit into that situation. An example of people changing their accents (either in a higher prestige or a lower prestige) can be seen in Labov's 'New York Department Store' study done in 1966. In the study Labov went to department stores around New York and observed people's accents whilst they were in the stores. He concluded from his investigation that people tended to change their accents to a higher prestige when they were in more prestigious stores. This supports the opinion that people should be able to change their accents because it shows that our ability to do so helps people become more confident and go to places where usually their regional accents would be frowned upon.

Lastly, another reason that I disagree with the statement that 'You should never change your accent', is because it can show admiration. For example, in Labov's 'Martha's Vineyard' study done in 1961, Labov discovered that young people were changing their language and accents so that they were similar to the fishermen on the island, because they admired the fishermen and wanted to dissociate themselves with the tourists (who they didn't like). This study suggests that some accent changes can show love and admiration towards a certain person or group of people. Other cases that this can be seen in is young children or teenagers looking up to parents, teachers and celebrities etc, and changing their accents and idiolects to match the people they admire.