Talented words!

Everyone has an accent, it is true!
It is just the air vibrating happily inside of you.
There is no standard! It is unique even among identical twins!
Do not make the word “accent” an insult!

The air explores your nose, tongue and vocal cords,
your teeth join the symphony as well.
It is a whole workout, a team effort, a challenge, a success!
An accent is not a cognitive disability.
It is akin to different athletes’ shapes:
A swimmer has broad shoulders.
A runner has powerful thighs.
A weightlifter has amazing arms.

A native speaker can also be illiterate,
even the best at a trade
but many of his/her word choices
definitely do not smell of roses.

We all have immigrants in our family tree.
There is no nationality at the top of purity.
There is no spontaneous generation
of any known civilization,
just curious individuals who needed new resources.

Nomads, refugees, slaves, sailors, conquerors…
All of them needed to learn new languages.
Have you?
Get out of your comfort zone!

Exercise those ears and smile!
Meet new human beings and their stories of rebirth
instead of playing the teacher they do not want.
If you understand and are understood,
be kind!
Sometimes the problem is not the foreigner
but a scared judge with a narrow mind.

Accents are musical, tell stories, speak of efforts.
Accents should not lead to assumptions of illegality.
Knowledge is not more valuable if imparted in only one tongue.
Otherwise, we should all be speaking Greek, Latin or maybe Breton.

Get to know as many accents as you can.
Respect them! Fill your brain and soul with them,
with heartwarming adventures
that could have been lived by your own ancestors!

When a person asks “Where is your accent from?”
S/he is building a wall that says “You do not speak like me.”
while asking “Where are you from?” shows sheer curiosity.
We are all human, made of bones, blood, flesh and tissue.
Why is a colour or an accent still an issue?

© Ámbar Varela
Text:  May 11, 2021  Image: January 14, 2016