"Could you repeat that, please?"

Do I have an accent? I've never thought so- but then that begs the question: Do people with accents know they have an accent? And, really, what is "an accent?" Merriam-Webster defines accent as "a distinctive manner of expression: as a : an individual's distinctive or characteristic inflection, tone, or choice of words  b : a way of speaking typical of a particular group of people and especially of the natives or residents of a region." 

Since coming to the east coast, I have been fascinated with the speech patterns (accents) of local residents. I think they tend to talk faster and slur their words (or syllables, in some cases) more so than westerners. And some words are just pronounced differently. The word "Maryland", for example, is pronounced "Mair-i-lend" in Arizona while native Marylanders pronounce it "Mer-lin" saying it so fast that sometimes it sounds like one syllable! With African Americans making up 30% of Maryland's population (and 56% of the District Of Columbia), African American Vernacular English, sometimes called Ebonics, is also thrown into the mix.


Some of these accents are relatively easy for me to understand- others not so much. At first, I was too embarrassed to ask someone to repeat what they had said so I would simply smile and nod. This sometimes caused very confused looks on the face of the person I was talking to, making me realize that wasn't the answer- not only did I have no idea what I was agreeing to, I also didn't get the information I needed! While humbling to admit you don't understand, it really isn't (or shouldn't be) embarrassing to ask people to repeat things, even more than once. I soon realized that simply saying (with a smile), "I'm sorry- could you repeat that? I'm not from around here..." more often than not got a smile in return and a much slower, better enunciated repeated comment- and usually was a conversation starter. 


It will be interesting to see if and how much of the "Merliner" accent we pick up while we're here. Already I am accustomed to hearing "Baltimore" pronounced "Bawlmore" and the enthusiastic "Hi Hon!" used to address everyone regardless of gender or age. I finally found a "Merlin Dictionary" online that has been a tremendous help to me in deciphering some of the more different pronunciations- it's only a matter of time before they, too, become more natural to me.


So I guess by Merriam-Webster's definition, I do have an accent- as do all people. Even though we are all speaking English, it is as different at times as British English is from American English or Canadian English. So how can we better understand each other? "Let your conversation be always full of grace..." (Colossians 4:6). Subtitles are optional...