Don't Fake The Funk

Accents

"Fashion of The Christ"

All Filipinos have a tendency to switch "v" and "f" with "b" and "p." Even I do it unconsciously and I grew up in the states. Recently I made a reply to a Singles For Christ website post about a fashion show for charity that's being organized in New York City. I called it "Fashion of The Christ." I think it was a funny play on words considering the aforementioned penchant of Filipinos to switch-pronounce certain letters.

Some SFC members became angry. They believed I was poking fun at how Filipinos mispronounce English words. I would not go so far as to call it "mispronounciation." Yes, this is merely semantics, but how can we call it mispronounciation when this isn't even our own language? Unlike most people I do not consider my accent, or anyone else's, to be a subject of derision. In fact I consider accents a badge of pride in someone's culture.

"Prench pries? But you're already bery pat."

Sure, when my mom says things, my brothers and I bring to her attention how Americans would say them. "French fries" and "very fat." But heck, she's lived and worked here for 35 years and she still has an accent. And she promptly disregards any "correction" to her pronounciation that her sons provide. To my mother, there is a certain dignity to the way she speaks. (Of course, my mom has a certain dignity of presence in all things she does.)

"Say 'hippopotamus' again, Lola."

We Fil-Ams joke and rib our friends and relatives about their accents. But it's the good-natured ribbing more apt to strengthen bonds than to break them. All people joke around and it's as much the responsibility of the joker to not go too far as it is for the jokee to not be so sensitive.

I've noticed that Fil-Ams sometimes affect a stronger Pinoy accent when talking to elder Filipinos. Some may consider that disrespect. Some consider it funny. I know I did when I was growing up and I would hear Michelle and Cathy Prego, neighbors of mine who were both born here, talk to their grandmother with a Filipino accent. But what I realize now that I didn't then was this: talking like someone else helps communication. If you talk like someone, on some level, you start to think like them and it becomes easier to convey ideas to each other.

"You from New Yawk? I'm from Sta-en Islan'."

I grew up on Staten Island. For reasons such as racism and typical teenage angst, I learned to dislike the way people spoke, and I unconsciously trained myself to have no accent. But in the past few years I realized some things. When I speak to another Staten Islander or Brooklynite I affect a stronger New York accent. I thought it was odd until 9/11 when I realized that I was proud to hear New York accents on T.V. and when I travelled to different parts of the world. My accent became a badge of honor, a New York City i.d. more meaningful than a mere driver's license.

Affecting another person's accent isn't poking fun at them. To me, I am adjusting to the person I'm talking to as a sign of respect and empathy and, of course, to expedite the exchange of ideas more efficiently.

Jesus who?

Incidentally nobody that was angry at me about the whole "Fashion of The Christ" thing seemed to be upset that I might be making fun of Jesus.

Posted by glenn at September 23, 2005 10:47 AM