Faking an angmoh accent

Last Sunday, someone wrote a column in the Life section about how we tend to use an angmoh accent when we converse with native English speakers. She sounded almost apologetic, citing examples of how her own parents and herself included, switch to a different accent when speaking English with angmoh.

I dunno what the fuss is about. If I need to I will fake a super ang moh accent as I like and dun give a damn what anyone thinks about it.

During my 2 months stay in US last year, I rarely spoke much to the native. Because we dunno many people for one, and also I was actually a little embarassed at times when people did not understand me when I spoke. The English which I am so confident of in cosmopolitan Singapore, was not being understood by Americans.

So, often when the "huh" came on, I will switch to a morrre american accent to be better understood.

The writer wrote that she doesn't see native English speakers switch code when they speak to us, but we will change on our side.

The thing is, we have grown up watching US movies and tvs so their accent is not strange to us. Admit that the western influence had been stronger all this time. I bet not more than 1% of them have heard our brand of English before. So of course we will understand and immitate them better than they do us.

Have you met an Indian who speaks English with super heavy Indian accent? You will notice it is much more difficult to understand him because you had not been accustomed to the accent as much.

And English originates from the West. I think it shows respect to the language to speak it with the local accent no?

In the name of better communication, what is wrong with faking a accent? If you dun fake, they catch no ball. So fake or dun fake? I say fake anytime.

At the bottom of it all, it betrays a sense of smallness, when you chide yourself of bending over backwards to accomodate a westerner. Only when you have this certain sense of inferiority, then you will feel this way.

Of course you don't use it with fellow Singaporean just to show how almighty you are. That btw was how we locals was fed up with fake angmoh accent initially. But with an angmoh? Pity the poor angmoh please, and speak his own language to him properly.

Feel however small you want to. I have no qualms about faking an accent anytime I want for effective communication and still stand tall as an individual in this globalised world.