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On 5/4/05, Downing, David <DavidDowning -at- users -dot- com> wrote:
>
> You raise another related issue. Regardless of how good your grammar
> is, people tend to think anyone with a Southern accent is stupid and/or
> disturbed. Alas, this is a stereotype that the media is guilty of
> perpetuating.
Well, George Bush doesn't help matters much. *ducks*
It seems the growing national trend is to eliminate any form of ethnic
context or cultural idioms from speech, even as pop culture embraces
them wholeheartedly and things like "dis" and "bling bling" find their
way into Webster's.
The written word is unique from the spoken, in that whatever accents
or personal touches are what we make. The best writers can communicate
tone, inflection, and emotion without relying on any symbols,
emoticons, or changes in grammar or punctuation. When speaking, you're
prey to the cultural acclimations you grew up with, and it's much
harder to get rid of those. So don't.
Oh, and Patricia: If that were me, I'd make a serious complaint to
your HR people about that. That's downright insulting and detrimental
to morale. Speaking as someone who was raised in "Noo Joisey", has a
dad from "Noo Yawk", a mom from "Kin-tuck-e", went to college in
"Bahhhstin", and lives in "Warshington, Dee Cee", accents are about as
much a grade of intelligence or accomplishments as certifications.
*ducks again*
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