American accent: cool or fake?

Indians are not over their colonial hangover. Thus, not only they prefer to speak a foreign language but also try to give in to their accent. At least this is what some people believe. NewsGram brings you the perspective of an Indian student in USA expressing his views on this matter.

I go to University in the US where I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's and I am absolutely amazed at how many Indian students who have lived their entire lives in India and have come to the US for their Bachelor's degree put on these really fake and cringe-worthy "American" accents when trying to speak to American people.

And it is not just pronouncing certain words in an American way, but pretty much attempting to sound completely American. I still understand why some people would pronounce words like "mandatory" in the American way but I do not really see why you should pronounce "can't" the American way when it's perfectly comprehensible the way we pronounce it back in India.

I keep trying to tell a lot of my friends that we should have pride in the way we speak. A Britisher wouldn't come to the US and change his/her accent. Now while our accent may not be as soothing to the ears as the British accent, I still do not see why you should try to sound "American".

Some people say that they only hang out with Americans and so it has changed. I find it extremely hard to believe that after having spent 18 freaking years back in India and just 3-4 years in America that your accent has changed drastically regardless of who you hang out with.

Others say it they do it to "facilitate the understanding of Americans". Maybe pronounce some words differently but not every word you speak. Also, I do not think our accent is hard to understand such that we have to change it to "facilitate [their] understanding". Maybe if we speak in our natural way, those Americans will be exposed to some sort of diversity when it comes to accents and become better at comprehending other accents apart from their own.

It's a stupid thing to fret about but I cringe everytime a fellow Indian put on the fake accent.

Source-www.reddit.com, written by- ajain304(Image-icosa.hkbu.edu.hk)