Nina: Hello and welcome back to another episode of our podcast
My name is Nina Martellacci, and I will be your host for tonight. Joining me is my cohost Alexandra

Alexandra: Hi everyone. We’re so excited for today’s episode because we’re talking about something that is a huge part of everyday life, even if we don't realize it, accents and the stories they tell, are about who we are

Opening Question:

Nina: Have you ever been judged by the way you talk or noticed how you accent charges around certain people

Alexandra: It happens to all of us. Whether someone says your accent is strong, funny, different, or interesting, people immediately start forming opinions the second you speak

What is an Accent?

Nina: Sooo, first let’s define it. An accent is the way people from a specific area, country, or social group pronounce words. Accents are shaped by our surrounding, families, neighborhood and culture

Alexandra: And they’re not just international. Regional accents are everywhere. THink about British, Australian, New York, Boston, Southern. Even within New York, Brooklyn sounds different from Long Island, and Queens sounds different from Staten Island.

Accent & Culture

Nina: I’ve always been told I have a strong Long Island accent, even though I never really noticed it myself. I was born and raised here, so to me, it just sounds normal. But relatives from other parts of the country and stars point it out right away.

Alexandra: That’s the cool thing, most people don't hear their own accents. But others do. And those little differences say a lot about where your from

Nina: and sometime we can hear it most clearly in certain words
Let’s go through a few of the most commonly mispronounced or uniquely pronounced words in the area

Coffee
Water
Rural
Adult
Pecan
Envelope
Caramel

Alexandra: Says the way she pronounces the words

Accents and Identity:

Alexandra: Accents are also a huge part of identity. They carry our experiences, our communities, and our family histories

Nina: Growing up, my family spoke English, but their ways of speaking definitely shaped mine. And depending on who im with friends, family, teachers, my accents shift a bit

Alexandra: That's something a lot of people do. It’s called style shifting or code shifting. We adjust how we talk based on the situation– not because we’re fake, but because language is flexible

Nina: Some people even soften their accents in job interviews because they’re afraid of being judge. That shows how society pressures people to hide their authentic voices

Why Accents Change:

Alexandra: Accents can change overtime for lots of reasons

Moving to a new city
Going to school in different environments
Making new friends
Being around multiple languages
Watching certain media
Wanting to fit in

Nina: and sometimes the shift is so gradual that we don't even realize it until someone else points it out

Accents as Stories

Alexandra: When we say “accents tell stories”, we mean your voice carries your history

Nina: It reveals
Where you grew up
What languages you heard
Who raised you
What your community sounded like
How your identity formed

Alexandra: your accent can show movement – like if you grew up in one place

Examples & Reflection:

Nina: for someone who immigrates, their accent tells a story o resilience, multilingualism, and culture

Alexandra: Or if someone grew up speaking Spanish at home and English at school their accent reflects both worlds

Nina: And for people like us from Long Island, our accents tells the story of our hometown, fast talking, stretching vowel

Conclusion:

Alexandra: So what did we learn? Accents are not flaws or mistakes. They are symbols of identity

Nina: they’re shaped by culture, community, and experience. And instead of judging someone based on how they sound, we should celebrate the story behind their voice

Alexandra: every accent holds meaning

Nina: and every voice is a reminder that language is alive and personal

Both: thank you for tuning in to The Way We Speak
We’ll see you in the next episode