Have you ever been teased about your accent changing, or told that you’re ‘mimicking’ others when in a conversation? Don’t worry, this is merely an instinctive demonstration of your cross-cultural agility.
Fixed vs. fluid
People with strong accents – one clearly rooted in a very specific part of the world – are often admired. Their accent, they may be told, is beautiful. Through it, they proudly express an identity that seems clear and fixed. By contrast, people with more fluid accents may arouse suspicion in the eyes – or ears? – of some. But here’s another perspective from a Malaysian woman with a wayward accent she’s proud to have.
A shifting voice
Chi grew up in Kuala Lumpur, where she spoke Cantonese, Malay and English, and where she constantly met people with blended identities. Later, she moved to Glasgow, a city famed for its singular brogue, and after living there for a few years she has clearly absorbed some of the local tones, rhythms and frequencies. Now, when she meets a Scottish vendor at Barras Market, she can sound so Scottish that she’s sometimes asked if she was born there.
Multicultural roots
But whenever Chi bumps into Singaporeans or Malaysians, she automatically shifts to another accent – one shaped by her upbringing in a multicultural, multilingual Southeast Asian melting pot. And if she meets someone from France, the US or Brazil, she may adjust again, reflecting back what she hears. “My accent changes without my permission,” she explains in a video she made on Threads.
Not a performance
What she does is not a performance. Her accent fluidity doesn’t indicate identity confusion – nor is it an insincere act of mimicry; it’s a reflection of lived experience, a way for Chi to express her empathy and cross-cultural agility. “Different rooms bring out different keys – and all of them are me,” as she puts it.
A bridge, not a mask
“When I meet new people, my brain scans for tone, pace and energy,” she adds. The immediate accent shift that follows – which she doesn’t even notice making – is her way of meeting people in the middle. It’s a bridge, not a mask. And often, she believes, people instinctively soften in response. Something human opens up in the shared space between their voices and hers. And yes, it’s great fun when people try to guess where she’s from – because the real answer, like her accent, is many places all at once.
This article was originally published for the thousands of expat partners that Global Connection supports around the globe. It is reproduced here in its original form.
