Cultural Accents--Why Everybody Wants a Fork

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Every time I speak English in my class, I get differing opinions on the way I speak in English. To some, the way I speak is 'cool,' because of my American accent. Some detest the manner, because, naturally, most people will be hostile to anything that is not familiar to many (in this case, the way I speak). Some raised questions as to why I have to speak in such a manner.

I do not consider my accent as American, rather, it is neutral. A neutral accent is a manner in speaking which could be understood globally: by all people 

who speaks English.

On the contrary, a cultural accent is a manner of speaking influenced by the speaker's mother tongue. Every country has its own cultural accent--even the native speakers--and must be neutered. In the Philippines, the number of cultural accent equates the number of dialects we have. In Japan, they have such a stressed way of speaking, and turn the letter 'l,' to 'r.'

In the United States, the people of California has a different way of speaking from the New Yorkers. The people of Mississippi has such a heavy, stressed, southern accent. In the United Kingdom, the Britons have  a distinguished way of speaking.

Why, then, should we bother neutralizing our accents when everybody else has a different way of speaking? There is nothing wrong with cultural accent, really, sometimes it's cute when used for aesthetic purposes. It's just that most of the time, cultural accents cause miscommunication. Such a problem must be avoided, as it creates a catastrophe. Don't believe me? Learn from our Italian friend (see vid below.)

Sweet Talk 101

So, it’s Valentine’s Day aka Single Awareness Day. The color of love is in the air. Don’t you just love love, or love being in love? Or at least imagining someone’s in love with you? Love, the feeling, is actually a hormonal reaction caused by an organ called…the hypothalamus. So no, it’s politically incorrect to use the heart as a symbol of love, because it doesn’t actually do anything than pump blood. It should be the hypothalamus.

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Anyway, you don’t wanna use ‘I love you from the bottom of my hypothalamus,’ as a love message for this day. As I’ve always said, words are powerful as actions, so better coat your lips with chocolate to get the hypothalamus of your date functioning in your favor.

What is Sweet Talk?

The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines sweet talk as a form of flattery. To me, it is the artistic way of applying communication in order to get your slice of cake and eat it. Not only can you apply this to your stubborn boyfriend to get you a bouquet of roses, or to appease your girlfriend, but you can also use this on your boss, or on a friend. Or when you’re single and you want a date.

Dirty, I know, but we realize that communication is persuasion.

Applying Sweet Talk

Be appreciative.

Believe it or not, sweet talk is only 40% of the job. In order to make other people return you a favor, you should be…well, favorable. Start by giving your attention 100%. Give your girlfriend verbal and eye cues that she’s special and one of a kind. Smile, becauseit will let the other party know their opinion and company are more than appreciated. Doing these things will erase the noise in your channel of communication. The other party will definitely decode your message to your favor. Set a light mood.

Ever heard of the expression, ‘when you smile, the whole world smiles at you’? Use this to your advantage. Smile, and be humorous. When the other party is in a light mood, they are more likely to lay down barriers that can dampen your communication. If you’re thinking of telling a joke, though, it’s best to be careful; you want to avoid an awful faux pasthat will ruin the evening. Or the relationship.

Handle the ego with kid-gloves

Handling one’s ego means complimenting them. Praise is a good tool. Picture a kid who draws his mother a flower for valentine’s. She doesn’t say ‘What’s that!? Hey kid, don’t quit your day job,’ but she says ‘this flower is so beautiful!’ the kid thinks he’s Leonardo da Vinci and paints more pictures. Praising and complimenting also decreases the resistance rate of the other party.

When praising, be sincere. Men like being praised for their intelligence and strength, whilst women like being praised for their beauty and grace.Keep your cards close to your chest Getting caught that you’re sweet talking to get something will ruin it! Some people, especially lovers, however find it humorous to catch their partners sweet talking them. But for some people, they feel deceived.Don’t ask for the favor directly, for a safer ground.

Sweet talk every day.

Actually, this form of communication is an everyday ingredient to happier, healthier relationships, especially in the context of marriage. Having a light mood, smiling, being appreciative, being sincere and understanding are water and fertilizer to communication. It avoids conflict and it encourages the hypothalamus to release those feel-good hormones to your favor. You will know you’re successful when you already have the favor even before you ask for it.