Who knew? Arizona has been firing teachers because of heavy Latino accents. A civil rights complaint has caused the state to call off their accent police.
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There’s no doubt, however, that articulation and accents can hinder comprehension. Thus, I watched “The Wire” and most British TV series heavy on Scottish or countryside British accents with the closed-caption service on. Deep in the Arkansas Delta or the watery marshlands of South Louisiana or the urban jungle of New York’s outer boroughs, those accustomed only to Midwest TV speak sometimes need translators.
Strong regional accents are becoming less prevalent, though. And I think that’s a shame. Justin Wilson in flat TV talk wouldn’t have been entertaining at all.
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