(Facing the back of the camera)

Why dad? Why can’t you just do what I tell you to do for one day? For only today?

Fine. Whatever, I don’t care about you anymore either!

Well, look! I am a bad girl now. You didn’t even care about me anyway, ever. I don’t need you!

(She slams the door and plumps down on her couch. Facing the camera)

Today is a very special day for me… (sighs)

But I think I should celebrate it alone again as usual…

(Gets a piece of candy from her backpack)

Celebrating Elina Walker’s 7th birthday. Happy Birthday to me… (claps)

(Rips open the wrapper and eats the piece of candy)

At school, nobody likes me. Today, I tried to talk to the kids because I wanted to give them some candy. But they kept walking away from me when I tried to talk to them. I think I’m too weird for them maybe. Maybe because I listen to songs that other kids don’t even listen to, do weird stuff, and just other things. Maybe because I can only get good grades and can’t do anything else well. I really want to make friends and have some fun. Like we can go to the playground together and play or we can have a tea party with our stuffed animals. But… That won’t happen because I don’t have any friends. I am alone… No, not necessarily alone because I still have my bestest friend in the world sitting next to me right now. My teddy bear. I am able to go through this because I have my teddy bear.

(Holds up her teddy bear)

But one thing that does make me sad is my daddy. My daddy doesn’t love me. He doesn’t care about me at all because he doesn’t keep any of the promises he makes with me. He makes me really, really sad. I wish he loved and cared for me today because it’s my birthday, but he doesn’t… I asked him to eat cake since it’s my birthday today, but he said that it only makes them waste money. All I wanted was cake… All I ever wanted was for him to celebrate my birthday today and give me kiss on the cheek or just a hug or just even saying happy birthday to me. But he doesn’t want to give me any of it. Maybe I’m just being greedy and annoying for him. But don’t misunderstand me! I tried everything so that I can be a daughter he can be proud of. I am a good girl in school. I don’t talk loudly to my classmates when my teacher is teaching, I pay A LOT of attention during class, and I do my best in everything I do. Like I don’t even ask my daddy for help on homework that I don’t know. Most of the time, I sit alone in my room and try to figure it out. But when I can’t figure it out, I go to my mommy and ask. But I don’t ask my mommy for help a lot either because my daddy says that my mommy has other things to do, so I shouldn’t bother her. But my mommy is nice. She loves and cares for me. I’m not really sure how being loved feels like, but my mommy says she loves me, so I love her too. I love my daddy too but all he does is yell at me for doing something wrong. Like touching his stuff or putting his stuff somewhere else from where it was so he gets really scary sometimes. I wish he knows how much I love him. I wish he knows how much I am trying so that I can be his good little baby girl. Then, maybe he will start to love and care for me. Maybe… I should start today.  Since it’s my birthday, my wishes will come true right? Don’t worry,I’m just going to use a little teeny bit of magic power. Okay, then I wish for daddy to love and care for me a lot! No no no… That’s too big…. I wish for my daddy to love and care for me just a little bit. That’s good enough. I hope my dream comes true...

(Smiles)

In today’s society people and their social groups are widely identified by language. There are many parts to a type of language, and some are easier to identify than others. There are different pronunciations throughout the world, and even just throughout certain countries. There is a also a difference in the actual language spoken throughout certain social groups across the world, these specific words or phrases can only typically be identified by the group or multiple groups that created the term along with many of the local groups that interact with them. These terms are called slang and are an integral part of the different dialects throughout the world. Today there is a term called code-switching. Code-switching is when a person changes how they speak based on who they are around. Code-switching is becoming more and more common and has an influence on communities everywhere. People use it to feel more comfortable throughout different societies in their lives, and they use it to stay connected to all of these parties at once.

Today code-switching has become very popular. It is an integral part of society, because it pertains to so many different people in society. To understand code-switching, it is important to understand language and the role that it plays in society today. Language is something that connects people to their groups of friends, and their communities. There are many parts of language, and these parts can be used to identify a person, who they are, and where they are from. The pronunciation of speech is an important part, and also is possibly the most distinguishing part of language. Different pronunciations can be found because of your location (Philadelphia; Boston; Texas; etc.), or your background (Black; White; Jewish; etc.). Another factor in understanding speech, is dialect. This can also differ based on location or background. A component of dialect is slang. Slang is when different communities and social groups create or change the meaning of certain words. These words can seem well known to the group of origin, but to someone across the country or even across the state, can make no sense at all. In the documentary “American Tongues”, language is analyzed to better determine what types of language are spoken where, and what kind of Slang exists in these places. Throughout the documentary it becomes evident that some people truly have no idea of the definitions of certain words created by certain groups. Code-switching is when someone changes their language based on who they are with, typically to fit in better with that group.

There are many reasons why people code-switch. People switch their pronunciations of words and their dialects around to better fit in with a certain group. An example of this would be if someone is at work and needs to talk professionally around their co-workers, but later after work when they meet up with their friends, they change their speech. In this situation the person may change their grammar so that it less professional. Another reason a person might code-switch is not for themselves or their personal security at all. There are times when people code-switch to make the people that they are with feel more comfortable about being around them. For example a person would typically change their language when around children so as not to scare them, and also so as not to teach them bad or vulgar language.

Since code-switching is becoming more and more of a popular thing to do in today’s society, it is being incorporated into many parts of our society. This is because code-switching is becoming more and more practical. While many people in society today agree that it is a beneficial idea, many disagree. Jacomine Nortier of Multilingual Living writes, “People who switch back and forth from one language to the other are considered careless, thoughtless, clumsy, not interested or disrespectful towards their languages”. (http://www.multilingualliving. com/2011/05/19/codeswitching-much-more-than-careless-mixing-multilingual-bilingual-know-rules/). While this may be true in certain circumstances, it is important to understand that people do not necessarily switch languages because they are being careless. They may have a very good reason to switch their language around. This is because people respond better to what is familiar. One man who understands this is current president of the United States, Barack Obama. Back in January of 2009, president elect Barack Obama went to get lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl. Ben’s Chili Bowl, is a famous restaurant in a historically black neighborhood. After paying for his food, the cashier asked the President if he would like his change, to which he replied “Nah, we straight”. Even a man famous for his politically correct speech and grammar, the same man who was trusted enough to be given power over our entire country, understands the importance of code-switching and making people feel comfortable around you.

I code-switch, on a daily basis. I can even remember when it began. After my first summer at overnight camp, when my language began its transformation from a younger language to a more teenage language, I had started using more words that I had not used in the past. Some of these words were more vulgar than accepted today in public on a regular basis. So, my first experience with code-switching was hiding my newfound language from my parents and teachers. Now I have many different ways of speaking. I speak different ways with my parents; teachers; boss; school friends; school acquaintances; outside of school friends; boy friends; girl friends; strangers; and many more. My language, as with most kids my age, changes at least a little bit with almost everyone I talk to. The comfort level with that person changes. It does not matter whether I am the one that is uncomfortable or they are, but language is something that is meant to be manipulated for the best communication possible.

Furthermore, I believe that code-switching is a fundamental and even vital component of the human language. There are both social and professional benefits to changing the way in which you speak based on who you are speaking with. This is why code-switching is becoming more common throughout the world. It is important for people to feel comfortable throughout all of the different groups in their lives, and code-switching is they a way to stay connected to all of these groups at once.

Works Cited

Alvarez, Louis, and Andrew Kolker. "POV - PBS American Tongues." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Dem, Gene. "How Code-Switching Explains The World." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Nortier, Jacomine. "Code-switching Is Much More than Careless Mixing: Multilinguals Know the Rules!" Multilingual Living RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

“I don't want to move! This is so stupid I don't care what you say, I’m staying here with my friends. I'm almost eighteen I can take care of myself!” I don't like yelling at my parents, but this is an exception. They want me to move to Denmark. Sure, Denmark is pretty and I guess it would be fun for like, tourists but I don't want to move there! Permanently. I don't speak Danish. Or German. Or anything close. I'm a seventeen year old white girl. I speak english and spoiled brat on occasion. Now is one of those times.

I don't want to sound spoiled but I just can't go there. I have plans for college, I have friends, I have a boyfriend, I just got my drivers license and a car. There's just too much here for me to leave. I can't just pack up my life and bring everything with me.

The worst thing about moving is that my parents speak Dutch but never bothered to teach me when I was little because they thought “It would never be useful”. Well guess what? They were wrong. Now i'm going to be the only one in this stupid country who can't speak their language and everyone is going to laugh at me.

After a long, worthless fight with mom and dad, I didn’t get my way. I was moving to Denmark and they didn't care what I said. They tried to compromise with me as much as they could but nothing can make me feel better. “We’ll move your car by boat! We’ll homeschool you!” But I don't want any of that. I want to be a normal teenager, in America.

After a month of saying goodbye to my friends and a couple of failed Dutch lessons, it's time to get on the plane for Denmark. After a ten hour flight we finally arrived. The minute we stepped out of the plane I felt out of place. The airport employees were greeting me in their weird language that I didn’t understand. Even my parents started babbling in Dutch. I felt like the smallest person in the world.

It was like a totally different world. There was different fashion, different smells, and obviously, the different language. “Mom, I’m really hungry.” I tried to tell my mom but she wasn't listening, she was too busy soaking up all the amazing sights. “Mom!” I yelled louder.

“Oh, sorry sweetie. I didn't hear you the first time. What did you need?” she said. I could tell she was not too enthusiastic though.

‘“I’m hungry.” I was annoyed but I just wanted to get some food in my stomach.

“Oh lets go to that hot dog cart over there!” my mom always talked about how good the hotdogs in Denmark are so good. I guess it can’t be any worse than an american one. Mom and dad had to order for me because I obviously couldn’t read the menu. I felt like a three year old. I was so oblivious to what was going on around me. I couldn’t understand anyone, speak to anyone or get any of my points across. I really felt like an idiot.

In america I could have ordered whatever I wanted. I would have no trouble at all. I didn't even like what mom and dad got me. It was gross so I just gave it to dad. We got into a taxi to take us to our new house. I didn't even know what it looked like yet.

We pulled up in front of a little row house. It was cute I guess but I want to go back home. I just can't imagine myself living here. As soon as college comes, I'm going home. The rest of the night consisted of me unpacking and not talking to my parents. Who, by the way, still sounded like weirdos speaking in Dutch. I was so used to being home and seeing tourists and not understanding what they're saying. Now I was the one out of place.

I stayed at the house, it's not home, for a couple of days but on Monday I was enrolled in the closest Danish high school. I am definitely not excited. Danish school is different than american school, we get there earlier and leave earlier. I still had a little bit of jet lag so waking up at 5:30 was not an easy task. I always wake up an hour earlier than i have to leave so that I can get ready. The school was really close so I just walked a couple of blocks and I was there just on time. I went to the office and they didn't speak very good english so they just wrote down the room number i had to go to on a piece of paper.

When I got to the room everything was strange. I felt like the ugly duckling in the room. I found a seat in the back corner and sat there alone. When I looked around no one was talking they were just reading their books. they all looked like weirdos to me. None of them were wearing makeup or cute outfits. Like, does appearance mean anything to them here? I had all my makeup and stuff on, I looked so out of place.

The teacher finally came in and acknowledged me so I guess he knew I was here. He pointed at me and everyone looked while he started speaking in Danish. Introducing me I guess. But here comes the worst part. When he introduced me he said my name like “Kahreen”. “It’s Karen.” I didn't have the patience for this. But I don't think he understood me because he still said “Kahreen”. Whatever I can't speak Danish so I’ll just fail all of my classes and become an american loser who lives in Denmark with her parents for the rest of her life.

After a couple of days of hell at my new Danish school I couldn't do it anymore. I felt so alone I couldn't communicate with anyone, my parents spoke in Danish, the people in school spoke in Danish and my friends from home were in a different timezone than me. I had no friends and no one to talk to. Home wasn't even comforting since my parents didn't even seem american anymore. I felt like an exchange student instead of their daughter. I gave up trying to be a rebel and started to take lessons on speaking Danish.

After a couple lessons with my tutor, Koenraad, I was getting a little better. He was pretty nice and kind of cute so I guess the lessons aren't that bad. I guess once I get better I’ll feel more at home in Denmark. I guess spoiled brat wasn't working out for me, so I have to replace it with something else.

Making Us Different

by Dillon Hershey

Imagine living on an island that is 1.236 square miles with the population being only about 730 people. The only way to get around on the island is by golf cart or by bikes. There are only three cars on the island; the mail truck, the police car and the garbage truck. There is only one fire truck and one ambulance that barely fit down the streets. There are two churches on the island. The average grade size is four kids. The main occupations are on water, like crabbing and conching. Believe it or not, an island like this exists off the coast of Virginia, called Tangier Island. It lies in the Chesapeake Bay close to Smith Island.

Tangier Island has been in my life since I was young. My grandmother’s brother flew to Tangier Island one day to get a good seafood meal and ended up bringing back some information about a bed and breakfast there. My grandmother and grandfather went on a short vacation there and really liked it, so they brought the rest of the family along the next time they went to the island. My family started to travel there in the summers, when I was about a year and a half old. Usually we would stay on the island for about four to five days and we would act like tourists. Coming in on the tour boat, renting a golf cart, staying at a bed and breakfast, catching crabs, watching the sunset, going swimming in the frigid water and getting ice cream at Spanky’s. When I was five years old, my grandparents bought a house there and we didn’t go as tourists anymore. We came in on the mailboat, we got our own golf cart, people knew who we were and we had our own house. We were almost like real Islanders*. One thing that separated us from the others though, was their accent. We never picked up on that.

The Watermen* dialect is very different from any other dialect that you will hear. It is often classified as Elizabethian, with a mixture of British and Southern accents. The very first time my family went to island, my dad remembers a boy sitting on the edge of the dock with a bucket of crabs. The boy was about five or six. He saw my dad standing there and he said “Not a very good day for crabbing.”, but it sounded like “Not a verry goood day fer craabin.” My dad had no idea what just came out of his mouth. My grandmother, who spends more time than the rest of us on the island, still can’t understand some of the watermen* when they are talking very fast to each other. Their dialect is hard to explain because it is so odd sounding. For example, when they say the word saturday, it sounds like this: “Sourer-day” while people in Philadelphia say it more like this: “Sat-er-day”. They often stretch out one syllable words containing a long ‘a’ or ‘i’ vowel sound to make the word two syllables. Crab is a word you will hear many times at Tangier because crabbing is one of the main occupations on the island. They make crab into 2 syllables like this, “craa-ab”, enunciating the first syllable. Five and bad are other examples, they would say it: “fy-ave” and “bay-aad”

American Tongues, a documentary about languages in the United States, has a two minute clip about the Tangier dialect. The dialect in the documentary is a very heavy dialect that you don’t hear very much anymore. They have started to modernize their dialect for the tourists. Islanders grew up with having to repeat themselves so that the tourists can understand them. They depend on the tourists because the other occupations besides crabbing, are all tourist based. As the tourists keep coming though, the Islanders start to accommodate their dialect so that the tourists can understand them. I can understand why the Islanders would do this but I think that tourists are having too much effect on the Islanders’ dialect. I’ve noticed that watermen, who work on boats with just people from Tangier Island, have a heavier Watermen accent than people who work on the island and interact with tourists. The dialect is still strong but not as hard to understand.

I went to the island over the summer to help my grandmother with her art classes that she teaches there. I was working with kids from ages five to thirteen. All of their dialects were different probably depending on what their parents’ jobs were. By Wednesday, I found myself thinking in their dialect. I couldn’t say any words out loud in fear of messing up and offending them but in my mind I had a sentence that was formed just listening to the kids talk. During my stay there, I understood most of the sentences that the Islanders said but sometimes it took a little bit longer for me to reply back to them if we were having a conversation.

I think, if I were to stay at Tangier for a longer time, I might pick up on their dialect. I find myself doing that already when I visit my family in Lancaster County. They also have a small dialect that I pick up on and use when I am with them. I think that it would be interesting to see if I stay at Tangier for a month, if I start to talk like one of them too. I don’t think that code-switching is bad because I do all of the time. I just think that all sorts of dialects and accents can be so different and interesting that people should try to preserve their dialects, so we don’t become a system of identical sounding humans.

*Note: There is no specific term for the people living on Tangier, so I used two different terms, Watermen and Islanders. I used Watermen while referring to the dialect and Islanders while talking about the general population of the island. I also used watermen while referring to their occupation. I used a lowercase ‘w’ because it is an occupation.

Works Cited:

American Tongues. Dir. Louis Alvarez. 1988.

Culture is the main system that defines what category an individual fits in. A culture can consist of education, media, music, art, morals/religion, and most importantly, language. One part of language that culture has a large impact on his profanity. Profanity/curse words are a subset of language that is considered strong, obscene, and overall dirty. However, these words can still be apart of ones common diction, and are “okay to use” under certain circumstances. Permission to use profanity comes from culture because culture defines what profanity is. Since every culture has diverse definitions of what is social norm and what isn’t, certain behaviors and language that are natural for one culture are deemed blasphemous and obscene for another.

The way in which profanity is depicted in the media depends on an innumerous amount of variables and complications. For essentially every circumstance, however, culture has the main influence on the laws that dictate what language is “too obscene,” or what is perfectly fine to say publicly. When such boundaries are crossed, censorship is used. Censorship in the United States has liberalized over the years, and censorship in the United Kingdom is also rather lax with its linguistic risks.  Take into account two different versions of the same television show that is common amongst the teenage population of both the United States and the United Kingdom; Skins. Both Skins UK and Skins US are known for their impulsive and radical usage of obscenity and foul language. In Skins UK, Effy uses terms like “shagging” and “surf and turf” (SE3E01: “Everyone”)  to describe sex, and when Freddie confesses to Effy that he’s in love with her, he blatantly says “I really fucking love you.” (SE4E05: “Freddie”)  In Skins US, when Tony was making phone calls to people about Stanley, he says that he “Has to get laid by the time he’s 17, or he can’t be my friend anymore.” (SE1E01: “Tony”)  Even with the slight lenience of censorship, it caused far more controversy and lead to the show going off air after the first season. Reasons why Skins US got far more negative attention was because it publicly presented things too obscene for American media. American culture contrasts from the United Kingdom’s culture because the UK is open to accepting what’s considered improprietous language as a social norm, as well as a natural human behavior. Because the UK’s definition of profanity is less stringent, it gives permission to freely use what’s defined as profane in the US.

With a majority of religions, there is a wide range of mandatory edicts strictly against vulgar language.  In Catholicism, there are a specific amount of rules that must be followed by every Roman Catholic entitled The Ten Commandments. In the Ten Commandments according to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, there are two particular commandments that specify  the wrongdoings of using foul language and other swear words. Two of them would be the second commandment, “Thou shalt not use misuse the name of the Lord your God in vain,” (New American Bible, Exodus 20:7) and the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (New American Bible, Exodus 20:14)  Using God’s name in vain is considered a form of swearing as well as blasphemy. With the sixth commandment, committing adultery can be defined/interpreted as any sort of act that is sexual or impure towards your body. Cursing/swearing fits into this criteria, because it is thought of to be degrading and harmful towards one’s self. What is fascinating about these two commandments especially, though, are that they state two natural human behaviors as being vulgar and degrading, and a majority of curse words are essentially just language that describes these natural human behaviors. Though because the culture of Catholicism does not give permission to use such words, they have become profane, because culture defines the line between vulgarity and normality.

In just about any and every educational environment, the concept of obscenity is either completely avoided, or deemed as subject too inappropriate to approach with any depth. This is because of ethics that are established in the culture of learning. Though recently, the comfort level with profanity has been increasing especially in educational environments. In a New York Times article about educated people using foul language in America, it states that “In our society, the main taboo is no longer sex, but race.” (“Room for Debate”) And also talks about how our offense evolves throughout the time. It also states that, after a certain amount of time, “people clutching at their pearls at things like that will look as quaint as people considering it a big deal that Clark Gable said ‘damn’ in ‘Gone With the Wind.’” (“Room for Debate”) Because of the fact that Americans are no longer offended by impropriety, they have now moved on to hyperbolizing the insult of using a racial slurs. The definition of profanity is constantly revising and evolving based on what a culture is offended by, and because of the recent epidemic of sexual exploitation, there is no more controversy or shock towards it, and it has become so natural that such words can be comfortably used by educated people. Now, ethnophaulisms are the new definition of profanity, and any permission to use that profanity will come from the culture that has defined it.

Permission to use profanity comes from culture because culture defines what profanity is.  Since every culture has diverse definitions of what is social norm and what isn’t, certain behaviors and language that are natural for one culture are deemed blasphemous and obscene for another. Culture is what dictates ethical and unethical behavior, regardless of its normality or naturality elsewhere. The boundary between ethical and obscene accentuates the line between right and wrong, and carries out the importance of doing and saying the right things.

Works Cited:

"Everyone." Skins UK. E4: 22 Jan 2009. Television.

“Freddie.” Skins UK. E4: 24 Feb 2010. Television.

“Tony” Skins US. MTV 17 Jan 2010. Television.

The New American Bible.

"Why Do Educated People Use Bad Words?" Room for Debate Why Do Educated People Use Bad Words Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. <http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/why-do-educated-people-use-bad-words/?_r=0>.

“You can’t d-d-do this t-to me! You won-n’t ever find a b-better act-tor!”

“I’m sorry, but we simply cannot cast someone with your condition!”

“But th-this is my d-dream”

“I am sorry, but our decision is final.”

My name is Steven Cyders and I am an actor. Well... I’m trying to become an actor. I have a stutter, so nobody really takes me seriously. I’ve tried to fix it in the past, but nothing seems to help. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be an actor, but everyone always told me that I should try to find a goal that was more attainable, something more realistic. I didn’t listen though. If you could look past my stutter you would see I am a great actor.

After my last rejection, my 42nd, I did some thinking. I came up with a new plan for getting rid of my stupid stutter. I reasoned that a good actor can do different voices and accents besides their own, so if my ‘accent’ is a stutter, I just have to do a different accent. It’s brilliant! If I use someone else’s voice, then I won’t stutter. The only problem with this is that I don’t know how to do any other voices, I always focused on the emotional part of acting when practicing because my stutter made it difficult to do voices. I guess that the best way to learn something is to experience it yourself, so if I want to learn a different dialect, I need to hang around people who use it. So I have to do two things; first, figure out what dialects I want to study, and second, google techniques for analyzing speech.

After doing some research I have narrowed it down to a few different dialects; Southern, Western and Boston. Hopefully along the way I will find something something subtler, something that isn’t tied to an area, something normal, something without a stutter. I am hoping that by the end of this trip I can reduce my stutter. I leave for Alabama tomorrow. I am really excited to start this learning process and see how people in different parts of the country speak.

***

I awake to the steady beeping of the hotel alarm. This is it. This is the day I start my journey, the journey I hope will change my life for the better. After getting dressed I go to a diner for breakfast. I figure if I can go to a small diner I will get to hear some of the locals in their natural environment.

I get to the diner and I only have to wait a few minutes until a waitress comes over to take my order. She speaks with a classic southern drawl that gets me giddy in anticipation to learn it.

“My name’s Ellen and I’ll be servin’ ya dis mornin’. Anything I can git fer you hun?” She says.

“I’ll j-just have s-scram-mbled eggs an-nd b-bacon p-please.” I stutter. I spend the rest of the morning in the diner, listening to the conversations around me and to the waitress who brings me my food and fills my coffee a few times.

From what I was able to gather at the diner, southerners are polite and respectful, but sound almost uneducated to someone unaccustomed to hearing their contractions and vowel pronunciation. They seem to always call people Sweetie, Honey, Darlin’, or some variation. Their R’s are drawn out and soft, and AH becomes AW, like father and fawther. I think I understand their language well enough, so now all I have to do is practice. The best way I can think to do this would be to talk to myself in a mirror and try my hardest not to stutter. I set out for Boston tomorrow.

***

I am still practicing my southern accent, but I am getting kind of frustrated. I thought it would come easier, I thought I would have it down by now, but I guess it will take more work than I had hoped; I will have to work really hard to get rid of my stutter.

After I drop my bags at the hotel I decided to start at Faneuil Hall, a famous marketplace. As I am walking around I can hear a few accents, but I need to engage in conversation to get a better understanding of the language.

“Exc-cuse me, c-can I t-talk to you f-for a second?” I say to a man who walks by.

“Shure, I gyess. How can I help ya?” The guy replies in a thick nasally Boston accent.

“Well, I’m n-not from ar-round here and I w-was wondering if-f you could tell m-me the sign-nificance of-f this hall.” I ask him, gesturing at the building over my shoulder.

“It’s bay-sically just a meating playce that has been ahround synce the seventeen hundreds and nyow it is awlso paht of Bouston National Histo-ical Pahk.” He says.

“T-thanks.” I say.

I spend the rest of the day talking to the people passing by and get a pretty good understanding of the language.

Well that’s it for Boston. From what I heard Bostonians have a nasally way of talking and they turn their Rs into AHs. I am getting better at the Southern accent now too, I am not stuttering nearly as much. I guess it’s time to practice the Boston accent, hopefully my experience from the last one will make it easier. I hope I can master these by the time I get home.

So I am off to Oregon tonight. The western dialect is one that the majority of the country sees as normal and plain. This is the one that I am most excited to learn, but I think it will be the hardest. I guess you could say that I already have a western accent, but I don’t like to look at it like that because it would hinder me trying to lose my stutter.

When I get to Oregon I decide to go to a park today. I wander around listening to the people talking. I find it hard to pick out specific things in their speech. They do not have defining characteristics of speech. As I walk around I wonder if maybe they do have accent. Maybe to the southerners in Alabama they sound funny, or to the nasally Bostonians. But just like someone with a southern or boston accent sounds normal to them, the people here sound normal to me. I sit down on a bench to think and by the time I leave I have convinced myself that I will always have a stutter.

This trip was useless; I will never get rid of my stutter. I got a ticket for the next flight home. Maybe everyone was right, maybe I can’t be an actor. I guess that’s it then. I will go home, try to find a decent job and forget this whole thing.

***

Well it turns out I was wrong. When I got back home everyone told me how much my stutter had improved. I was shocked! I had thought I did not learn anything at all. I recently decided to start taking speech classes, and my stuttering has really been improving. I even have a new audition on Friday! I think that with a little more practice and focus, people might actually start taking me seriously. It’s not perfect, and it can’t be completely cured, but at least it always leaves room for improvement.