#127 - The Lads Caught Me Changing My Accent

The lads from school woke me up this morning ripping me for changing my accent, so let's get into it. Why do some of us smooth our accents out when we move through the world, and is it fake?I get into linguistic accommodation, the concept Valerie Fridland taught me when she came on the show, and why softening the edges of my Southern Cumbrian accent is the opposite of inauthentic. I've been on both sides of this: on lads holidays I'd turn the accent up as a weapon, out in Bali I turn it down to connect. Same tool, different job.Also in here: catching myself switching mid-sentence, a Sean Connery impression nobody asked for, football hooligans, why the biggest connections I've made out here would never have happened in my broad accent, and what happened to Chris Williamson's Geordie accent. Accent isn't personality, it's a set of options.If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show. Check out my conversation with Professor Valerie Fridland: https://youtu.be/3yOSIGNAhhk?si=UM4oXwHE6dJ-PmsJ🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com#howtocommunicate #communication #travel #podcaster