Accents can reflect our past but don’t explain us [Video]

Donna Miles is an Iranian-Kiwi columnist and writer based in Christchurch

OPINION: I speak English with an accent. You do too. We all have accents.

My husband speaks with an accent which is recognisably native. Listening to him, people would know, immediately, that he is from New Zealand.

When I speak, people become puzzled. Unlike a strong Italian or French accent, my accent is not easy to place. This is because my accent is a mishmash of different accents.

I learnt most of my English in Scotland so you can hear a hint of a Scottish accent in the way I sometimes roll my Rs. Interestingly, the younger generation is changing the Scottish accent and sadly the rolling R is in danger of dying out.

There is also …