Free Republic

We all know that politicians are essentially actors. On any given day, they can play the calm and collected leader, the stern and ruthless foreign policy expert, or the caring and empathetic family member. They’re none of these things, of course, but as long as they play the part convincingly enough and give the audience what they want, they’re allowed to get away with their own special brand of ineptitude. But there are certain politicians who take this form of pandering to a whole other level by acting like a racial stereotype straight out of South Park to try and...

Ever since the first trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie dropped at New York Comic Con last fall, Nintendo fans have been expressing serious issues with Chris Pratt stepping into the role of the video game giant's mustachioed mascot. Specifically, they've been concerned about his speaking voice, which is a far cry from Italian-accented line readings like "It's-a me, Mario!" and "Let's-a go!" everyone knows and loves from Nintendo's deep bench of Super Mario games. But the Guardians of the Galaxy star feels that once they see the highly-anticipated animated movie, those concerns will vanish into one of the...

The Boston accent was ranked as the most annoying in the U.S., according to a new survey, but it also ranked among the top 10 smartest and sexiest. Preply, a Brookline-based online language learning platform, took a survey of more than 1,700 people across the country on the most loved and hated accents. The Boston accent came out on top as the most annoying, followed by the Midwestern accent. When it comes to the sexiest accent, Boston ranked number six out of 10. The top spot was taken by the southern accent. Boston also came in sixth place for the...

Want to command respect as if you were a badass Russian villain in a Hollywood film? Reckon you can do a better job than Harrison Ford’s questionable attempt at a Russian accent? Russia Beyond has you covered. A Russian accent is often imitated by English-speakers but rarely perfected. You’ll probably be familiar with the mean-sounding tone usually heard in Hollywood Russian accents, but do you know which sounds Russian speakers most commonly carry through to their spoken English? Follow these tricks, and you’ll be sounding like a native in no time! 1. Replace the 'i' with 'ee' There is no...

When Amanda Berg heard reports that President Donald Trump mocked the accents of the leaders of South Korea and Japan at a recent fundraiser, it brought back painful memories from her childhood. Berg, a Korean American who grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, recalled kids doing the “stereotypical pulling at the eyes and the mocking accent.” It made her feel like she was a foreigner in her own community. Berg, a registered Democrat, is among a growing and crucial bloc of Asian American voters leaning further to the left in the age of Trump, and his stunt, reported by the...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has fired back at conservative critics who accused her of adopting a faux “Southern drawl” for her speech at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in New York on Friday. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that “folks talking about my voice can step right off.” “Any kid who grew up in a distinct linguistic culture & had to learn to navigate class enviros at school/work knows what’s up,” she added. “My Spanish is the same way.”

Sunday marked the 54th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.”.A day that ended up galvanizing the vote to pass the Civil Rights Act in Congress, it was a time when civil rights activists marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama and were beaten by Alabama State Troopers. Now the day is commemorated every year with a march across the bridge by politicians and activists from around the country. It is certainly high on the list of must-do activities for any potential presidential candidate in the Democratic Party. Republicans march, too, but the story is always all about the Democrats....

Myers says she has been diagnosed with Foreign Accent Syndrome. The disorder typically occurs after strokes or traumatic brain injuries damage the language center of a person's brain — to the degree that their native language sounds like it is tinged with a foreign accent, according to the Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas at Dallas.

FRAMINGHAM – A Framingham man who used a fake name for a decade to get a driver’s license is now facing numerous charges and deportation after an observant police officer noticed the man’s accent was off, authorities said. Police arrested Sergio Alvarado, 32, after Officer Francis Torres pulled him over on Waverly Street at 7:15 p.m. because Alvarado’s car’s windows were excessively tinted, according to a police report filed in Framingham District Court on Friday.

Did Hillary Clinton put on a southern accent on campaign stop in Memphis? Some critics claim she changed her voice Hillary Clinton has been accused of putting on a southern accent during a campaign stop in Memphis. During a speech at LeMoyne-Owen College earlier this week, some people claimed the Democratic presidential candidate's voice had something of a southern twang. Clinton has faced similar accusations in the past, most notably during speeches in Alabama and South Carolina.

Hillary Clinton has started faking a Southern drawl to speak to Southerners, just as she did during her last presidential run eight years ago. The tactic drew chuckles, derision and not a little resentment when she tried it in 2007 and 2008. But she was back at it again in Alabama on Saturday, putting on a heavy twang to express her contempt for Republicans. With Bernie Sanders narrowing her lead or overtaking her in early caucus and primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton is hoping for a "Southern firewall," and her itinerary of upcoming events reveals a determinatiion...

The other day, my son asked why there are such a variety of accents in the country. Why does a fellow from Mississippi have a twang that’s different from a fellow in Texas? Long ago, I asked my father a similar question. He pointed out that it isn’t just in America – a wide range of dialects and accents are common for French, Arabic, whatever. In recent days, some interesting pieces have appeared online. One in Slate has a list of the top slang terms from every state. Here’s what was included for the Mid-South: Arkansas: “tump” -- to tip...

Recently, Hillary Clinton made what was ostensibly an ordinary campaign stop in Columbia, South Carolina. Or, perhaps I should say — as Clinton herself did at one point — South Carolahnah. Clinton, as a few reporters immediately noted, at some points during her speech slipped into the faintest hints of a Southern accent; you can mostly hear it in the softening of the vowel i: retirement became retahrment, I sounded more like Ah. Here's a short clip from her appearance: [clip] Clinton is far from the only politician to be accused of putting on a fake accent in order to...

Hillary Brings Back Southern Twang for South Carolina Visit BY DANIEL HALPER Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was born in Illinois and represented New York in the U.S. Senate, has brought back her Southern accent for her speech today in South Carolina:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Out on the presidential campaign trail, Gov. Scott Walker has left “Wiscahnsin” back home in Wisconsin. He now wants to strengthen the economy, not the “ecahnahmy.” And while he once had the “ahnor” of meeting fellow Republicans, he told one group here this week that he simply enjoyed “talkin’ with y’all.” The classic Upper Midwest accent – nasal and full of flat a’s – is one of several Walker trademarks to have fallen away this month after an intense period of strategizing and coaching designed to help Mr. Walker capitalize on his popularity in early polls and...

I'm looking to buy a new vehicle after my old one (2005 Hyundai Accent) hit the 110000 mile mark. I've nicked-named it the "old gray mare" I'll be going to the same Hyundai dealer who sold me the previous Accent. I'm looking at a 2012 Accent which was a lease and it only has 6176 miles on it. Auto Check is "clean" and it's Hyundai "Certified Pre-Owned" (and under it's original warranty). Any advice you can offer to make this a smooth transaction, save some money, and avoid pitfalls? FYI: I'm already pre-approved by my local credit union (helps to...

J.R. and Sue Ellen had it on "Dallas." The Texas twang. The "y'all" and the "howdy" -- that slow drawl that is part Southern charm, part Western swagger and pure Texas. Yes, oil is still king in Texas, and it's easy to find a Longhorn (cow or football player), cowboys and a rodeo if you are in the mood. Neil Armstrong's first words from the Moon were "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed." Barbara Voyce is a transplant from Illinois, and she quickly learned how to say "y'all." "It replaces the Midwestern 'you guys,'" she says. Her two...

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Of the first times I forced myself to endure Barack Obama speeches in late 2007, I was immediately struck by how the Chicago charlatan changed tone and accent in the most obvious way when speaking to different crowds. It's actually what set off the first red flags for me... seemed like a dishonest used car salesman, and I remember thinking "what a fake- I can't believe people are willing to fall for this schlock!". In front of a Harvard crowd, he embedded 'big' words to flaunt his intellectual prowess... yet somehow it reminded me of OJ Simpson (when he...

ThereÂ’s been a good bit of discussion and hand-wringing lately over whether the American public is becoming more and more politically polarized and what this all means for the future of our democracy. You may have wrung your own hands over the issue. But even if you have, chances are youÂ’re not losing sleep over the fact that Americans are very clearly becoming more polarized linguistically. It may seem surprising, but in this age where geographic mobility and instant communication have increased our exposure to people outside of our neighborhoods or towns, American regional dialects are pulling further apart from...