Accent

I was born and raised in the south (USA), yet I developed an interesting northern accent due to my hearing loss. Constantly, I am asked by random strangers, "You got an accent. Where are you from?" "Hey, are you from New York?", "Ah, you're from Boston, eh?" (sometimes followed by a "Clam chowdah!"), "Are you from another country? You have an interesting accent." Sometimes, when I tell them that I am from the south and that my accent is because of my deafness, they look embarrassed (especially the idiots who exclaimed,  "Clam chowdah!"). Some of them apologize. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know!" I think there is no need to apologize; it's kind of funny really.

This is probably the most insulting comment made about my speech: "Oh, your tongue is pierced, huh? I can tell."  (No! I do not have a pierced tongue!!).

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