"Where is Your Accent From?": The Voice of My Identity

Authors

Robert Northman, Portland State UniversityFollow

Keywords

autoethnography, identity, sociolinguism, African-American Vernacular English

Abstract

This essay probes the role of language in how it contributes to the construct of one's identity. The author discusses lived experiences centered on the the perceptions of accented English that is actually African American Vernacular English. The essay explores how these experiences were formed and how they developed over the course of the author's lifetime. The author also discusses ways in which language has caused both comfort and conflict, and provides a glimpse into a unique perspective that can contribute to a greater understanding of the power and importance of language.

Cover Page Footnote

In search of knowledge, I found freedom.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40524

DOI

10.15760/amplify.2023.2.1.4

Recommended Citation

Northman, Robert (2023) ""Where is Your Accent From?": The Voice of My Identity," Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 4.
https://doi.org/10.15760/amplify.2023.2.1.4