Pidgin, Patois, and Prestige
In a previous article, I talked about why Americans have different accents, and how it can affect your life. Essentially, there are innate biases some regions of America have against other regions that, despite accomplishments and other indicators of ability or intelligence, tend to give a poor impression of that person. This bias is why broadcast journalists will work to neutralize their accent before trying to work outside regional stations. If you pronounce "pin" and "pen" the same way, or otherwise have a heavy drawl, that may be fine if you're working in Tulsa, but if you want to make it to Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York, your accent has to change. This is depicted well in the film "Sweet Home Alabama," in which a young woman from rural Alabama finds success as a fashion designer in New York, but only after abandoning her roots and her accent.
