Today in French class, we were discussing the accent prevalent in the south of France (l'accent m廨idional). Much like the southern drawl in the States, there is a certain socioeconomic stigma associated with it. However, in recent years, the French have gained interest in local idiosyncrasies--things by which to identify themselves as French as they are engulfed by the European Community. Among these traits are accent and language. Over the past few years living in Wisconsin, I've lost a lot of my Canadian accent. I've tried to keep it up, but it hasn't been easy. Despite all the effort, I never really put my finger on why it has been so important to me. Until yesterday. A certain quotation from an article we read brought everything together:

"Avoir l'accent enfin, c'est, chaque fois que l'on cause, parler de son pays en parlant d'autre chose."
(To have an accent is, each time you talk, to speak about your country while speaking about other things.)

- Miguel Zamacois, French poet and playwright