Daily Archives: July 4, 2012

I was an Air Force brat until age eight. When my father retired in 1978, we moved from Dover AFB to Baltimore, Maryland. As a college and Jesuit educated, ex-Captain of the military, my father insisted that his children not pick up the local accents of the areas in which we lived, especially the Baltimore brogue, which seemed to grate on him the most. However, to me, an accent meant, roots. It meant you lived somewhere long enough to develop the local speak. I didn’t have the luxury of staying in one place during early formative years, and I think that is why one’s accent appeals to me and why I pay close attention to every accent I come in contact with envy. Continue reading →