In countries where I’ve spent some time–the U.S., Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam–an American (Yankee) accent is usually admired. If not admired, it is at least considered the standard accent for the English language mostly because of the wide distribution of Hollywood movies and American TV shows.

In some European countries, however, an American accent is becoming a liability especially for people working in government. A person speaking with an American accent is sometimes assumed to side with the Bush administration or on the side of Americans in general.

Thomas Fuller of the International Herald Tribune reports:

They make up a tiny portion of the thousands of civil servants, diplomats and politicians who work in Brussels, but the fact that they report increasing levels of suspicion toward their accents seems to signal that the malaise between Americans and Europeans has gone personal.

…does the stigma of the American accent in Brussels and other places in Europe have consequences larger than just awkward moments and hostile looks?

“When you speak with an American accent there is a certain assumption,” Ann Mettler, the executive director of the Lisbon Council, said. “It’s not well looked upon.”

Blatant discrimination based on race and religion is considered politically incorrect. But, prejudice against seemingly benign attributes like accents is coming to the fore. There’s just no stopping human nature.

(My previous post about accents.)