I Still Love Dominik Diamond or Radio & Accents

Looking over my blog for the past year, I noticed that I had only one post in March.  It was titled, "I Love Dominik Diamond."  I was busy with a fundraiser (Thank you all who came and donated.), and Mr. Diamond, a relatively new DJ on Q107, my radio station of choice, posted the event info on his blog.  

I listen to Mr. Diamond on evenings coming home from kids' karate or kick boxing.  He's got the evening shift.  Media in Toronto is not like media in the US.  In the US, media personalities are expected to have a non-accent.  It's the unusual person who can make it with a strong accent.  Canada embraces its multiculturalism.  Mr. Diamond has a strong accent.  In fact, it took some getting used to.  Driving, not really paying attention to the radio, I would sometimes miss what he was saying.  It didn't matter.  His accent is part of his off-beat personality.  Not only do I, as a listener, not mind the accent, I really enjoy it.

Accents are interesting.  They make us who we are.  I am a New Yorker.  I definitely say cawfee sometimes.  I do not  say Lawn Guyland, even though I grew up there.  I went to Brandeis University in Massachusetts.  I also say cahfee.  I've been known to drop r's for no reason.  I say aloha (Hawaii).  I say y'all (North Carolina).  I have adopted, through no conscious choice, the South African tomato and banana from a dear friend with whom I spend a lot of time.  The man's name is Charles, but the river in Boston is the Chahles.  I speak a gibberish of English and Hebrew, and cause Sean no end of amusement when interference happens, and I am tongue tied because my mind can't figure out which language it is speaking.  Imagine a sentence that goes like this, "Sean, yesh lanu cawfee u bananas (in the South African accent)?"  It happens.   

So, I love Dominik Diamond.  I love his accent.  It tells me a little about who he is, and whence he comes.

Happy speaking.