Introduction

“The Native Ear”: Accented Testimonial Desire and Asylum

“…LADO enters into this frame as a "technology of suspicion. " 46 As one LADO practitioner argues, "The forensic context of LADO implies that we may be dealing with less than fully cooperative speakers, who may be hiding knowledge of a language, presenting a second language as their first language, or adding speech features that do not belong in their natural speech variety. " 47 Similarly, the task of LADO, as exemplified in the court case described above, is to distinguish between natural speech features and those that are "put on, " which reveals how the testimonial content of people seeking asylum is generally not trusted.…”

Thinking with an Accent: Toward a New Object, Method, and Practice

“…The human voice box is an instrument unlike any other, and one that can unlock an entire world of opportunities for those who wish to master it. 46 While Yao should certainly feel proud of his achievements, the final statement that the voice box can be mastered is problematic. Even if we accept the assertion that accent is a trainable instrument, this does not escape the fact that manipulating an accent is constrained by an audience.…”

“…And while this isn't my central concern in this chapter, we could use that same logic to examine how disability-affected voices like Kasnitz's that manifest expressive or receptive impairments (such as strange, mechanical, proxy, confused, signing, slow, or Deaf voices) can, in the interface with their linguistic environment, become accented. 46 Deafness is often perceived as audible or visible evidence of cultural otherness. In an ethnographic study on crip humor, Thomas, a hearingimpaired college professor who reads lips and uses a hearing aid, reports that he responds "Deafmark" when hearing people who inquire about the origin of his accent but are unsatisfied with his answer (Wisconsin) ask again, "I mean what country are you originally from?"…”

“…Such exchanges embrace linguistic "accents" and invoke digital everyday tactics of solidarity, place making, and survival. 46…”

“…45 If, as scholars of the Indian call center have argued, the object of call center accent neutralization was once the development of a placeless (and thus global) voice, the "skin tones" of audible Americanness have reasserted themselves as the primary sign of globality. 46 The chapters seek to understand this movement in relation to a corresponding dynamic between "world" and "global" literary paradigms, which are being mediated by the United States as the producer and representative of the dominant ideology of globality and cosmopolitan literary style. How might the Americanization of global communications technologies and service infrastructures relate to the internationalization of American literary studies?…”