There’s this woman I work with who seems to have her accent change randomly.

Some days she sounds like a typical American accent, then others she sounds like she has a Caribbean accent and others she sounds like she has a French accent, and others she sounds like she has an Arabic accent. Other days her voice is super messed up, like she’s been screaming.

Beyond her voice changing, she is an odd person to work with. She’s gotten into public, loud vocal spats with other coworkers even in meetings. She was very nice and sweet with me when I first had to interact with her but that all changed when I made an honest mistake one time and she went off on me and wouldn’t stop until I ignored her and now I just keep my distance unless I have to. Others have said similar things about her as well.

I’ve wondered if maybe she has a personality disorder, but I would think that would also cause her to not do her job correctly?

I don’t know, I’m just curious. This is something I’ve never experienced before and wondering what this could be.

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
    111·
    2 months ago

    Is she, or her family, Muslim French-Caribbean? Many locales in the Caribbean were historically controlled by the French for some time. Many Caribbeans moved to the US, and many would have settled into, broadly, black communities. Many black people in the US converted to Islam.

    If she fits this description, it’s perfectly reasonable that she has spent much of her life talking to people with American, French, Caribbean, and Arabic accents. It’s also possible that she consumes media where speakers have those accents. As elsewhere noted, we tend to mimic accents somewhat, especially with consistent exposure.

    It’s perfectly reasonable that, shortly after spending some time around a certain accent, or while discussing a topic predominantly discussed with those of a certain accent, she may slip into one herself.