Why do we sometimes unconsciously imitate other accents?

Video Title: Linguistic Convergence: The Phenomenon That Makes You Unintentionally Mimic Other Accents. Why do we unintentionally mimic other accents? Author: Laura García Author Affiliation: BBC News Mundo Duration: 12 minutes Have you ever tried to imitate an accent, or when talking to someone from a different country, have you found yourself picking up some of their words? We all do it, one way or another, and probably much more than we realize. Your accent, your vocabulary, even the way you construct sentences – all of this can change simply by talking to another person, and it's not magic, it's science. This process of mirroring or imitating when we speak is called linguistic convergence, and it's a completely universal phenomenon. It doesn't matter what our native language is. Even when we speak the same language, each country or region usually has its own variations, so linguistic convergence is part of a set of behaviors known as the "chameleon effect." We imitate gestures, body posture, and the way people speak with whom we interact. It's a way of connecting. In terms of language, we do this on three levels, some more consciously than others. "On the one hand, it's in the accent and the phonetic aspects. On the other hand, we see it in the vocabulary, because we often use words from other languages and incorporate them. Also, in the morphosyntactic part, in the structure of sentences," explains Idanely Mora Peralta, a PhD in linguistics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Scientists believe that this process of mimicry may be related to what are called "mirror neurons," which are activated when we speak or listen to someone. "They activate to allow us to internally rehearse the same action. For example, with a sound we hear, in order to reproduce it later and to become part of the group that produced that sound in the first place," says linguist Zuzana Erdösová. But why do we do it? According to experts, there are several reasons. First, social integration. We all want to feel accepted. This happens, for example, when we migrate to another country. "I am from the Czech Republic, but I lived in Mexico for 15 years. I noticed linguistic convergence most in my intonation," says Erdösová. It's a way of saying "I'm like you." If an Argentinian talks to a Mexican, they will likely try to reduce slang to understand each other better. Otherwise, the conversation may not flow as smoothly. Another reason behind linguistic convergence is to avoid misunderstandings. Finally, convergence is also a cognitive consequence of language comprehension: when we hear someone speak, we store those sounds in our memory, and then those sounds come out in our own speech. Although we try to imitate accents and ways of speaking, it is true that not everyone can do it equally well. To begin with, it's important to consider the personality and the ease with which each individual learns languages. It's also a matter of having a good ear and how our brain is able to first process and then distinguish the linguistic differences between one place and another, in order to then reproduce them. Click here to read more stories from BBC News Mundo. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.