A snappy retort might solve problem

Dear Diane: I am a bilingual woman. I came to America from the island of Puerto Rico after I graduated high school. As I’ve gotten older, my accent has become more pronounced.

It also seems that as I’ve gotten older, every day I come across at least one person who will interrupt me and say, “You have an accent. Where are you from?”

Personally, I think it is rude for people to make that kind of remark. I’ve even had other people with accents ask me where I’m from. What business is it of theirs?

Please, Diane, help me deal with these people. It really gets on my nerves.

— Lady with an Accent

Dear Lady: It’s too bad you aren’t from London, because if you were, whenever someone commented on your accent, you could reply, “This isn’t an accent. This is what English sounds like when it’s spoken properly.”

But, since you hail from another island, we have to come up with a zippy retort for you. And you need something humorous or witty to come back with, because you don’t want to show the person how annoyed you are at them. That would be rude, too, because the person asking about your accent is trying to be nice, trying to make conversation, trying to get to know you. The problem is, they’re asking the wrong question of you.

How’s about this: Whenever you’re asked, “Where are you from?” just reply, “Oh, I’m from (state the name of your neighborhood). What kind of accents do they have where you live?”

If the questioner doesn’t get the hint, just resign yourself to answering the question like you always have. Or give them the name of a non-existent country. The best way to stop being annoyed at something is to make a joke out of it.