The Trump-Modi press conference and the Unspoken Hierarchy of English Accents

By Muhammad Andrean Syahsurya

U.S President Donald Trump hosted a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Friday, February 14. During the press conference, Donald Trump used a translator to translate English into English. A reporter with Indian accent asked Trump in English about the US’ role in Bangladesh regime change during the Biden administration. Earlier during a press conference with Modi on Thursday, February 13, he also dismissed another reporter’s question in English due to his accent. In language studies, this phenomenon can be analyzed from a sociolinguistics perspective, which examines the relations between language and society, including how accents, dialects, and communication styles affect interactions. Here’s a breakdown of the key sociolinguistics factors involved in that phenomenon

Accent and Intelligibility

The Indian reporter was delivering his questions in English but with a distinct Indian English Accent, which differs from American English in pronunciation, intonations, and rhythm. Trump, as a native speaker of American English, may have not been exposed enough to Indian English accents, leading to a comprehension barrier. Phonological differences (e.g., the pronunciations of /t/ and /d/ or vowel sounds, or stress patterns) can make it difficult for speakers of different English varieties to understand each other, even when speaking the same language.

Power Dynamics in Global English

English is a global lingua franca, but its dominant varieties (American, British) often hold more prestige than others (Indian, Nigerian etc.). Trump’s reactions could reflect an unconscious bias where a non-native or non-Western accents are seen as “less legitimate”, even when perfectly grammatical. This links to linguistics imperialism–idea that certain English varieties are privileged over other due to historical and political power structures.

Lack of Convergence (Listener’s failure to Accommodate)

Convergence occurs when a speaker or a listener adjust their speech to facilitate understanding. In this case, Trump (The Listener) did not try to linguistically accommodate the Indian journalist accent. Instead of asking for clarification politely, he bluntly stated, “I can’t understand a word he’s saying,” which signals non-accommodation. This reflects a power dynamic where the dominant speaker (a Native-English speaking U.S. President) expects others to adjust his linguistics norms rather than making him an effort himself.

Conclusion

From a sociolinguistics standpoint, Trump’s difficulty in understanding the Indian journalist highlighted deeper issues of linguistics hierarchy and the need for the greater awareness of Global English Diversity.