According to O’Connor (1992), it is important to remember that the way a person speaks is a sign of his origin. Every language in the world has different varieties and different accents. In some languages, there are even different styles of pronunciation for men and women. The way we speak is really a part of our identity. Much the same applies to a foreign accent; to speak English with a foreign accent amounts to a declaration: “I am not English, I am from somewhere else.” People may actually feel, though they are not conscious of it, that there are advantages in being immediately identifiable as a foreigner, because their listeners will be aware of the possibility of misunderstanding and perhaps adjust the way they listen. It has been said that native speakers can actually be suspicious of a too perfect accent that in American and British cultures in particular- correctness of any kind is treated with scorn. Perhaps such feelings are akin to listeners often negative reactions to a foreigner`s use of newly-coined or slang expressions the foreigner is seen as encroaching on private territory. A comparison has been made with a host who sees an uninvited guest making free with his possessions. But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then such reactions, if they do indeed exist, seem difficult to understand. Certainly the reaction of most people when they meet someone whose English is virtually indistinguishable from that of a native speaker is one of admiration and high praise.