The Way We Talk

"The way we talk, whether it is a life choice or an immutable characteristic, is akin to other attributes of the self that the law protects. In privacy law, due process law, protection against cruel and unusual punishment, and freedom from inquisition, we say the state cannot intruce upon the core of you, cannot take away your sacred places of the self. A citizen's accent, I would argue, resides in one of those places." (Matsuda 1991:1391-2)