Interviewer: Tell me about your accent.

May: Accent do I have? Um, that is a great question. I think many people, um, although they are, they may have been raised up here they may become kind of regional. I don’t know if that makes sense, but for example, I’m down, I live down here in Orange County, or as we call it, the OC. Kind of like the TV show. But it’s not like the TV show at all. People think, “Oh, Orange County! It’s like the OC!” but no, it is so idealized, it’s nothing like that at all, in my personal opinion. Whereas in LA, because as I mentioned I’m Korean, and there’s Korea Town. And in Korea Town, there is a K-Town accent, um, a Korea Town accent. Doesn’t mean that they sound like they are from overseas. It’s just the way they speak, this little accent, the nuance, the slang that they utilize. Um, is there anything wrong with that? No, there’s nothing wrong with that, but for myself personally, I made a conscious effort that I wanted to... if I’m going to speak in English, I want to sound as close to an American as possible. If I’m going to speak Korean, I want to sound as native as possible. Granted, I am more comfortable in English rather than Korean. But I think it was more, again, the whole psychological aspect. I really wanted to sound as native as possible. And I just, it was a personal choice. You know. So, I don't, in regards to which region am I, I actually don’t know. Uh, I guess I just try to be as American as possible, if that makes sense.

Interviewer: I see. So, the accents, are more, you know, more ethnic or racial than, you know, regional in this place because I, because in the same area and many people of different ethnicities live together but, in my few days here, I’ve found that some, say a Hispanic person speaks like a Hispanic person.

May: Right.

Interviewer: You know? So how such kind of differences may have happened, I was wondering, because they are trying to speak that way consciously? I was wondering. What do you think about that?

May: I wonder if maybe perhaps it could also be their ethnic association, if that makes sense. In the sense that some people may choose to speak in that way because that identifies them. For example African-Americans – they speak in a certain way, they have their own language. But that identifies, and I think it’s a representation of perhaps even their pride and being, I’m an African-American, or I am Hispanic, or I am Asian. First on it may be that they are just unable to overcome their accent and they carry it over from their native tongue. Um, but I think for also others, it can be their sort of identity, maybe, perhaps? I don’t know if that makes sense. So, that’s my thing,

Interviewer: How do you describe Los Angeles in one word or phrase?

May: When I think of the OC, the first word that, first two words I guess, that come into my mind is “laid back” Laid back. It’s very laid back, it’s very casual, or many times we all just say that it’s very “caj”, for short. It’s caj, it’s laid back, just relaxed in comparison to LA. LA is fast-paced, just busy, um, just too many people. So in comparison, Orange County is also open. It’s um, and I don’t mean in terms of thinking but just even the layout. It’s a lot more open, it’s freer, it’s wider, laid back, casual. And we also say the people are just “chill”. When we say chill, we mean, just laid back, relaxed, taking it easy. So it’s very chill in the OC. Or in LA, you have to be on edge. You have to be on edge, um, you have to take life on the fast lane, and, yeah.

Interviewer: Laid back. Hmm. Laid back is a very difficult concept for Japanese because when I heard the word laid back, and I, I think about the music, you know, the laid back sound and laid back playing style, you know, especially the blues music.

May: Right.

Interviewer: So, is there any connection between the two usages?

May: That is a very good question, and I’ve never thought about that.

Interviewer: Right.

May: I’ve never thought about that. Um, but now that you mention it, it seems like there could be a connection. But I actually have never thought about that. So, but it very well could be.

Interviewer: So, laid back then, in a sense you just mentioned, is rather a new one? Recent one?

May: In terms of the word, is it a new word?

Interviewer: Yeah, yes.

May: Um, I would like to think it is a new word, because if they, if people say it’s an old word, then I’m going to feel very old right now. But I don’t think it’s the newest maybe, but it’s um, it’s something that if you go out to the streets, and if you were to say “laid back”, everybody will understand, unless they are the older generation. They would say, “What does laid back mean?” But the younger generation, if you say, “Life is chill”, if you say life is laid back, um, we will all understand. Yeah.

Interviewer: Hmm. I see. Thank you.

May: Sure.