ABSTRACT
During the 2011 Emmy Awards ceremony, in a sort of derisive twist, Colombian actress Sofia Vergara and eternal heartthrob Rob Lowe presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy to plus-sized comedienne Melissa McCarthy. Rosina Lippi-Green judiciously explains how standard language and non-accent are both “socially-constructed” abstractions and myths. In order to convey to the audience a sense of the difficulties implicit in daily experience speaking a language learned later in life, Sofia Margarita Vergara makes good use of her arsenal of strategies. The relationship between comediennes has evolved so much that, during a recent Halloween show, Ellen dressed as Vergara with a fat suit and a shiny dress with a slit over her derriere, leaving a hilarious G-string visible. Vergara’s accent is even a source of humor in the introduction to her son’s online series, Mi vida con Toty, broadcast by the Nuevon channel on YouTube.
