Imitation and accent switching

In the UK the popular Indian and Jamaican accents are often imitated. The same may be true for Spanish-accented and African-accented English in the United States, or the Italian accent and its associations. In Western societies, foreign accents can be a source of great curiosity. Imitation in some senses, for example imitating an Indian accent, may be perceived as racist, while imitation of a Jamaican accent by a youth might be more acceptable. People of African and Caribbean ancestry who are native to the West often switch between accents to create emphasis, for example to quote a famous proverb they might switch to a local tone to give it stress, or they may use their heritage accent for verbal abuse. This is also a form of social identification, cultural rootedness and authenticity.