The Çorum Dialect: How We Speak, Who We Are and the Shame of an Accent

Is the Çorum dialect just an accent? Explore how speech shapes belonging, feeling ashamed of an accent in big cities and the psychology of code-switching.

A young person who has won a university place and moved to a big city notices a faint ripple of laughter from the class the first time they speak up in a lecture. Perhaps no one means any harm; but from that moment on, the young person begins to think twice before speaking. They choose their words, correct their stresses, and swallow the sentences they used to say freely back home. When the same young person returns home for the holidays, they are met with a different question: "What's this — have you turned into a city kid?" The Çorum dialect, the way of speaking particular to Çorum, is not a subject of interest only to linguists; it is an experience intertwined with identity, belonging and sometimes shame. In this article I will look at how our way of speaking relates to who we are, the shame and anxiety experienced because of an accent, and the psychology of moving back and forth between two ways of speaking.

What Do We Know About the Çorum Dialect?

The Çorum dialect is a way of speaking studied by linguists as one of the Anatolian dialects of Turkish. An important local work on this subject is the "Illustrated and Attested Dictionary of the Çorum Dialect" (Örnekli Tanıklı Çorum Ağzı Sözlüğü) published by Çorum Municipality. The third edition of the dictionary runs to 435 pages, which shows how comprehensive the effort to record a city's way of speaking can be.

Academic work in this field is continuing as well. A thesis prepared at Hitit University in 2025 compares the dialects of Çorum, Çankırı and Amasya in terms of phonology. Earlier, in 2013, a study was carried out at Kırıkkale University on the dialect of a village in the Mecitözü district. These studies remind us that the Çorum dialect shares similarities with neighbouring provinces while also varying from district to district, and even from village to village.

The limits of this data should be stated: I could not find any research measuring how people from Çorum feel about their own way of speaking, or how often they have negative experiences in big cities because of their accent. The interpretations below are therefore based on general psychological knowledge about accent and identity and on observation; they do not offer a measurement specific to Çorum. In addition, I will not give examples of the grammatical features of the Çorum dialect in this article; this is not my area of expertise, and unsourced examples could be misleading.

A Sociological Reading: Why Is an Accent a Marker of Identity?

The way we speak is one of the fastest giveaways of where we come from. In their very first sentence, a person reveals which region they are from, and sometimes which generation. This is why an accent can become both a marker of belonging and a label by which others categorise a person.

Possible factors that affect the place of an accent in identity include:

• Standard language and the media: Television, schools and official institutions promote a particular way of speaking as "standard". This can lead to other ways of speaking being perceived as "wrong" or "deficient"; yet from a linguistic point of view, dialects are natural and rich variations of a language.
• Migration and urbanisation: People who move to big cities may feel pressure to change the way they speak in order to fit in with their new surroundings.
• Humour and stereotypes: The frequent association of regional dialects with comic characters in TV series and sketches can reinforce stereotypes about these ways of speaking.
• Change between generations: Young people are exposed more to the standard language through school and social media. This leads to grandmother and grandchild speaking differently within the same family.
• Local pride: On the other hand, dictionary projects, academic interest in the local dialect and the city's embracing of its own culture also support a positive sense of ownership of the accent.

Sensitivity about one's way of speaking is not experienced only in big cities. Within their own province, too, a young person moving from a village to a district town, or from a district to the provincial centre, may encounter labels such as "villager" or "provincial" because of the way they speak. The fact that the Çorum dialect can vary from district to district suggests that such small-scale divisions can also occur. This reminds us that anxiety about accent can arise not only between "the big city and home" but also between different corners of the same home region.

These factors show that the experience of having an accent has both a social and a personal dimension. The same way of speaking that signals warmth and closeness at home can turn into a fear of exclusion in another setting.

The Çorum Dialect and the Feeling of Shame: A Psychological Reading

Shame is the feeling "I won't be accepted as I am." Unlike guilt, it concerns not an action one has taken but the person themselves. Because the way someone speaks is so close to their identity, being mocked or corrected because of an accent can be perceived as a direct criticism of the self.

Experiences related to accent can leave psychological effects in several different ways:

Social anxiety: A person may feel intense anxiety before speaking about how they will sound. They may avoid speaking up in class, talking in a job interview or meeting new people. Over time this avoidance can turn into widespread social anxiety. I discussed this in more detail in my article on social phobia.

Self-censorship: The person constantly monitors their own speech. This monitoring shifts their attention from the content of what they are saying to the way they are saying it; the person becomes exhausted from thinking not about what they are saying but how.

Conflict with one's origins: Some people, after changing their accent, feel a kind of guilt or estrangement when they return home. The feeling "I have drifted away from my own people" can lead to belonging being questioned in two places at once.

Internalised stigma: A person who has faced negative reactions for a long time may internalise them and begin to see their own way of speaking as genuinely "defective". This can damage their self-worth more broadly.

Let us say a young woman working at a bank in a big city has learned to hide her accent completely when talking to customers. But when she speaks to her mother on the phone, she moves away from her colleagues; because she cannot talk to her mother any other way, and she is wary of being overheard. This small escape is in fact a sign of being caught between two worlds.

This experience is also related to age. Adolescence and young adulthood are the periods in which the need for acceptance by peers is at its most intense. Being mocked at these ages can leave a much deeper mark than a similar experience later in life. Because the first year of university is a period in which a new city, new friends and the search for a new identity are intertwined, anxiety about one's accent can become particularly pronounced at this time.

On the other hand, the same experience can turn into a strength over time. Many people come, over the years, to embrace the way of speaking they were initially ashamed of, and to see it as a valuable part of their own story. Saying a sentence in the dialect of home becomes a way of recognising a fellow townsperson in a crowded city and instantly feeling close to them.

The way a person speaks is the sound of the home they grew up in; being ashamed of that sound often means hiding a part of ourselves.

Code-Switching: Adaptation or Losing Yourself?

In linguistics and psychology, code-switching is defined as a person moving between different ways of speaking depending on the setting. Many people from Çorum speak close to the standard language at work and in their home dialect with their family. This is not a problem in itself; in fact it is a flexible and sophisticated social skill.

Whether code-switching is healthy or burdensome depends on how it is experienced:

Healthy code-switching:

• if the person experiences speaking differently in different settings as a choice,
• if they see both ways of speaking as part of themselves,
• if they are not ashamed of speaking in their home dialect and find it warm and valuable.

Burdensome code-switching:

• if the person constantly hides their accent out of fear,
• if they avoid certain settings in case their way of speaking "gives them away",
• if they limit their relationship with their family or hometown because of shame,
• if the constant state of self-monitoring creates fatigue and anxiety.

The aim here is not to tell anyone "You should keep your accent" or "You should change your accent". The aim is for the person to be able to make this decision out of their own wishes rather than out of fear and shame.

Suggestions for Making Peace With Your Accent

Some practical suggestions for building a healthy relationship with the way you speak:

1. Remember that an accent is not a flaw. For linguists, local dialects are valuable variations of a language that deserve to be preserved. A way of speaking recorded in a comprehensive dictionary and in academic theses is a heritage to be curious about, not ashamed of.
2. Don't take reactions personally. Someone laughing at your accent usually reveals their habits or stereotypes, not your worth.
3. Learn to set boundaries. If constant imitation or mockery bothers you, you have every right to say so calmly: "These jokes make me uncomfortable."
4. Create safe spaces. Settings where you can speak freely with people from your hometown, or with friends who accept you as you are, help you regain your footing.
5. Notice avoidance. If you avoid speaking in classes, meetings or social settings because of anxiety about your accent, try to reduce this avoidance in small steps. Avoidance brings relief in the short term but makes anxiety grow in the long term.
6. Keep your way of speaking with your family. Even if you speak close to the standard language at work, speaking in your own dialect with your family keeps your bond with your roots alive.
7. For parents: When correcting your child's way of speaking, do not use language that makes them feel ashamed. Learning the standard language at school is important; but speaking in the family dialect at home is also part of their identity.

I also discussed the adjustment difficulties that come with moving to a new city in my article on moving to a new city.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

Feeling uneasy now and then because of the way you speak is normal. However, it may be helpful to talk to a professional in the following situations:

• if you constantly avoid attending classes, meetings or social settings because of anxiety about speaking,
• if you experience intense symptoms of anxiety such as palpitations, sweating or trembling before or while speaking,
• if experiences of mockery or exclusion because of your accent have clearly shaken your self-confidence,
• if you notice that you have distanced yourself from your family or hometown because of shame,
• if this situation is negatively affecting your performance at school or work.

These signs do not on their own amount to a diagnosis; but they show that the difficulty you are experiencing is worth talking about.

How Are Speaking Anxiety and Identity Addressed in Therapy?

Shame and anxiety related to accent are addressed in therapy in terms of both anxiety and identity. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the approaches whose effectiveness in addressing social anxiety is supported by research. In this approach, automatic thoughts such as "If I speak, everyone will laugh at me" or "I won't be taken seriously because of my accent" are identified and evaluated alongside the evidence.

Gradually facing avoided situations step by step helps a person's anxiety decrease over time. For example, graded goals can be set, such as speaking up first in a small group and then in larger settings. Work aimed at reducing self-focused attention also plays an important role in social anxiety. If anxiety symptoms are intense, psychological support in the area of anxiety and panic may be helpful.

On the identity side, the person's feelings about their roots and their way of speaking, the source of the shame and self-acceptance are explored. The aim is for the person to develop an identity that is at peace with both their hometown and their new life.

In some people, the shame experienced because of an accent is linked to an older and deeper feeling of "inadequacy". A schema therapy perspective helps us understand how early patterns of this kind colour present-day experiences. When a person realises that their shame is fed not only by their current surroundings but also by a perspective they learned in the past, they can develop a more compassionate attitude towards themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any sources on the Çorum dialect?

Yes. The third edition of the "Illustrated and Attested Dictionary of the Çorum Dialect", published by Çorum Municipality, runs to 435 pages. In addition, a thesis comparing the dialects of Çorum, Çankırı and Amasya was prepared at Hitit University in 2025.

Should I change my accent?

This is entirely your decision. Speaking differently in different settings is a natural social skill. What matters is that you make this decision out of your own wishes rather than out of fear or shame. Neither keeping nor changing your accent means losing your identity.

Is hesitating to speak because of my accent a sign of social phobia?

Not all shyness is social phobia. However, if speaking anxiety is intense, leads you to avoid many settings and clearly affects your daily life, it may be helpful to have it assessed by a professional. A diagnosis can only be made through professional assessment.

My child is being mocked at school for their accent — what should I do?

First, listen to your child and tell them that what they are feeling is understandable. Remind them that the way they speak is not a flaw but part of their family and hometown. If the mockery has become persistent, it is important to work together with their teacher.

• #dialect
• #accent
• #belonging
• #shame
• #Çorum

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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