Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com.

Dear Prudie,

Your reply to " Extreme Privacy, Please"regarding his distress over his accent was insufficient, in that you more or less dismissed his concern. His concern is real: In too much of today's America it does not pay to be perceived as a foreigner--and the single biggest giveaway is an accent.

What should our young friend do? For one thing, recognize that he came to the United States past puberty--when a young man's voice changes, so do his chances for assuming a "native" accent. But all is not lost! Our friend should buy a set of blank videotapes and set his VCR for one or more of the Sunday talk shows. Why? Because all the Sunday shows offer transcripts (typically from Burrelle's of Livingston, N.J.), so he can have a tape of the show as well as the exact transcript of what each person is saying.

Our young friend should select a particular accent he wishes to emulate. (I think Tim Russert of Meet the Press has notably round, melodious tones.) Then read the transcript and repeat the statement into a tape recorder. Repeat again and again until the recording sounds exactly like Tim Russert in tone, inflection, and cadence.

Does this work? Yes. I learned the technique from a friend in Tokyo who is routinely mistaken for a native speaker (on the telephone). It is how I learned to speak Japanese fluently at the age of 35.

Sign me,

--Cheering Him On

Dear Cheer,

What a fascinating and generous letter. Prudie must confess that your advice is a tad more constructive than her own. And you have made other people happy, as well. For one, the charming Mr. Wagner who owns Burrelle's and also the astute Mr. Russert of the round, melodious tones.