There is a Buddhist expression that you cannot
step into the same river twice, which makes
a certain amount of sense since the river changes
from moment to moment, and the river you
first step in is gone even before you step out.
But you can step into the same accent repeatedly
if you tune your ear and listen carefully.
Those who have truly mastered this skill can
tell you at a very local level where an accent
and its speaker are from or were when
language became ingrained in their lives.
It may seem like a parlor trick, and it is good
for that, for breaking the social ice on first
meeting someone for it forges a brief bridge
that invites further crossing by both parties.
And if you couple it with a deep knowledge
of geography, it provides you an insight
into the other person’s life, a picture into
which they might comfortably fit and
into which you can hope to step together.