A girl called Nadia talks differently from most kids at school — a different accent, words from her family's way of speaking, a rhythm that stands out. When she first arrived, some kids imitated it, half-teasing. So Nadia started changing how she spoke. Flattening her accent. Dropping her family's words. Trying to sound like everyone else. It's working — she blends in more now. But you've noticed something. When she calls her family, or gets excited, her real voice slips back out, and then she catches herself and corrects it. She's policing her own voice all day long. She's quieter than she used to be, too. Like making herself sound the same has made her say less.