Whenever I'm in my tiny little Texas hometown, I talk to locals in a subtle but noticeable Central Texas accent. This happens especially when I'm trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about even though I'm completely lost.
For example, today I went to get my tires checked out because I was told when my car was recently inspected that some of them needed replacing. I drove down to a local tire shop and talked to the secretary about getting new tires. She walked out with me and inspected my current setup, asking all kinds of questions about tire sizes which I did not have the slightest idea how to answer. As the conversation progressed and she weighed the pros and cons of big and small tires for me while I stood wide-eyed and nodding like an idiot, I noticed my Burnet accent slowly creeping into my voice in an effort to blend in. My attempts at social camouflage were futile, however. I could tell she could see right through my paltry show of tire knowledge.
Does the trick work? Hard to say. It usually seems to produce the desired effect of masking my ignorance. I figure it can't hurt in any case. Plus, it always happens subconsciously, so I don't feel guilty about hiding behind my drawl.
At least I can give you this warning: if you're ever talking to me and you notice my accent slowly increasing during the course of the conversation, it's probably because we've entered intellectual/linguistic territory in which I feel less than supremely confident.
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