It's the accent heard around the world. Dina Lohan opened up about her daughter Lindsay Lohan's surprising accent in an interview with Us Weekly on Saturday, November 5, days after a video of the actress' new manner of speaking made headlines.
"I have raised Lindsay and all my kids to constantly learn different languages and embrace different cultures," Dina, 54, told Us. "Since Lindsay was a kid, she was speaking fluent Italian because my mother is Italian and would only speak to her in Italian. She taught herself how to speak French, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and the list goes on. Lindsay has a very high IQ and is very intelligent and can pick up on any languages in a minute. She has that gift."
"She is overseas now focusing on giving back to kids who have been refugees, who have no place to go, who have no food, who have no clothes to wear or anyone to turn to, and she helps them get everything they need," the momager continued. "She sits down and communicates with each kid no matter what background they have come from or what language they speak because that's her way of communicating to them. She is a worldly person who has so many talents and so much to offer, and that's what makes her so special and so beautiful."
As previously reported, Lindsay's new accent went viral on Tuesday, November 1, after a video of her speaking at the opening of her Greek nightclub last month surfaced online. In the clip, the former child star's native Long Island accent is tinged with British, Turkish and French undertones, among others.
The Mean Girls actress told the Daily Mail that she might sound different than fans are used to because she's been learning a slew of new languages. "I'm fluent in English and French, can understand Russian and am learning Turkish, Italian and Arabic," she told the site on Tuesday.
Dina also told Us that Lindsay has been speaking in accents since she was a child star, most famously in the 1998 film The Parent Trap. "Remember when Lindsay was just a little kid doing The Parent Trap and she was able to rock that British accent because she was so fascinated with the British culture — and still is — and embraced it fully?" Dina told Us. "With that being said, she has always been this way. Nothing has ever changed."
Dina said the actress is focused on her charity work these days, and has been learning languages to better connect with people around the world.
"Right now, we are focusing as a family on giving back and helping people in need," Dina continued. "We do it from our hearts because that's how I was raised and that's how I raised my kids. The world would be a better place if we had more people like Lindsay, who were open enough to learn other peoples' languages in order to communicate with them and help them embrace who they are. Lindsay wants to feel what these kids overseas are saying and going through and not someone else's interpretation of what they are saying, and I think people can learn from her."
Chanel Omari, Lindsay's longtime friend and 106.1 BLI radio personality, echoed similar statements, telling Us: "She is a person with lots of knowledge and prides herself on always learning and getting better … That's how she talks and it's always been that way because she has spent a lot of time abroad."
"She is in a very good place, and I wish there were more individuals like her," Omari continued. "She is an inspiration and is actually able to use her celebrity for a good cause, and that's what life is all about, giving back and being selfless. We can all take a page from her book."
