Accents (in English)
By Dayne Collins
Writing this article is a calculated risk, I may become unpopular in the EC universe, lose a few readers, and receive some disapproving comments. I am aware that a lot of learners who read my content are borderline obsessed with mastering a particular accent. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to discourage anyone from achieving their desired accent, I just want to share my opinion on accent acquisition in ESL English education.
Perhaps your native language is a tonal language, and there are many. Words in a tonal language are pronounced with specific tones and accents generally dictated in writing. When learning a tonal language, mastering the appropriate accent is an integral part of becoming fluent in the language. However, this is not the case when learning English. English is a non-tonal language, and perhaps that is why there are so many different native English speaking accents around the world.
If you are concerned about your accent effecting your ability to master the English language, then relax. You may think your accent is stopping you from speaking clearly, however, that is not the case. The problem may be simple, perhaps you need to work on your timing and rhythm, especially if your native language is syllable timed. English is a stress timed language, this means certain syllables are stressed. The stressed syllables are usually pronounced longer, clearer, and articulated. Unstressed syllables are weakened, or softened, they sometimes seem to disappear entirely, or join to the next word (connected speech) and thus we have rhythm. Similar to syllable stress, we have sentence stress. This is when certain words in a sentence are spoken louder, and clearer. This is also related to the timing of English, but sentence stress can be manipulated to change the entire meaning of a sentence, native speakers will recognise this instantly. Sentence stress is also closely affiliated with the intonation. Intonation is the rise and fall of the English language. All of these factors, as well as correct pronunciation rely on each other to create the English language as we know it today.
You see, accent training doesn’t really have a place in English language education as a single skill. Accents may be acquired over time, based on those you communicate with every day. Work on the pronunciation of the sounds you struggle with most, master rhythm and intonation, then discover the almost natural next step of connected speech. If you work on this, I promise you will quickly realise how natural, clear, and fluent you are able to speak. You will be speaking English with absolute clarity and confidence.
Good luck to you.
Comments
Julie Thompson, I beg to differ. It seems I didn't describe it well enough at all.
What is an accent? An accent isn't a lone skill. It's the product of combining some very important factors. The three most important of these factors are:
- Pronunciation (the sounds)
- Rhythm (Stress timed rhythm)
- Intonation (which cannot exist in English without the other two)
I'm merely encouraging learners, who are concerned about their accent, to focus on these 3 key skills. They are, after all, the key ingredients in an English speaking accent. As English is non-tonal and relies heavily on a stress timed rhythm, I'm instantly wary of anyone who claims to teach an accent in English as purely a pronunciation skill.
I appreciate your comment Nonetheless. However, I would appreciate it if you didn't freeboot my blog post in order to promote your business.
Dayne, you describe it pretty well but I personally think despite of accent having not any direct relation with English language skills, but to communicate in English, especially in a professional or formal environment, it is a must. For almost every job you apply, they expect applicants to must have good communication skills. You can't just give a presentation in English with a poor accent in front of your Boss or clients, it would leave a very bad impression of you on them. If students need any coursework expert, feel free to contact.
Daniel & Al Imran Thanks for the comments. Please don't get me wrong though. Intonation and rhythm & intonation are all related to, and form an accent. And I'm not trying to discourage anyone from picking a target accent. But just be aware that there's more important aspects involved.
Daniel, you are not alone! Most of us suffer from this when speaking or learning our second language. Its different for everyone though and usually relates to the common and/or unfamiliar phonemes relating to their first language. It might sound strange but use a phonetic diagram and try to get comfortable with how making the sound feels when done correctly, rather than the sound itself.
Dayne you really described me when talking in English. Sometimes a few sounds are harder to pronounce. It feels that tricky sounds disturbs all the other ones I've already know how to pronounce correctly. Is it true? Can difficult sounds disturb all the speech of everyone?
Informative blog indeed. Accent is really something similar to acting. Thanks for clearing
Robbie, thank you. I really appreciate the feedback!
Very well written blog, Teacher Dayne! I totally agree with you. Some English learners tend to pressure themselves to acquire a desirable accent due to other people who are being judgemental instead of being supportive. They may focus on improving their vocabulary and grammar so they could express themselves naturally. Thank you so much for sharing your blog! It's pleasurable to read a teacher's perspective about English learning and its components such as accents and pronunciation.
setareh, you're right.
But I guess what I'm trying to say is, accent acquisition isn't as important in a non-tonal language, and it is in a tonal language. You can be much more flexible with your accent in a non-tonal language like English. Other aspects of accent such as rhythm and intonation are very important in English though.
Thanks for your comment :)
I read an article that after 15 or 16 years old it's somehow hard to obtain the exact accent in other languages. But I think everything is possible with hard work.
Thanks form the feedback halima
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