Speak Global English Video Series
Part 5 of 22:
Your accent isn’t your problem.
When new clients come to me, one of the first things they say is, “I want to get rid of my accent.” My answer is always the same: “Why on earth would you want to do that.”
There is a common misperception that accents are what stand in the way of clear communication. I just don’t agree.
Your accent is a HUGE part of who you are. Every time you open your mouth, you speak volumes about your culture, your heritage, your upbringing — everything that is you. To change your accent is to change who you are.
Does this then mean that you don’t need to pay attention to how you speak? Absolutely not.
We all need to speak as clearly as possible, regardless of our accents. There are plenty of Americans who can hardly be understood in international settings, and there are many Singaporeans, for example, who speak beautifully clear international English, and yet you will know immediately that they are Singaporean.
And what exactly is wrong with that?
Stop blaming miscommunications on your accent and start focusing on the clarity of your speech.
And don’t worry, in the segments to come I’ll be sharing with you exactly how you can add clarity to your speech so you can be understood by everyone, everywhere, every time.
If you’d like more people in your company to start speaking clear, Global English, visit:
http://bit.ly/free8-partproncourse
http://facebook.com/globalspeechacademy
http://facebook.com/englishpronunciationlab
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Take Responsibility for Your Communication – Part 4
Accents can be a problem unfortunately in the USA, foreigners, especially
Mexicans, are frowned down upon generally. It shuts down opportunities for
many who have a lot to offer but are held back by their stereotype. I speak
from bloody experience.
Unfortunately, this is very true. I hope I can do my small part to help non-native speakers speak with greater clarity, as well as help native speakers have greater understanding and patience.
aww 🙁 dont let them get you down, they are not worth it, there are mean and ignorant people everywhere, i like filipinos btw >.<
Accent is not a problem, no. But pronunciation is a problem for speaking as
well as comprehension. Accent and pronunciation are different. You can have
a strong accent and still be understood but mispronouncing will make you
incoherent. Likewise with listening. If you only learn English from reading
you’ll never understand spoken English.
There are plenty of good reasons for ridding yourself of your accent. Your
accent is a product of those around you from the past. This doesn’t mean
that it reflects who you want to be today. Not everyone likes where they
grew up and they want to explore new places. To fit into these new places,
you would want to change your accent. If I moved to another country I would
want to change my accent to appeal to the people there. For example, I have
a slight southern accent right now from my early childhood that I despise.
I am working on fixing it. People don’t like accents. People like people
that speak like they do.
Your stance, while a politically correct one, falls apart in the wake of
reality. People judge other people and a lot can be said about your accent.