Whether English is your first language or you’re multilingual, proper English pronunciation presents challenges for everyone. There are a variety of factors ranging from where you live to what your native language is that can result in varying degrees of accented speech. Everyone has their own accent, as no one is truly “accent-less;” however some people may have difficulty communicating because of their accent and others may be stereotyped based on their regional dialect. Communication problems may have negative effects on job performance, educational advancement and everyday life activities. For these reasons, many people are seeking the help of Speech-Language Pathologists to modify or reduce non-native accents.
With hard work, practice and help of ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologists, speakers can achieve accent reduction to help improve self-esteem and help break out of regional diction stereotypes.
While the United States doesn’t have a concrete “standard” accent, a form of speech known to linguists as General American is perceived by most Americans to be “accent-less” is taught to help people who can learn to speak in such a manner, to not appear to be from anywhere specific and to communicate more clearly. Known as the “newscaster accent” or “television English,” General American is seen as the most professional and easy to understand with little to no negative stereotypes.
Speech-Language Pathologists can help both natural-born citizens and people learning English as a second language how to speak with a General American accent confidently, overcoming problems with pronunciation that many speakers trying to learn General American on their own tend to face.
The five areas that seem to cause the most problems with English pronunciation are:
· Intonation
· Stress
· Thought groups
· Linking
· Working with vowels/consonants
Some of these problems may be due to not knowing where to place emphasis on intent and emotional words, while others may have trouble grasping the idea of stress and the role it has in English. To help listeners follow a speaker’s train of thought, thought groups and linking are important to help make the main points of interest clear. The last main problem that tends to require more effort from non-native English speakers are vowels and consonants. Since English isn’t a phonetic language and is based on sounds instead of spelling, there can often be problems pronouncing words correctly since sounds in English (“th” for example) don’t exist in other languages.
To test if you currently speak General American or not, try these examples out. With General American, the words “cot” and “caught” should be pronounced to sound the same, and with the words “collar” and “caller.” The words “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry” should all sound slightly different and “bag” shouldn’t rhyme with “vague.”
Do you have confidence in your American English accent, or is there room for improvement? How to improve your accent in English? Sign up for the 7-Day Free Trial from Pronunciation Pro.
