Can You *Actually* Change Your Accent?
A huge reason I hear in favor of the idea that you can change your accent is that “actors do it all the time.” I could only find these two videos—Sofia Vergara and Hugh Laurie—but they could be good conversation starters with students.
I based this newsletter and the next one on the book Pronunciation Fundamentals by Derwing and Munro. I really like the book, but it’s pretty dense. If you want to explore their work in a shorter format, Putting Accent In Its Place is my favorite paper of theirs.
How To Teach English Pronunciation Effectively
In the comments, Jack and Claire introduced me to Lingua Franca Core. Jennifer Jenkins made a list of pronunciation recommendations for speakers of Global English. It takes parts of American English, like the rhotic ɻ, but also rejects parts of the American accent, like flapping the /t/ in words like butter. It’s a great guide for which sounds should be chosen when teaching pronunciation of Global English.
The Ethics of The Accent-Reduction Industry
This video is *great* to start conversations with students about accents. It’s about a woman who became an artist and changed her accent from a Birmingham accent to a more RP one to better fit in the art world. You could ask students what the woman (and probably society) associated with each accent and why she felt the need to change it. You can also extend the conversation to non-linguistic elements she changed, like her dress and mannerisms.
This talk on what hides behind the term native English speaking teacher is one of the best ones I’ve seen. If you’re on Instagram, maybe you follow Kay from Diaspora English. Her page is really informative and this video is from a conference she spoke at.
I learned about a raciolinguistics perspective when Jonathan Rosa spoke at my university. This is part of the lecture he gave. The part of a raciolinguistics perspective I used for the newsletter starts around 15:40. I also highly recommend his book Looking Like a Language, Sounding Like a Race.
Journaling Prompts
If everyone has an accent, why aren’t all accents perceived as accents? What does it mean when someone says, “you don’t even have an accent!”
Do you think you can change the way your accent is perceived by others? Why or why not?
Do you think the accent reduction industry is ethical? In what ways can accent reduction be taught ethically? In what ways (if any) have you seen accent reduction being marketing in an icky way?
Why do you think the accent-reduction industry is a multi-million dollar industry?
What do you think students should know before starting an accent reduction program?
As a teacher, do you find it difficult to teach pronunciation? Why or why not?