‘Accent Reduction’ 101, or How to Speak American
Travel Blog • Terry Ward • 06.06.07 | 12:24 PM ET
If this test is any indication, I have a neutral American accent. And further confirmation that my intonation is fairly middle-of-the-road comes when I travel abroad and locals tell me they find my particular version of American English easy to understand. My boyfriend’s experiences, however, have been different. During our recent stint in France, Chris, who is Florida born and bred, had a hard time making himself understood to the French people we encountered who spoke decent English.
In a similar way, many foreign-born people in the U.S. find that their acquired American accent doesn’t communicate with the locals quite as effectively as they’d like. According to an International Herald Tribune story by Michael T. Luongo, they’re doing something about it—turning to “accent reduction” classes (in the form of live video sessions and face-to-face instruction) in order to more effectively communicate with American co-workers and friends.
That term “accent reduction” is deceiving, the article explains. New York City-based accent coach Jennifer Pawlitschek says, “Accent reduction is learning an accent. It is learning an American accent.”
Pawlitschek says she teaches her clients to change the actual posture of their mouths when speaking. She also works on stresses and intonation.
I hope that since her clients are essentially learning a new American accent, they’ll still be able to bust out their original one, too. After all, zee French accent employed at precisely zee right moment still manages to work wonders on zis American girl.
Photo by powerbooktrance via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
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Terry Ward is a Florida-based writer and a long-time contributor to World Hum.
