Over the years, a few students have asked me how to improve their accent while speaking English. Mostly I just told them to listen to dialogue on videos and podcasts and try to copy what they hear. However, I also told them that having a British or American accent is not important at all.
Before I go into this topic in more detail, we should differentiate between “accent” and “pronunciation.” Pronunciation is simply how your mouth moves to formulate words. Accent is a type of pronunciation that is determined geographically. In other words, if you are French, you tend to speak English (and other languages that are foreign to you) in a certain way. In addition, the way you speak your own language differs from the way other people speak that language.
So, to “improve” your accent is to try to sound like you are from a specific region of an English-speaking country. This leads to the question: why bother? Is it that important? And the answer to that is NO! It would only be important if you wanted to be a spy in a foreign country.
In my opinion, accented English is very pleasant to listen to. Also, I like variety. I once had a student who was from an Arabic country. He had a difficulty that most Arabs have when speaking English: He couldn’t pronounce P at the beginning of a word. It reminded me of a joke about an Arab driving in London. He saw a policeman and asked, “Can I bark here?” The policeman replied, “You can bark wherever you like, sir.” I told the student not to worry about this, and that it was nice to hear. He then offered me a cookie. I said, “Yes blease.” – we both laughed.
I would hate it if we all spoke English in the same way. Be proud of your accent. It’s part of your identity. It’s who you are. In my life, I have only met a handful of non-British people who spoke English as a foreign language in a perfect British accent.
Furthermore, in this era of globalization, we are used to hearing English spoken with different accents, so much so that it doesn’t matter any more, and most accents are understandable enough. Besides, if you are an English language learner, there are more important things to worry about.
You should be more concerned about whether you are understandable. I have met a few people (some of them British) whose accents I’ve found very difficult to understand. I don’t know if they ever made an effort to change their pronunciation. So if people find it difficult to comprehend you, then maybe you should try to improve the sounds of your vowels – just to avoid confusion. But if people generally understand you, don’t spend hours trying to perfect something that you most likely never will – you might always sound like a foreigner.
My Turkish students often tell me that they come to work by sheep – at least that’s how it sounds. Of course, because I know they are talking about normal modes of transport, I know that they come to school by ship. However, I like to make them laugh with a pantomime of me on a sheep trying to cross the water. However, because I understand them, it doesn’t matter that they can’t say it perfectly.
Also, Turks call me “Beri” because the A sound in Barry (UK pronunciation) doesn’t exist in Turkish. But it’s not a problem for me. In fact, Russians say my name in a different way, as do French people. And when someone in Turkey asks my name, I say “Beri.” Once I even accidentally wrote “Beri” on a medical form in a Turkish hospital.
Sometimes, you are going to say something in English with your accent that sounds like another English word, and that may cause confusion. So just make an effort with that word.
If you speak clearly, you will be understood. And that is what communication is all about.
So be proud of who you are and where you come from. That’s what make you interesting!
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