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Why you should love your accent!
Welcome to1%Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time. There is a general belief among non-native speakers of any language that accent is important: I need to sound like a native; I want to sound English/American; I want to speak like ______. We have to stop this thinking! Accents are beautiful. They tell part of our story. They should be celebrated, not laughed at. The problem is we have been trained to notice anything that is different. We are quick to identify someone who dresses distinctly, or someone whose hairstyle is radical, or someone who speaks with a different accent to the one of the area. This even happens when people who share the same mother-tongue are encountered with a speaker from a different region (like Andaluz speakers in Madrid) and they say they sound strange or they talk weird. Why? Because they don't sound like you? We notice accents in others but not in ourselves. You have an accent too. And wouldn't it be boring if we all sounded the same? The other problem often associated with accents is that people say they don't understand someone whose accent is different. This is often the fault of the listener. Communication is like a marriage, if there is a lack cooperation then it will fail. The listener also has a huge part to play in a conversation. It is the job of the listener to be open to different accents and to process them. Too often people say "what?" or "I don't understand" without really trying to comprehend the speaker. We have an expectation that in Madrid everyone will speak with a perfect Spanish accent, but we should be open to variety. This is also true for an English native who encounters a non-native- it is our job to process the accent and to understand the speaker, because communication is a team sport, and it requires all players to make an effort. So what can a non-native speaker do to be understood better? Focus on the rhythm and intonation of the language and try to pronounce words correctly. That is in our power. Changing our accent is something that is neither possible nor desirable. You need to celebrate your accent. Be proud of it. Learn to love it and never ever let it stop you from opening your mouth. You just need to start... TIPS
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A CHALLENGE"Do not let your old feelings about your accent stop you from speaking. Never be afraid to speak because of your accent again." You just need to start... AN INSPIRING QUOTE"Accent is the soul of language; it gives to it both feeling and truth." Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Swiss Philosopher. TAKE OUR FREE 2 MINUTE QUIZ TO DISCOVER YOUR SPEAKING LEVEL
If you want to improve your communication in English, book a free call to see how we can help you: https://calendly.com/ben--palmer/30-minute-calls If you want to learn English, you can read the How to (finally) learn English book: https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/books/ Out on Amazon! Find out more about us at https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/ Ben PS: Keep progressing! |
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I help people improve their English in just a few minutes every day so they can improve their job prospects, increase their salary, and so they can communicate like a native, with fluency and with confidence... Sign up and get a free speaking kit...
Welcome to 1% Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time. Summer time. Different routines, different locations, and different rhythms. This could mean less work and more time with the kids, less sitting in a chair for 8-10 hours and more movement, or it could mean more time to do something entirely different, like practise your English. The tendency in Spain is to wait until September to begin with new goals. 1st September in Spain is...
Welcome to 1% Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time. Most people wrongly assume that all natives speak perfect English. Turn on the tv or radio, and you will hear numerous grammatical and syntactical errors coming from their mouths. You will hear them, but you may not interpret them as a mistake, because, after all, all natives speak perfectly, right? Wrong. The difference between a native making a mistake and a non-native is...
Welcome to 1% Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time. On a good day, you feel like you can do anything. You work out, you study, you read, you work and play and practise your English! You feel incredible. But what happens when it's not a good day? Can you still show up and practise your English, even if it is just for ten minutes per day? The answer is yes! Why? Because the person who is able to form and maintain a habit like...