BritGent
15 Sep 2011
Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]
When people speak of accent, most of them think of it as something that 'other people' have. The truth is that we all have an accent to some degree or other, because an accent is simply the way we pronounce words. It is quite different however when it comes to regional variations; then you are talking about 'dialect', which refers to a combination of differences in accent, grammar and vocabulary. Depending on where you live in England for example, one type of baked bread could be called buns, cobs, baps or rolls or even muffins.
The most desirable accent for a teacher of English language, is undoubtedly a 'neutral' one. One which does not overtly identify itself as being of a particular social class or region. ( the terms Standard English and RP are far too often misused and associated with an exaggerated 'class' based model ).
I have worked with teachers from many parts of the world, and whilst their knowledge of English grammar may be impressive, their students are hindered in their acquisition of spoken English by exposure to, and therefore a role modelling of a strong regional accent or dialect. American, Australian, Afrikaans and German are perhaps some of the most obvious, but there are so many other nationalities too numerous to mention, who present similar problems.
A neutral accent is usually created by a combination of upbringing, geographical location, interaction with others, and an almost subconscious assimilation of elements which are most desirable for clarity, and a gradual discarding of those which are not. It is clearly the most effective model which ESL/EFL students should be exposed to in their English language studies, if they wish to speak English in its most internationally recognised and accepted form.
When people speak of accent, most of them think of it as something that 'other people' have. The truth is that we all have an accent to some degree or other, because an accent is simply the way we pronounce words. It is quite different however when it comes to regional variations; then you are talking about 'dialect', which refers to a combination of differences in accent, grammar and vocabulary. Depending on where you live in England for example, one type of baked bread could be called buns, cobs, baps or rolls or even muffins.
The most desirable accent for a teacher of English language, is undoubtedly a 'neutral' one. One which does not overtly identify itself as being of a particular social class or region. ( the terms Standard English and RP are far too often misused and associated with an exaggerated 'class' based model ).
I have worked with teachers from many parts of the world, and whilst their knowledge of English grammar may be impressive, their students are hindered in their acquisition of spoken English by exposure to, and therefore a role modelling of a strong regional accent or dialect. American, Australian, Afrikaans and German are perhaps some of the most obvious, but there are so many other nationalities too numerous to mention, who present similar problems.
A neutral accent is usually created by a combination of upbringing, geographical location, interaction with others, and an almost subconscious assimilation of elements which are most desirable for clarity, and a gradual discarding of those which are not. It is clearly the most effective model which ESL/EFL students should be exposed to in their English language studies, if they wish to speak English in its most internationally recognised and accepted form.