Accent reduction, also known as accent modification or accent neutralization, is the process of learning or adopting a new speech accent. The accent is the variation in the way a language is spoken in different regions or social groups. Accent reduction involves changing the pronunciation of linguistic elements (such as individual sounds, words, and sentence structure) to make it more difficult for an interlocutor to identify their speaker’s native language(s).
Once a person has learned a language to fluency, they will often develop an accent. Languages have accents based on region and social group. While some of these accents are more neutral than others, it is usually possible to identify where the speaker is from or who the speaker hangs out with just by how they talk. Accent reduction involves learning or adopting a new way of speaking to become less easily identified as coming from a particular region or social group. Voice training techniques can help reduce certain pronunciations that detract from being more easily understood by native speakers of a language. It also helps to avoid words and phrases associated with some specific groups to strengthen one’s own identity while simultaneously giving up something unique about their speech.
In the United States, accent reduction instruction is typically offered through private speech therapy practices. In Europe and other places where many languages are spoken, accent reduction is a standard part of language education programs for speakers who want to learn the standard dialect of a country or region where people speak a different language natively.
Traditionally, speech pathologists have been called upon to help individuals reduce their accents in order to improve their occupational opportunities and fit into a new culture more easily. However, speech therapists do not usually focus on helping clients lose an accent entirely; instead, they work with them to make modifications that make speech easier for others to understand without sounding monotonous or repeating words (known as word repetitions). For example, a trained therapist can evaluate someone’s speech and recommend specific changes to the pronunciation of sounds, stress patterns in words, or sentence structure that they will need to learn to be more easily understood.
Research indicates that most people who seek accent reduction lessons are speakers of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The reasons vary, but most often, they want to change their speech to get a job or advance within their current company. Others may feel self-conscious about how they speak and believe that an “improved” version of their accent would make them more attractive as friends or mates. In addition, some immigrants come from countries where their native language does not have standard written forms, so they may receive training to make them more understandable in written communication with native speakers of English.
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