3 Myths & Facts about "Accents" and How to Learn them
An “accent” is like a special spice that gives flavor to the words that we speak.
I bet you have a favorite accent, a least-favorite accent, and also one that you want to learn.
But do you love your English Accent?
Keep reading to learn three truths about why you should love your accent.
No matter if you’re advanced or just a beginner!
Myth #1: Some English Speakers Don’t have an Accent
Fact: Everyone Speaks English with a "Language Flavor"
Sadly, some speakers believe that their language has a “perfect” flavor.
And that accents are mistakes because they “taste” slightly different.
The truth is that every language has a number of “language flavors.”
Each flavor has its special patterns and sounds that make it beautiful and unique
Just like a good kitchen has a range of spices to make delicious meals.
In language science, each “language flavor” is called a dialect (“die-uh-lekt”)
I bet you have a target dialect that you want to learn when you speak English.
And your “target flavor” has patterns that you can learn and practice
If you practice these patterns often and get thoughtful feedback
You can hit your target and speak with the flavors that you dream about!
Myth #2: Language Learners have a 'Bad' Accent
Fact: Language Learners Grow their Accent in Steps!
Remember that in language science, an “accent” is called a dialect.
Language learners have an accent that they want to learn this is your target dialect
It’s like the destination for a traveler who is on a journey.
Or the wings for a butterfly that is growing in a cocoon and preparing to fly!
As you travel on your journey in the language learning classroom
It’s like a seed that grows in steps into a perfect shape.
Language Scientists have a name for the “steps” of your dialect journey too:
We call it your inter-language: the language between your start and your goal!
So, if you love to travel or appreciate the beauty of nature.
Then you should love your English Inter-language, too!
Myth #3: Adults can never learn a “Perfect” Accent
Fact: Adults can learn to be even better than perfect!
Today, you learned a few important things about your "accent":
1. Every language has its own unique set of flavors (called dialects)
2. Your inter-language is like a journey to reach your destination language .
But did you know that every fluent speaker has their own unique flavor too?
In Language Science, each of our special flavors is called an “idiolect” (ih-dee-uh-lekt)
It’s our own special flavor that each fluent speaker creates on their journey.
Sometimes, it is inspired by a learner's native language
But other times, it is something completely special to the speaker.
For example, I speak English with my "Standard" American English dialect
That comes from Ohio but spread to the West Coast of America.
I also pronounce my "h" and "k" sounds in a special way,
when I express ideas with passion or enthusiasm.
These special features are unique to each person and make our "flavor" special.
As you practice building your language flavor, you will create your own features, too!
Come join an English Conversation class and start creating your flavor today!