Putting an accent on regional pronunciation

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According to sociolinguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation which is peculiar to an individual, location or nation. Accents can be markers of residence, ethnicity, social or socio-economic class, or can be a residue of one’s mother tongue – as is the case with foreign languages.

Quite like Darwin’s finches, whose appearance and behaviour adapted to the different Galápagos Islands, accents developed over time, as human beings spread out to isolated communities and were influenced by different environmental factors. However, the similarity between the two ends there. We don’t quite know what the ‘functional advantages’ of a particular accent are, unfortunately accents cannot contribute to the theory of evolution. Yet they make an incredibly interesting case when considering the ease of being understood, prestige, or discrimination.

Multiculturalism

Accents and pronunciation, particularly non-native, are incredibly important with regard to education, profession and social interaction. Inadequate effort paid to the way we articulate words and sounds can result in a complete breakdown in communication. This is particularly important when learning to speak a new language. A key factor in foreign-accent acquisition is age, with puberty considered to be the critical period for acquiring native-like pronunciation, although the length of residence and the frequency with which both the native and new languages are used are also considered important.

Deviating from standard pronunciation is often called ‘speaking with an accent’, however everyone speaks with an accent – what accent it is depends largely on the point of view. Of course, to an American, British people speak with an ‘accent’, but it is more interesting to note that even among British speakers there exist marked differences in pronunciation, particularly according to region, as you can see in the video below:

 

However, accents are not purely regional. In the United Kingdom, ‘Received Pronunciation’, or ‘the standard accent of English as spoken in the south of England’ is generally perceived to carry more prestige in society than other accents, often due to its association with the elite sections of society. Though it is important to note that, according to Peter Trudgill, in his essay ‘The sociolinguistics of modern RP’ in 1974 only around 3% of people in Britain were considered to represent RP speakers. Though traditionally Received Pronunciation was considered to be the ‘everyday speech in the families of Southern English persons whose men-folk [had] been educated at the great public boarding-schools’, it actually has most in common with the Early Modern English dialects of the East Midlands. This was the most populated and most prosperous area of England during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Accents can also be the target of stereotyping and prejudice. I am sure many readers have attempted to recreate the ‘French accent’, with its guttural R and nasal E sounds, or even the Jamaican way of pronouncing ‘bacon’ by saying ‘beer can’ over and over again and doubling over laughing at the results. However, stereotypes can also be negative, and may result in prejudice. Researchers consistently show that people who possess non-native accents are judged as less intelligent, less competent, less educated, having poor English/language skills, and are even considered as being rather unpleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, accent has become a scapegoat for arbitrary evaluations and judgements, because, as Rosina Lippi-Green writes, ‘we are forbidden, by law and social custom, and perhaps by a prevailing sense of what is morally and ethically right, from using race, ethnicity, homeland or economics more directly. We have no such compunctions about language, thus, accent becomes a litmus test for exclusion, and excuse to turn away, to recognize the other.’

With all of these things to consider, it’s no wonder many learners feel such tribulations when first starting to speak a new language. After all, mastering the grammar and vocabulary is one thing, but ridding yourself completely of the remnants of your mother tongue can be a near impossible task. I implore you, however, not to be ashamed of your accent and to wear it with pride. After all, it is a loud and clear sign that you know another language, and that you have taken the steps to get to know another culture from within, and that’s something everyone should be proud of.

 

Written by Iweta Kalinowska

Communication Trainee at TermCoord

 

Sources:

Trudgill, Peter (8 December 2000). “Sociolinguistics of Modern RP”. University College London. Retrieved 3 October 2012.

Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. New York: Routledge. ISBN0-415-11476-4.

Wikipedia – Received Pronunciation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation#cite_note-trudgillestimate-5

Wikipedia – Accent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accent_%28sociolinguistics%29