teaching accent reduction whilst celebrating foreign accents
Because there’s so much shame and stigma attached to foreign accents, more often than not, people’s first thoughts on me offering accent reduction are that I want to get rid of a foreign accent because I find it shameful.
No.
I know what it’s like to be judged on my own accent. I won’t do the same unto others. I celebrate foreign accents because it means that people are living and working in a language that they worked years on acquiring. It means that people are brave enough to be heard in another language at the chance of making mistakes and be misunderstood. It means that people open themselves up to another culture and expand their horizons way past their comfort zone.
A foreign accent is not something to condemn – ever. And neither is foreign accent reduction.
"Then how can you celebrate foreign accents when you teach how to reduce them?!" Accent reduction to me has always been a joyful undertaking. Yes, I have been judged on my accent, but no, I didn’t let it rob me of the joy that comes with exploring different sounds. To me, pronunciation has been an equally important part of language learning like grammar or writing – just way more interesting and rewarding. In fact, I prefer this over grammar all day every day. Always have. In my learning as well as my teaching, I like to take a more pragmatic approach.
This goes for accent reduction as well. I won’t correct you on your pronunciation of every single word (except of course if you are preparing for a speech and want to go over it in case there is anything you might mispronounce), but rather make you aware of pronunciation patterns and how you can improve them.
I am well aware that different reasons lead to accent reduction. However, I am here to help you, not to question why you want to reduce your foreign accent. I want to make it enjoyable for you too, no matter why you came to me for help.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch to see how I can support you. I look forward to hearing your voice!