Tag Archives: accents

TEDX Talk on ESL and Accents

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“How To Speak Bad English Perfectly” Interesting commentary on the business of ESL (English as a Second Language) including fixing ‘bad English’ grammar and pronunciation mistakes.  Native English speakers are greatly outnumbered in the world, yet many non-natives are striving for ‘perfect’ English skills. I’ve always believed we can help ESL speakers speak ‘through’ or ‘with’ their accent, not reduce it completely. I also believe learning business focused idioms and slang will help speed up a learners’ comfort at the office (in addition to learning industry-specific vocabulary of course). Heather does not really agree with that last idea.
What do you think of her assumptions and suggestions?

 

Canadian English Pronunciation

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Today, July 1st, is Canada Day – our birthday. I thought this might be of interest to those who enjoy the sound and study of Canadian English.

Canadian English (CanE, en-CA) is the variety of English used in Canada. More than 26 million Canadians (85% of the population) have some knowledge of English (2006 census). Approximately 17 million speak English as their native language. Outside Quebec, 76% of Canadians speak English natively. Canadian English contains elements of British English in its vocabulary, as well as several distinctive “Canadianisms”. In many areas, speech is influenced by French, and there are notable local variations. However, Canada has very little dialect diversity compared to the United States. The phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon for most of Canada are similar to that of the Western and Midland regions of the United States, while the phonological system of western Canadian English is identical to that of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and the phonetics are similar. As such, Canadian English and American English are sometimes grouped together as North American English. Canadian English spelling is a blend of British and American conventions. (source: Wikipedia)

I would also like to add my two-cents to this. I was born in a small town and now live and work in Toronto. I personally hear different English dialects here in Canada. I hear the standard “mid-west” accent that Hollywood and the media love to use, although it is split up into 2 accents. One is the ‘professional’ accent which you will hear in the big cities and in professional circles. The vowels are tighter, proper grammar rules are adhered to and the vocabulary is richer.

The other accent is the ‘relaxed’ English, which you can hear in small towns and in manual labour or “blue collar” circles. In this dialect, the people do not mind purposefully breaking some grammar rules, have a variety of rich and colourful slang and favourite expressions used, and sound more “American” in their pronunciation of longer, stretched out vowels.

There is also the distinctive French-Canadian or “Quebecois” accent (Think Georges St.Pierre from the UFC) which is quite different from accents from other French speaking countries. There is the distinctive “East-Coaster” accent, due to the previous immigrants from Ireland and Scotland (hence Nova Scotia – New Scotland) and finally there is the native/Inuit/aboriginal accent.

A few resources to study Canadian English Pronunciation:

http://www.accentoncanadianenglish.com/
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/3vc-accent-reduction-program-description/7349543
http://voicetoword.ca/index.html
http://www.voiceandspeech.com/
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/britishcanadianamericanvocabcanadianpron.html
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/Canadian/canphon3.html
http://www.esl-guide.com/links/search.cgi?Country=Canada

I apologize that most of these resources are Ontario-based. Please do a local search to see what in-house or online resources are available to you. Find a good teacher, tutor, coach or trainer with experience and references, and for goodness sake – ask if he or she was born in Canada!

Happy Canada Day!

Who Cares That GSP Has an Accent?

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Hey everyone,

I know this post is not really communication-related, except if you consider that GSP (Georges St.-Pierre) has a thick French-Canadian accent, but I just HAD to write a quick WOO-HOO and congratulations to our home-grown UFC champion (MMA – Mixed Martial Arts) Georges “Rush’ St.-Pierre on defending his title against BJ ‘the Prodigy’ Penn, from Hawaii. BJ is a great fighter, but I am relieved that GSP won and proud that he did it in such a convincing way. When you are THAT good, no one CARES that you have an accent!!!

Don’t ever let an accent slow you down or convince you that you can’t follow your dreams and ambitions. Ever!

Foreign Accent Syndrome?

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Hello,

I saw this news clip today online, and was so amazed by it, I thought I would pass it on to you. It’s about people who suffer some sort of brain trauma, and when they recover, they speak in a new voice – usually with what seems to be a recognizable regional accent like say British, French or Spanish. Some people think they are faking it, but that is a lot of acting for many years. Watch the video or do your own research if you like – you be the judge. Interesting stuff! Here is the video link:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?rn=222561&cl=10658658&ch=224106

Or you can read a bit more at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_accent_syndrome

Use ‘Chunking’ to Help Speak Clearer

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Hello everyone,

Whether you have a ‘thick’ accent or whether you are speaking to someone who has it, there is something you can do to assist the clarity of the conversation. Break up your sentences into smaller chunks, or phrases. Many people wrongfully assume that when you can speak English fast, it is a sign of fluency. Wrong! It is no good if no one can follow you, or if they think you are mumbling, or are simply too embarrassed to tell you that they didn’t understand you, right?

Chunk your sentence delivery. Obey pauses (i.e. commas and dashes) in the sentence, and when necessary, add a few other pauses. Deliver your speaking like you are delivering a speech, without as much emphasis of course, but with deliberate attention to your speed and volume. Example – instead of this:

“Hey John do ya wanna go outtathe bar tonight an watch the hockey game overa few beers?”

Try this:

“Hey John, do you wanna go out to the bar tonight, and watch the hockey game, over a few beers?”

I think you get the point. I know it is hard for me to explain this over text, but if you try the sentence yourself once fast, then once slow, you should be able to tell the difference. Try to get something ‘in between’!  Think about most great speakers, for example on TED Talks videos, or most politicians or spiritual leaders.  They tend to chunk up their delivery of information, as well as use medium volume, medium speed, and appropriate stress.  Try to emulate the great speakers, even when you are having a relaxed conversation.  Just ‘dial down’ the public speaking voice a bit.  🙂  Once again this advice is especially useful if you are speaking with an accent.  Go try.  🙂

Which English is Best for You?

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The thing about English is that there are always going to be different accents, different key words chosen to be stressed, different spelling rules and even grammar arguments.

But which English is best for you?

Frankly it depends on two things: personal choice and location.

Regarding personal choice, some people who learn English as a second language may prefer British English or American English etc. over others, and continuously work on making that accent perfect over time. No problem.

Others see the value in adapting to the host country or new country that you now live in, as that will make others more comfortable with you, and in turn you will communicate faster with them. This is what I preach to my clients and students.

The other thing to remember about location is not just your location but the location of the listener. So for example, even though I am a 100% native Canadian English speaker, I may choose to adapt my language, words etc. to suit my conversation partner.

It could be an important business deal or a first contact on a possible international partnership. So in these cases it is okay for me or anyone to try to make the listener feel comfortable. Please note that I would never ‘fake’ an accent to try to get a business deal done or in an attempt to make someone like me!  But i may use some of their words and phrases to assist the communications.  Make sense? I welcome your thoughts.