#englishtopractice The accent and its problems. Before we enter in to a discussion considering the English language itself, two basic concepts need to be established: an accent and a dialect. To put it plain: a dialect is a variety of a language that includes grammar and vocabulary. In the majority of cases, languages have some standard dialects. I’m sure that we all have experienced the horror of correct and incorrect forms (and the ubiquitous “You don’t say XYZ, you say ZYX”) – that’s the result of having standard dialects. An accent, on the other hand, relates only to pronunciation. Why is this crucial? Well, you can speak a given dialect with as many accents as you like. Miscommunication is not the only complication. The way speaks determines how people see us. Therefore, the accent with which you speak has social consequences. Take for example the tricky English ‘th’ sounds, as in the words thick (voiceless ‘th’) or this (voiced ‘th’). Not many European languages have this sound in their systems (these include Spanish, Danish and Greek among others). Did you know that pronouncing these sounds with ‘f’’ and, respectively, ‘v’ are perceived by Brits as features of lower educated people? Interestingly, Americans don’t pay attention to these sounds, but they do treat speakers with ‘t’ and ‘d’ instead of ‘th’ as members of a lower social class. Fascinating, don’t you think? As you can see, learning an accent is an essential element in learning English that should not be neglected. Also, some study has shown that a good accent turns listeners’ attention from speakers’ poor grammar, which for a number of non-natives who are not content with their choice of tenses or word order in English. Therefore, let’s remember about this particular aspect of English language as it’s as important as other elements. Systematic training will bring results you long for! A story to laugh about... https://youtube/watch?v=m1TnzCiUSI0
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:26:10 +0000
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