Accent, Social Interactions & Prejudice

The English are the most accent-conscious

– SPEECH ETIQUETTE

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

You can be the most outgoing person but when having to communicate in a different language other than your mother tongue, the language barrier might hold you back. If you have ever felt excluded, misunderstood or have been laughed at, it just needs to happen once then you will be sensitive to other people’s response such as facial expression, passing comments, a simple smile to even a polite request to get you to repeat yourself again because others simply didn’t catch what you said. Your confidence levels can subside, making you anxious and making conversations difficult! This happens more than people think and this also affects native English speakers too, not just foreigners.

In another article we talked about awareness, it can be a blessing in disguise or it can destroy your confidence. It’s make or break. The choice is yours. If you have identified that it is indeed your language skills (or lack of them) that are the root cause of your low self-confidence and self-esteem, you must do something about it. Life is not always roses and sunshine. Don’t let you fear dictate your life. We mustn’t let fear defeat us. A negative mind will never give you a positive life.

Speech Etiquette cares about our clients’ wellbeing, learning English doesn’t always have to be black and white. We will tailor-make the contents to your needs, words and phrases are chosen accordingly. We will explore learning English from a different angle, including the magic of spelling to improve your reading, writing and speaking.

Read: “How Words Cast Their Spell: Spelling Is an Integral Part of Learning the Language, Not a Matter of Memorisation”

ACCENT PREJUDICE

The world has been actively promoting diversity, but accent prejudice is still rampant. From regional to foreign English accents, people are often judged on the way they speak. This ties them to a specific ethnic group, class and profession. Foreign accents are also heavily tied to history. No one wants to be laughed at, belittled or judged as incompetent or less intelligent just because they have a foreign accent. This makes communication a scary thing for people with low self-confidence and self-esteem. Speaking is part of everyday life. Verbal communication is a crucial part of our lives that makes us feel alive. Don’t take a back seat, you shouldn’t be afraid of speaking.

SOLUTION

While we can’t change the public’s attitudes and prejudices against accent, what we can do is to let go of what we can’t control and focus on personal growth. Invest in yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually learn to speak like the natives when learning a new language?

Having the ability and knowledge to speak clearly so people can understand you is a good enough reason to learn to speak properly. It’s an investment that will continue to benefit every aspect of your life. You wouldn’t want to just mumble your whole life away – or would you? Speech Etiquette is here to give you a helping hand. We understand the culture and the stigma surrounding accents too well.

Our founder – A walking example of speaking like a native

Once upon a time, our founder was laughed at and mocked for having a foreign accent but she didn’t let it defeat her even after having gone through this cruel and insensitive experience. She loves the British accent (RP), so she stepped out of her comfort zone and faced the challenge head on. She was devoted to training, the long hours and hard work paid off. She changed her accent when speaking in English. This was the game changer for her! She was determined and it was certainly the best investment she has ever made. If she can do it, you can do it too. Make speaking well your style.