Miscommunication can have a significant impact on a person's ability to perform at their job, obtain a job, and develop relationships in their community.
Imagine you are a doctor and someone thought you said 30 instead of 13 when discussing dosing. That can be a huge problem-- and possibly a lawsuit!
Imagine you are a clergy member giving a sermon and you cannot connect with your audience because they cannot understand what you are saying.
It is imperative that professionals are able to communicate clearly and precisely.
Accents can be regional or foreign and are a natural part our social dialogue and spoken language. It is important to note that no accent is superior to another and accent differences are not considered to be a communication disorder.
People seek accent modification services for several reasons
Imagine you are a doctor and someone thought you said 30 instead of 13 when discussing dosing. That can be a huge problem-- and possibly a lawsuit!
Imagine you are a clergy member giving a sermon and you cannot connect with your audience because they cannot understand what you are saying.
It is imperative that professionals are able to communicate clearly and precisely.
Accents can be regional or foreign and are a natural part our social dialogue and spoken language. It is important to note that no accent is superior to another and accent differences are not considered to be a communication disorder.
People seek accent modification services for several reasons
- Others have difficulty understanding what that person is communicating
- Want to assimilate into the culture of a region, community, or nation
- Professionals looking to improve communication
- Are acting in a role that requires speaking in a certain dialect (i.e. movie actors)
- Work on television and are required to sound 'neutral' for work purposes
Who Do We Work With?
Doctors, lawyers, clergy members, actors, executives, scientists, and teachers/professors are just a few of the professionals we assist with accent modification. As a speech pathologist, we have specialized training in speech sounds and speech sound production.
What is Accent Modification?
Accents are variations in the execution of speech characterized by variations in speech-sound production, prosody, rate, and fluency (Celce-Murcia, Brinton, & Goodwin, 1996). Accents are influenced by movements of the tongue, lips, teeth and jaw as well. These linguistic variations may affect intelligibility; however, one can have a noticeable accent and still be clearly intelligible.
What Does Accent Modification Therapy Look Like?
A thorough evaluation looking at how a person produces sounds is first conducted. Following that, the speech therapist will teach strategies to help pronounce words, use correct stress and intonation patterns in phrases and conversation. Additionally, it is important to learn idiomatic expressions related to the dialect, which reflect aspects of the culture. This is essential to effectively communicate 'like a local'. We also target soft skills to improve work-related communication.
In order to communicate with the local population, you must know what the population you are speaking to expects. Extending a hand in one culture is rude, but expected as a common courtesy in another. It is important to understand the nuances in the way the community you will be working and living in interacts.
In order to communicate with the local population, you must know what the population you are speaking to expects. Extending a hand in one culture is rude, but expected as a common courtesy in another. It is important to understand the nuances in the way the community you will be working and living in interacts.