Accents Are Important… Discuss
I’m working with a new client who feels that his accent is holding him back in his career. He’s not alone in thinking that, and his situation raises some important questions about why accents are important, and what actually needs to change.
This client (who will remain nameless for confidentiality reasons) has a history of dietary issues that affected his teeth during his teens and has recently undergone extensive reconstructive dentistry. Those dental changes, compounded by his native Irish accent and a fast speaking pace, have made him virtually incomprehensible to people who don’t know him well. Hardly ideal for interviews or career progression.
Because he had his surgery outside the UK, he did not have access to a speech and language therapist afterwards. He came to us wanting to “reduce” his accent and develop strategies for slower, more considered speech. Please note: I am not a speech and language therapist; I’m working with him as I would any other voice client, focusing on behaviour, awareness and choice rather than clinical intervention.
Accent or clarity: what is really “holding him back”?
This particular client wanted to eradicate his accent because he believed that was the source of the problem. In reality, the main issue is clarity rather than the “manner” of his speech. We’ve worked primarily on segmenting information, slowing his pace, adjusting his articulation and rhythm, and making his speech easier to follow.
The idea of accent eradication intrigues me, because both Gemma and I are passionate about preserving regional accents. They are part of what makes speaking to people from different places interesting. Television, radio and the internet are already pulling many voices towards a kind of mid‑Atlantic or flattened “international English”, which is not necessarily desirable for anyone.
Speech is about communication. The differences in how we turn a phrase, pronounce words and address different people contribute to a rich, varied society. Working on clarity and flexibility does not have to mean erasing where you come from.
Preconceptions about accent
Leaving the practical speech work aside for a moment, it’s worth looking at the preconceptions we carry about accent. Here’s a quick thought experiment.
Consider these regional British accents. Hear each one in your head and notice your immediate reaction:
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London
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Birmingham
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Glasgow
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Irish (Southern)
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Irish (Northern)
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Manchester
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Welsh
Do your reactions change depending on the accent? Does the “character” of the speaker change in your mind’s eye? Which accents do you instinctively associate with authority, trustworthiness, friendliness, humour, aggression, warmth – and why?
Listening to real voices
Here are links to the Speech Accent Archive with male and female examples of each accent. Have a listen and see what you notice.
As you listen, ask yourself:
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Does your image of the person speaking change according to the accent alone?
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Or does it have more to do with clarity, pace, diction, inflection, ease and confidence?
Clearly, some of the speakers are more practised at reading aloud, but aside from that, there is relatively little objective difference in their performance. It’s interesting to note where the differences in intonation, vowel length and emphasis occur – and what those differences make you assume about them.
Try the passage yourself
The Speech Accent Archive uses a standard passage. How do you say this?
Please call Stella.
Ask her to bring these things with her from the store:
Six spoons of fresh snow peas,
five thick slabs of blue cheese,
and maybe a snack for her brother Bob.
We also need a small plastic snake and a big toy frog for the kids.
She can scoop these things into three red bags, and we will go meet her Wednesday at the train station.
We’d love to hear your version. Use your smartphone to record yourself reading the passage in your natural accent and email the clip to Leon at leon@tempervox.co.uk. With your permission, we’ll upload selected recordings to the blog so we can continue the discussion about why accents are important – and what really matters when it comes to communication, clarity and career.