• Out of all the foreign accents, the one which is most popular amongst Americans is the British accent.  The Australian accent comes in second.
• As per an analysis, most Americans don’t like really strong foreign accents, since such accents and their respective intonation tend to confuse Americans regarding the context in which a particular statement has been spoken.
• Americans find certain accents interesting especially if they are uncommon like the Scottish or Irish accent..

Apart from these facts, pronunciation also holds a vital place in communication; sometimes even more than the grammar, since it creates the first impression of the speaker in the listener’s mind. Poor pronunciation and lack of command in English may make Americans uncomfortable. They may ask you to repeat some sentences, if they don’t understand you. It may become quite awkward for the person to repeat the same thing over and over again.

This can vary from culture to culture, as well, in addition to the differences in languages being spoken. Studies show that Americans find Asian accented English more difficult to understand. Most of the South Asian languages have a very different grammatical structure from the Indo European languages, and there are many vowels, which are not shared with other Indo European languages.  Moreover, the prosodic characteristics (rhythm, intonation, etc.) of Asian accented English is very different from the Indo-European accent.

Non-native English speakers should focus both on grammar, vocabulary and prosody as well as pronunciation. Accented English is fine as long as your listener can understand you.

EnglishWithoutAccent.com staff

Major sections that constitute business communication include advertising, marketing, customer support, public relations and consumer activity. In order to expand the business to reach more and more people, it is necessary to be familiar with the communication style and customs of the prospective customers. In addition, the business entities involved in verbal interaction face challenges in communicating effectively and efficiently as they frequently struggle with understanding accented English. Some of the issues that are regularly faced in business communication regarding the foreign accent include the following:

1) Waste of time, money and resources in trying to understand the other party: Communications done in fields like customer support and public relations cover a wide range of languages and cultures. The presence of a foreign accent when dealing with customer complaints and concerns may cause problems in clearly understanding the words said by the other party. For example: The native American English speakers pronounce certain words by combining two words to make one. These are called contractions (e.g. can’t, don’t, shouldn’t). Speakers of English as a second language very often substitute certain vowel sounds. For example “ship” may sound like “sheep”. These differences in pronouncing English can cause both parties to struggle to understand the basic meaning of what is being conveyed. This leads to inefficient use of time, money and resources.

2) Frustration and lack of confidence: For the reasons stated above, frustration and lack of confidence may prevail in both the parties thereby leading to fewer clients and finally impacting the business directly.
Successful business communication can be achieved only when such issues can be addressed. A business’ growth relies on its ability to connect and successfully communicate worldwide. This can be done by providing proper training and workshops for intercultural language awareness and English pronunciation to both native and foreign English speakers.
Source: EnglishWithoutAccent.com

Video Lesson for Spanish speakers: Pronunciation of initial /r/ in English

Australia, Great Britain, and America all speak the same language, but you simply have to visit each country to realize that, while they all speak English, it is far from a universal language. The English spoken in Great Britain, America, and Australia has many similarities, but a surprising number of differences as well. The main reason for this is the vast distance between each country. Here are some of the common differences you will find between these three versions of English.

Pronunciation Differences

Pronunciation between the three types of English is very dissimilar. In American English the “r” at the end of the word almost always affects its pronunciation, whereas in Australian and British English the “r” is often silent. Also, the emphasis placed on the syllables of the word varies from British, Australian, and American English. In Britain, the world adult has the emphasis on the first syllable, whereas in America it is placed on the second half of the word. Australian English is unique in the fact that many words have sounds that are eliminated. Instead of saying good day, the Australian speaker says g’day. The main pronunciation difference between the three, however, is the pronunciation of the vowel sounds.

Differences in Spelling

Not only do the three types of English sound different, but they are also spelled differently. In some ways, the spelling reflects the difference in pronunciation. For instance, Americans use the world airplane to refer to a flying mode of transportation. In Great Britain, the word is aeroplane, and it is pronounced with an audible “o” sound. Another common difference in spelling is aluminium, which is the UK spelling, and aluminum, the US spelling. Again, the difference shows the difference in pronunciation of the two words. In this instance the Australian spelling is the same as the UK spelling.

Another common spelling difference between UK English and American English is the use of -our verses -or at the end of the word. For instance, in the UK, colour, flavour, honour, and similar words all end in -our, whereas in America they are spelled with the -or ending (color, flavor, honor). In Australia, the -our spelling is almost universal.

Similarly, the endings -re and -re are different between the different English dialects. In America you will go to the theater or fitness center, whereas in Britain you will visit the theatre or fitness centre. Again, Australian English follows the British pattern.

There are other common spelling differences as well. For instance, in American English, words that sound as though they end with an -ize will always end in an -ize. However, in UK English, they typically end in ise (i.e. realize, realise). Also, British English often doubles consonants when adding a suffix when American English does not, such as in the world traveller.

Interestingly, the three languages also have distinct vocabularies. For instance, the “hood” of a car is called the “bonnet” in Australia and Britain. Australia has several terms that are not used in either of the other countries, such as “bloke” (man) and “arvo” (afternoon). Also, Australians use some phrases that are combinations of British and American terms, such as “rubbish truck.” Rubbish is commonly used in the UK, and truck is commonly used in America.

Grammar Distinctions

Besides spelling and pronunciation differences, British, American, and Australian English all have some subtle grammar differences as well. For instance, in Great Britain, it is perfectly acceptable to use a collective noun (such as army) as a plural word (“the army are coming”), whereas in America collective nouns are almost always singular (“the army is coming”). British English also uses the irregular form of the past participle of several verbs (learnt rather than learned). Also, British English tends to drop the definite article in some situations. For instance, British English speakers may refer to being “in hospital” instead of “in the hospital.” Australian [http://www.englishlink.com/courses_ENG_HTML.asp]English grammar tends to follow British rules. [http://www.englishlink.com/aboutus_ENG_HTML.asp]Learning English online online has never been so comfortable and easy. You can use English Dictionary Software to help improve your online English learning.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Nutt http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Differences-Between-American,-British,-and-Australian-English&id=1729247

That really is the question, because few aspects of English cause new speakers of the language quite so much anguish. People who are used to clear, precise grammatical rules find the challenges English grammar makes to be both eccentric and, often, puzzling.

The fact that native English speakers themselves often have little grammatical knowledge does not really help matters, either; they are quite prepared to justify an unusual word order, a totally illogical verb ending or the vagaries of spelling with a shrug of the shoulders and a ‘Well, that’s just the way it is’ kind of comment.

And yet millions of students such as yourself, coming to English as a second or even a third language, have managed to learn English grammar successfully. So let’s look at some ideas that can help point you in the right direction.

• Enjoy Learning

The worst way to learn anything is to just keep on relentlessly working your way through a text book, hour after hour. Even the most motivated people struggle to maintain their enthusiasm. One of the key things to remember about how to learn English grammar is to make sure you find some ways that let you have FUN ! Yes, believe it or not, it is grammatically correct to use the words grammar and fun in the same sentence. There are all sorts of specially produced educational games, both for children and adults, that can help you with your grammar. These include board games, video games, games you can download from the internet and even good, old-fashioned Flash Cards. Some of these you can play on your own and some with other people, so that you can learn and have fun with other students of English.

• Begin your studies of grammar with Reading and Listening

Of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, the easiest in terms of picking up the grammar, are those of reading and listening, when you are receiving information rather than trying to give information to someone else. Of course, as in all languages, spoken grammar is not as strict with the rules as written, which makes it more straightforward. Push yourself on to more formal English grammar when you feel confident in yourself with the spoken word. Now, you will be learning about various verb tenses, types of sentence, and technical aspects of language, which can be complicated. Begin with simple aspects, though, and progress steadily and you will soon become familiar with it.

• Read, Read, Read and then Read some more

Read anything that you can in English – whether it be a newspaper, a comic book, a magazine or the instructions on a packet. What you read does not matter – the very act of reading and looking at the ways in which the sentences are structured, the tenses used and the words ordered will be the perfect way to see how the language fits together. It’s a good idea, too, to remember grammatical aspects that look confusing to you, so that you can think about them and perhaps look them up in a text book later.

• Set yourself targets

It’s always a good idea to give yourself certain targets to set out to achieve. Give yourself some realistic targets that you can try to reach – perhaps some short term ones, for a week, and some loner term ones to really strive for. When you reach your targets, give yourself a little treat as a reward for your hard, successful work. Regularly setting targets and assessing your progress is one sure way of keeping your level of motivation high. There are times when everybody’s energy levels and sense of commitment drop just a little, but, if your targets are clear and you are choosing enjoyable study techniques, then you will be able to win through these battles. After all, you know it will be well worth it in the end.

Finally, my last piece of advice about how to learn English grammar is not to let it overwhelm you. A famous language teacher once said that the most important thing about communicating in a foreign language is the same as the important thing about tennis – you have to get the ball over the net. In other words, as long as the person the other side of the net – listening to you talk or reading what you have written – is able to understand you, that’s what really matters. If you can hit a wonderful tennis shot – or be absolutely exact with your grammar – then that’s a lovely bonus, but it’s not the only thing to worry about.

Have fun.

For more details and tips visit: http://www.learnenglish-a-z.com/how-to-learn-english-grammar.html

Maysaa has been an English teacher for over 20 years, beginning in her native country, and now in Abu Dhabi. She has worked with all levels of learning, both beginning and advanced, and with children as well as adults. Her site has lots of resources for English learners of all ages and level of learning. Lots of games and activities, with tips on how to become more proficient in English.

Visit: http://www.learnenglish-a-z.com

Please do join to Global English Newsletter: http://www.learnenglish-a-z.com/english-learners.html

Contact: [mailto:maysaa@learnenglish-a-z.com]maysaa@learnenglish-a-z.com

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The “explosive consonants”

Earlier we said that the vowels are an important factor in hearing a “foreign” accent. But it is not only the vowels. The consonants also must be mastered.

When we say that English consonants are “explosives”, we mean that they are pronounced with a sudden release of air. It is this characteristic that marks the accent of an English speaker when they try to speak your language. You should try to speak like an American and you will be reaching for the American English way of pronouncing the consonant. It is the characteristic explosive nature of the English consonant that is the basis of so many jokes about the pronunciation of the English speaker who is learning other languages.

Pronounce the following sentence with the most exaggerated American accent that you can: “Peter, answer me! Can you talk?”

Did you exaggerate the words Peter, can you talk? If you did, the sounds that sound bad in your language are correct in English.

Most of my students are shy and speak with a low voice because they think that they do not pronounce correctly. In this way, they will never pronounce correctly because they do not exercise the pronunciation. They do not hear their mistakes; they do not feel the effort of reaching for the correct sounds, and worse of all, they begin to say, “Well, they understand me and that’s what counts.”

Don’t be afraid! You have to exaggerate the English sounds now to be able to pronounce them normally later on in your progress with the language.

What are the sounds that give away the English speaker? The explosives. And the mispronunciation of these same sounds is what makes up the foreign accent.

When you pronounce the words Peter, can you talk? in your language you probably don’t use as much force as in English. For the “p” of the word Pedro, Pierre, or Piotr, you close your lips and then you open them for the sound to come out. It is the same with the “t” of the work talk.

However, in English you have to expel a little blast of air to make the sound of the “p” and the “t”; that’s why they call the sounds “explosive”, because they make a litlle “explosion”!

The teachers of Spanish to English speakers have to teach them to NOT expel the air for these sounds. They often make them say words like “papá”, “Tomás” etc. with a lit match in front of their mouth. The student has to pronounce the Spanish correctly without blowing out the match.

Your job is the opposite. You have to be able to blow out the match (or feel the blast of air on the back of your hand) when you pronounce the explosive English sounds.

Listen to these sounds!

To hear the sound of the letter “p” http://www.bookslibros.com/sounds/p.wav

To hear the sound of the letter “t” http://www.bookslibros.com/sounds/t.wav

About The Author

Frank Gerace Ph.D has worked in Latin America in UN and national Educational and Communication Projects, and has taught in Bolivian and Peruvian Universities. He currently teaches English in New York City at La Guardia College/CUNY. He provides resources on accent reduction and the proper American English accent at [http://www.GoodAccent.com ]http://www.GoodAccent.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Gerace http://EzineArticles.com/?The-American-English-Accent::-The-Explosive-T-And-P-Sounds&id=231552

Intonation in English.

Intonation, the “music” of a language, is perhaps the most important element of a correct accent. Many people think that pronunciation is what makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation is very important for an understandable accent. But it is intonation that gives the final touch that makes an accent correct or native. Often we hear someone speaking with perfect grammar, and perfect formation of the sounds of English but with a little something that gives her away as not being a native speaker.

Therefore, it is necessary to realize that there are three components to an accent, pronunciation, intonation, and linking. In other places we will examine pronunciation, the proper formation of vowels and consonants, and linking, the way that syllables within a word, and the beginning and ending of words come together.

We will look at three places that help us to hear clearly the difference that intonation makes in the daily use of a proper North American English accent. The practice with the following three situations will help you to notice, practice, and master the different intonation patterns that you will discover as you concentrate more on your use of North American English.

The three situations are: 1. the different intonation of the same word when it is used as a noun or as a verb; 2. the different intonation of the same word when it is used as an adjective or as a verb; 3. the intonation of expressions of two words.

You can find more on this topic at: http://www.goodaccent.com
There are resources at: http://www.goodaccent.com/accentbooks.htm
And in Spanish at http://www.inglesparlatinos.com/Pronunciar.htm

1. Intonation: Noun Verb

Knowing when and where to stress the words you use is very important for understanding, and is part of a good accent. A clear example is that of the different stress in nouns and verbs.

It will be useful for you to be aware of the stress in both cases. Here is a list of a few that will get you thinking and give you some practice in identifying them and using them correctly. Underline the syllable that is stressed, and write a brief explanation to indicate that you understand the difference. I start the exercise with two examples, the words suspect and present. You do the rest. And make sure you pronounce the words OUT LOUD.

VERB
to suspect
to have an opinion

NOUN
a suspect
a person under suspicion

VERB
to present, to give
to introduce

NOUN
a present,
a gift, now

to conflict
a conflict

to contest
a contest

to contract
a contract

to contrast
a contrast

to convert
a convert

to convict
a convict

to default
a default

to discharge
a discharge

to incline
an incline

to insult
an insult

to object
an object

to permit
a permit

to present
a present

to produce
a produce

to progress
a progress

to project
a project

to protest
a protest

to rebel
a rebel

to recall
a recall

to reject
a reject

to research
a research

to subject
a subject

to survey
a survey

Can you tell the difference in the following sentences?

You need to insert a paragraph here on this newspaper insert.

How can you object to this object?

I’d like to present you with this present.

The manufacturer couldn’t recall if there’d been a recall.

The religious convert wanted to convert the world.

The political rebels wanted to rebel against the world.

The mogul wanted to record a new record for his latest artist.

If you perfect your intonation, your accent will be perfect.

Due to the drought, the fields didn’t produce much produce this year.

Unfortunately, City Hall wouldn’t permit them to get a permit.
……………………………….

2. Intonation: Noun/Adjective and Verb

In the previous case, we saw that verbs of two syllables often have the stress on the second syllable, while the related noun has the stress on the first syllable.

This case, along with the previous case, is an example of the effect that meaning has on intonation in English. Many native speakers do not realize that the “rule” of this section is pretty rigorous. To know it can help you in building your vocabulary at the same time as you perfect your intonation.

There is another intonation pattern that you must master. Verbs ending in the letters “ate” pronounce the letter “a” of the last syllable with the “long a” sound (the name of the letter “a”, the sound of the words steak and make).

Related nouns or adjectives pronounce the letter “a” of the last syllable with the indefinite schwa sound (the sound of the “a” of the word about>, or the second “e” in the word elephant )

For each word, indicate that you realize the effect of meaning on intonation by clarifying the difference between the two uses of the same word (“same” meaning having the same spelling.)

First, give a brief meaning of the word used as noun or adjective and put the letter I to indicate that the final letter “a” is the indefinite sound of the “a” in about..

Next, give a brief meaning of the word used as a verb and put the letter A to indicate that the final letter “a” is the sound of the “long a”. I start the exercise with two examples, the words alternate and appropriate. You do the rest. And make sure you pronounce the words OUT LOUD.

alternate I
Noun: A substitute

alternate A
Verb: To take turns.

appropriate I
Adjective: Correct or suitable

Appropriate A
Verb: To take over.

approximate
to approximate

articulate
to articulate

associate
to associate

deliberate
to deliberate

duplicate
to duplicate

laminate
to laminate

graduate
to graduate

intimate
to intimate

moderate
to moderate

predicate
to predicate

precipitate
to precipitate

Read the following sentences, pronouncing the words with the proper
intonation according to their use in the sentence.

The facilitator wanted to separate the general topic into separate
categories

Would you care to elaborate on his elaborate explanation?

Have you heard that your associate is known to associate with gangsters?

How much do you estimate that the estimate will be?

……………………………

3. Two Word Stress

Knowing when and where to stress the words you use is very important for understanding, and therefore, as part of a good accent. A clear example is that of stress in two word expressions.

The place of the stress depends on whether the two words are used to describe something like a “white HOUSE” (meaning a house that is painted white, and not blue or gray). In this case the most important note is the noun because we are talking about a house that happens to be white. Similarly, a fat BOY is an overweight young male.

But sometimes-short two word expressions are set and “consecrated”, and mean something special, like “the WHITE house” where Mr. Bush lives. In this case, the emphasis is on the adjective because we are more interested in stressing that it is the house that is known because it is white. Similarly, FAT boy is the nickname of a boy, chosen because it emphasizes his weight.

It will be useful for you to be aware of both types of two word expressions. Here is a list of a few that will get you thinking and give you some practice in identifying them and using them correctly. Underline the syllable that is stressed, and write a brief explanation, for both uses of each phrase. I start the exercise with two examples, the words white house and light bulb. You do the rest. And make sure you pronounce the words OUT LOUD.

WHITE house
In Washington

White HOUSE
House painted white

LIGHT bulb
Shines with electricity

Light BULB
A bulb that is not heavy

Dark room
Dark room

A cold fish
A gold fish

The paper box
The paper box

An old key
A door key

A nice watch
A wrist watch

A sticky web
A spider web

A clean cup
A coffee cup

A toy gun
A water gun

A bright star
A movie star

A new ball
A foot ball

A sharp knife
A steak knife

An old brush
A hair brush

A dry leaf
A fig leaf

A pointy tack
A thumb tack

A blackboard
A black board

A gray hound
A greyhound

A down payment
A late payment

He’s a big man.
He’s a big man.

A green house
A green house

The author, Frank Gerace, Ph.D, has worked in communication and education projects in Latin America. He has taught in public and private universities in Peru and Bolivia. Currently he teaches English to immigrant adults at an important branch of CUNY, the City University of New York. He also does private consultations for accent reductioon. He can be reached at [mailto:accent@leerespoder.com]accent@leerespoder.com. His website is http://www.GoodAccent.com and in Spanish it is http://www.InglesParaLatinos.com/Pronunciar.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Gerace http://EzineArticles.com/?Intonation:-An-Essential-Element-of-the-American-English-Accent&id=116238

Speaking and speaking well are two different things, with the latter undoubtedly more important. The disparity between the two is narrower among people who use only their mother tongue and broader for those wanting to speak or use a language other than their lingua franca. This principle also applies to writing.

Instinctively, people have a competent grip on the grammar of the language they first learned or acquired, or their “mother tongue.” A very simple explanation for this is their early exposure that led to their acquisition of that particular language. It then served as the seed for the formation of their world views, values system, definition, and all aspects related to language use. However, a person’s familiarity with his mother tongue is not a guarantee against usage flaws and grammatical error. Even the Americans speak ungrammatical English. Understandably, the perfection of grammar is not a very easy thing to accomplish even for natural speakers of a language, but much harder for those who want to learn a second language.

This struggle is felt largely among millions of non-native English speakers wanting to study, work, or live in an English-speaking country such as the United States. With vast increasing immigration movements, host countries have proficiently used their official language as a requirement for entry. Most countries use the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as a standard gauge for measuring the applicants’ aptitude. This practice has been instituted to help ensure that the immigrants will not have the trouble acquiring and using the official language essential in the work and living environment in the new country.

So if you are one of the millions who dream of being a nurse in London or an IT professional in the United States, you must seriously give ample attention and focus in mastering English (i.e. its grammar or correct usage). You might think that speaking basic, conversational English is enough. The truth is that emphasis on correct, decent, and business-like usage is what counts at the end of the day.

So while still working on your college education or gaining ample work experience in your own country for that career-abroad-dream, you better start equipping yourself with a competent command of the English language prior to your interview for *visa application*. The one who starts ahead will most likely see the greener pastures sooner than those who do not.

For basic English training, a lot of online courses specializing on grammar and pronunciation are available. www.upei.ca offers a competent training program starting with a diagnostic examination to determine the student’s competencies and weaknesses which will be given more concentration. This makes the program a personalized, needs-based training. The program will then proceed to identifying the most common problems on the student’s use of English and solving these through the succeeding stages of the program. Usually, the first two steps are followed by the identification of the different parts of speech concentrating on their functions in different contexts, the correct way of putting these parts of the speech together (phrase and sentence structures), identifying and solving commonly encountered problems in sentence formation (parallelism, modification, pronoun reference, subject-verb agreement, voices, tenses, etc.) and the use of correct style. The whole course costs $267.50 and has a duration of eight weeks. However, the program is a non-credit course.

The Internet Grammar of English (www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/) offers an online English course for free. It’s English language course is very gradual, starting from the study of words, to word classes (major and minor), to phrases, then clauses, sentences, paragraphs, to forms and functions. The training course also has a great number of exercises on the different aspects of English grammar in varying levels of difficulty and complexity. It even provides a list of suggested further readings for better practice and higher English proficiency.

Having a competent level of English proficiency, or any language for that matter, brings numerous benefits and advantages more than you can imagine. It can bring you to farther places and open more paths for greater opportunities than you can ever think of. Just mere reading without application will not bring you anywhere. The world is moving so fast so you better catch up.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Bleak http://EzineArticles.com/?English-Proficiency-Gives-You-an-Edge&id=265967

Corporate success today requires a diverse body of talent to implement new ideas, views, and perspectives. The client base has become multicultural and the need for effective communication demands diversity. In the past White males made up more than 60% of the American workforce. A steady growth pattern created a shortage of qualified personnel resulting in today’s multinational workforce and an alteration of the image of the typical American worker.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Report “Futurework:” Trends and Challenges for Work in the 21st Century states, “By 2050, the U.S. population is expected to increase by 50 percent and minority groups will make up nearly half of the population. Immigration will account for almost two-thirds of the nation’s population growth. The population of older Americans is expected to more than double. One quarter of all Americans will be of Hispanic origin. Almost one in ten Americans will be of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. And more women and people with disabilities will be on the job. Obviously clear communication is a necessity. However, in today’s workplace communication is lacking due to much of the international workforce’s accents.

R. Roosevelt Thomas, author of “Beyond Race and Gender” states that managing diversity is “a comprehensive managerial process for developing an environment that works for all employees”. However, that compatible environment still does not exist in work areas. Some American co-workers have a very bad attitude and a severe lack of patience when it comes to conversing on any level with those who speak with a heavy accent. Their attitude is “Why can’t they just go somewhere and learn English”. The truth of the matter is they have gone somewhere and learned English and it is not unusual to see statistics showing that oftentimes the non-native speaker scores higher on the standard grammar exam than the native speaker of English. Therefore, “learning” English is not always the problem, but speaking is.

The second language learner (including Americans acquiring a foreign language) speaks the acquired language in the same manner as the native language is spoken, therefore creating an “accent”. The rhythm, stress, intonation, and voice projection of the native language carries over to the second or acquired language and when spoken, it causes a number of distortions in word formations, pronunciation, etc.

Insensitive American co-workers have stated, “Why can’t they simply hear and repeat like our children do?” If simply hearing and speaking were the only requirement for language acquisition, there would be no communications problems anywhere in the world. There is nothing simple about language acquisition. In fact, it is a very complicated business. In addition to linguistic features, there are other factors contributed to speaking with a foreign accent. (On the Nature of Foreign Accents, Daniel P. Dato, Ph.D, CCC) Example (1) physical factors- to speak a single sound involves using an estimate of 100 different muscles in the throat, larynx, mouth, lips, tongue, and breathing mechanism. We do much of this involuntarily. Imagine trying consciously to control something that complex.

Example (2) cognitive factors (mental activity involved in problem solving.) One has to consider perception, memory, formulating ideas and processing language. Children acquire language easier by using all sense modalities and acquiring new knowledge. The adult acquires language generally in an artificial classroom setting where neuronal activities are limited and his sensory associations are restricted. He/she has no meaningful experience with the new language 2) does not live these experiences, but instead analyzes them 3) ends up over-intellectualizing the language and therefore limiting its natural flow. In addition to the cognitive factors, there are emotional factors involved. These can be fear, humiliation, and inhibitions. These combined cause further, ineffective communication.

Example (3) socio-cultural factors When a second language is learned, one has to also learn a second culture. The learner has to be able to interact with, exchange views, accept new ideas, risk mistakes and become assimilated in a new and strange environment. If the learner views the new culture with a negative stereotype, learning is inhibited. Additionally, there are pressures from the natives of the culture to expect language mastery to be a sign of intelligence, good faith and a willingness to communicate. How many times have people foreign to a country been treated by the natives of that country as though they were stupid or hard of hearing because they could not communicate clearly? There is also pressure from the learner’s ethnic group who feels that it is disloyal to their native culture to learn the target language and culture of another country.

When adapting to a new culture self-identity, among many things is disrupted. Underlying cultural differences often cause a state of cultural shock, which can create physical or mental illness. The second language learner living in another culture loses all commonly perceived and understood symbols and signs of social communion.

Many native speakers of English do not realize all of the complexities involved in the non-native speaker’s acquisition of English.

There is a tendency to be insensitive towards those with an accent and some are blissfully living in the ignorance of thinking that they (Americans) do not have an accent. Nothing could be further from the truth. People who have not studied English in America have learned British English (a very different sounding English than that spoken in the U.S.) After arriving stateside, the non-native speaker of English is confronted with an unfamiliar American accent and the frustration of having to learn a new way of speaking and listening.

Native American speakers articulate using the schwa (reduced vowel sound), contractions (blending two words to make one [can't, don't, etc]), and reduced phrases ([gonna, wanna, etc.]Vowel Dimensions, Howard B. Woods). Now, imagine the confusion when the non-native speaker hears, “Jeetjet?” when they were expecting to hear “Did you eat yet?” Therefore, the rhetorical question, “Why don’t they go somewhere and learn English” from the non-native speaker’s perspective can also apply to the native speaker of English.

The responsibility of communication is placed squarely on the shoulders of the non-native speaker of English. If there is to be an environment that works for all employees” then half of the responsibility to communicate rests on the shoulders of the American. In fairness and common sense, some well-placed sensitivity and listening workshops should be a mandatory part of all American employee training.

In reality, diversity is the future and growth and success depends upon the ability to communicate with clients worldwide. Qualified personnel is no longer White male, American only; therefore training non-native speakers to sound more like the American is just not going to be enough. The future American is going to have to tolerate, assimilate, and re-learn to communicate.

Alia Curtis, owner of Alia’s Academic Service http://www.aliaedits.com is an Accent Reduction Trainer as well as a Freelance Writer and Editor. She writes business copy and edits college application essays, graduate dissertations, and novels.

Her publishing credits include journalism, ghostwriting, short story writing, and co-authoring ESL reading comprehension textbooks.

She recently launched a new (and free) Lunchbox Learning site, The Depot http://www.askalia.squarespace.com where she gives how-to tips on writing business and academic papers for international professionals and students who have difficulty with writing but are required to write in the workplace or at school.

Articles for discussion are posted, also.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alia_Curtis http://EzineArticles.com/?Foreign-Accents—Problem-in-a-Diverse-Workplace?&id=720141

An accent is a way of pronouncing a language. It is therefore impossible to speak without an accent.

Some people may think they do not have an accent. Or you may think that there are other people who do not have an accent. Everyone has an accent. The term ‘accentless’ is sometimes used (by non-linguists) about people who speak one of the high prestige ‘reference’ accents (such as ‘General American’ or, less commonly, ‘RP’), which are associated with people from a fairly wide region and with people of high social class. But these are also accents. I will mention them again later in this FAQ.

Your accent results from how, where, and when you learned the language you are speaking and it gives impressions about you to other people. People do not have a single fixed accent which is determined by their experiences. We can control the way we speak, and do, both consciously and unconsciously. Most people vary their accent depending on who they are speaking with. We change our accents, often without noticing, as we have new life experiences.

How accurate people are in knowing about you from your accent depends not only on the features of your accent, but also on who the listener is, and what they know about the other people who speak with a similar accent to you.

Your accent might be one that is associated with people from a particular place (for example, with being from New York, London, or Delhi). Some people might just hear you as simply being from the US, England, or India. Your accent might give the impression that you spoke some other language before the one you are speaking at the moment (you might speak French with an English accent, or English with a Korean accent). It’s impossible to speak without conveying some information through your accent.

All languages are spoken with several different accents. There is nothing unusual about English. And not everyone who comes from the same place speaks the same: in any place there is a variety of accents.

Language changes over time. We get new words, there are grammatical changes, and accents change over time. If you listen to recordings made by people from your own language community 100 years ago, you will hear for yourself that even over that time accents have changed. Try out some of the links from the Spoken Word Archive Group, for example.

Source: http://linguistlist.org/ask-ling/accent.html