ACCENT REDUCTION
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The following are interesting items of information about accents from a variety of sources.
Research carried out by the University of Chicago found that people unconsciously doubt harder to process statements more than easily understandable ones. Instead of perceiving their statements as more difficult to understand, they perceive them as less truthful. The result of this unconscious mental operation has a big impact on millions of people, who routinely communicate in a language which is not their native tongue. People were influenced by the impact of accent and they say that an accent might reduce the credibility of job seekers, eyewitnesses, reporters or news anchors. Read more about their findings.
International medical graduates account for 25% of the doctors practicing in Australia. Many of these people find that clear communication is essential to their work. Indeed, many doctors report that effective communication boosts their self confidence, eases interactions with colleagues and improves patient care.
There are many things that can influence why we have an accent. Research has been carried out about how we formulate words, how we come by our accents and how we decode what is being said to us. This research looked into how are brain controls our accent
In the U.S. religious pastors have identified communication difficulties with their congregation and have sought accent modification training to help them communicate more clearly with locals. |
"I am really glad that I had the opportunity to work with a professional and outstanding teacher. She helped me a lot and my English pronunciation has improved significantly." (Roberta, MBA, Italy)
"It was a wonderful and valuable experience for me. The course helped me to gain confidence in improving my English accent. I believe it provides me a tool to continually improve my English accent for the rest of my life. I really enjoyed the whole course and appreciated the teacher's kindness, patience and encouragement during the course. It's flexibility was suitable for my busy schedule and by attending to the constructive weekly assignments, it showed me a new angle to understand English. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to improve their English accent." (Mrs Lin, Accountant, China)
"I now feel more confident and no longer have to repeat myself when I speak with patients or other staff." (Dr K, India)
"The course was great, it gave me confidence and all the practical tools I needed to improve my English and reduce my accent". (Mr Acosta, Columbia)
"The accent reduction course has improved the pronunciation of my daily vocabulary. It has made me aware of the importance of language in communicating with other people especially in my sales job. It has now given me the confidence to speak clearly". (Ms Lai, China)
"When I had a job interview, I was given feedback that I needed to reduce my accent. That’s how and why I decided to enrol in the accent reduction program, which suited my objectives. I was taught how to make correct pronunciation for each sound and how to produce and project my voice effectively to listeners. I achieved more than 80% improvement comparing my accent at the beginning and end of the program. I found a job towards the end of the program, which played an important role in achieving the outcome." (Mr Takeshima, Engineer, Japan)
"The program was excellent. It was designed for my specific needs and fully met my expectations. For years I wondered why my English sounded foreign, but it took only one session with my teacher to find out why. At the end of my course the difference in my sounds and intonation patterns and rhythm was most gratifying - a real confidence booster". (Venie, Russia)