Job Discussion Forums

[leeroy]

Well, I'm British, teaching in Britain - so it's perhaps understandable that I instruct with a (mild) English accent, and expect students to repeat with something resembling my own way of speaking...

Occasionally, I do detect hints of American pronunciation in my students' speech - which is fine. But on the whole, I find the "flat" southern England way of speaking to be the best for students to learn with - I usually leave US pronunciation out of my lessons. When I do focus on differences (such as "hot", which, coming from an American sounds more like "hut" where I come from) my students make derogatory remarks about the generic American accent I present. I probably exaggerate the severity of US accents and dialects as a way of pushing my students on to British English (hell, at least I'm honest!)

It has occurred to me that my own views of British pronunciation being "superior" to others (in regard, at least, to teaching) come solely from it being my own accent. Possibly, American teachers consider their own accent to be the best for students. But in my view, Standard British English is better, not because of how it sounds in its singularity - but how it mixes with other accents.

American accents do not mix well. A razor sharp Japanese accent, mixed with an American twang, is a bit like orange juice and milk together. It sounds horrible. Of course such a thing is subjective, and there are plenty of British accents (such as cockney, the valleys, Scotland) that wouldn't go too well with Japanese either. The standard South England accent is like a blank sheet of paper - compared to many others, it sounds boring as hell. But that, I suppose, is the idea. It's a clean canvas with which any accent "carry-over" from their L1 can be added without too much danger of it conflicting.

Maybe I'm just being an evil British imperalist, though...

[Steiner]

[leeroy]

Yep, the lack of the "r" in Southern English sure is nice, and "can" and "can't" is much easier too! I honestly don't know how low level students can differentiate between them with US accents...

[Gordon]

You're both wrong. It's the Canadian west coast accent that's like a sheet of white paper, eh? I don't detect that I have even a hint of an accent.

BTW Steiner, I'm sure you could imitate a British accent better than any accent Tom Cruise could do.

[Capergirl]

Even within Canada and the U.S., there are very different accents. I have a hard time understanding someone from the Southern states, for example. That Southern drawl is something else. Another good example is the people from Newfoundland, a province just north of Nova Scotia. We Nova Scotians don't even know what the heck they are saying 90% of the time.

I try to teach my students a more mainstream version of Canadian/American English...the kind that you would hear on a news program, for example. I try not to use too much of the local slang, although I do teach them some of the most common words/phrases that they will hear. Fortunately, I have never had much of a twang myself (compared to some folks where I live) so I don't have a thick accent to overcome in the classroom. In any case, many of my students had learned English from instructors who are originally from England before they came to Canada, so they generally find the North American accents hard to grasp at first.

It makes sense to teach what you know, but I think it's good for students to experience different accents...from talking to different people, watching movies, listening to audiotapes, etc. Nonetheless, I remind them that even so-called "native speakers" of English don't understand English speakers from other parts of the world (like my experience in England last April... ).

[Roger]

Who expects Chinese English learners to master a clearly-defined, genuine English dialect? Not me! It's ridiculous to steer them towards "American" or "British" English, considering how short their exposure to any of us is compared to how much longer they are exposed to English pronunciation and intonation from one of their countrypeople.
Most have such a halting speech, and a Chinese intonation, you can't even begin of drilling any particular accent.
You must be grateful if they manage to pronounce "TH", "S" , "R",and "SH" anywhere close to international standards. NOt to mention their inability to stress, to differentiate between short and long vowels.

There is nothing wrong with a faint CHinese accent so long as pronunciation is clear and unadulterated.
To achieve this is one hell of a long-haul job!

[Twisting in the Wind]

[Twisting in the Wind]

[scot47]

Leeroy so you reckon that RP is the way ? Except you call it "Southern English". This is not a geographical or regional accent but a CLASS accent. And you should be honest about that and call it RP as everyone used to do.

Let's recruit all our EFL teachers from Eton and Harrow.

We HAVE to come to terms with the HUGE variety in types of spoken English. To present one variety as "Standard" is not the right way.

[george61]

I feel sorry for you lot.....lumbered with your native accents...what a shame you can't speak the best English of all...Australian!! My accent is completely neutral! No-one can guess where I am from,just by listening to me. MOST people learning a foreign language will have an accent...from theor own country. You can't expect one class a week to change an accent. Chinese students will always have a Chinese accent when they speak English,and the same applies to every other country.I had a Scottish uncle,who lived in Australia for about 50 years.....he never lost his Scots accent.Forget the accent,and make sure they learn structure,grammar and vocabulary. Pronunciation only comes with practice,and unless they are very lucky,none of them will get enough.

[leeroy]

RP? Teachers from Eton? Wouldn't dream of it old boy!

And I see the spirit of "Everything Australian Is Best!" lives on - even in regard to accents.

Perhaps I wasn't referring to "teaching accents" as such, rather "presenting language within certain accents". The bog standard "southern English" seems best to me as it is relatively bland - and (in my humble opinion) mixes better with L1 accents than some others.

I had a student called "Hong", a 6 foot 2 Chinese guy who weighed about 16 stone, and sported a shaved head (apart from a bleached blonde mohican.) To say he was "a character" would be an understatement. On my first day with that class, Hong approached me, stuck out his hand and boomed "Orwight geezer?" (an informal London greeting between males). It was a surreal experience, not least his appearance but how he had managed to blend a Chinese accent with a thick London one.

I've heard students speak with a vast variety of mixtures of native/non-native accents (Chinese/American, Indonesian/Australian, even Pakistani/Scottish!). The native accents naturally occur later, though - and are probably more likely to develop when students are in a native English speaking environment.

[george61]

Of course "Australian" is best. How many times do you have to be told!Accents are moulded by what you hear everyday.Not what you hear in a classroom.If your students practice what they hear,their accents will change.Repetition,repetition....did I repeat myself? I coud have all my students saying "G'day",if I kept at it,but there is too much more to teach them....Hard enough changing "werry vell" into "very well".....and getting "urally" out of their systems. Almost every Chinese student I have come across,says those 2 phrases exactly the same.Where do they get it from?????

[Will.]

The best accent to teach...
If you really want to teach an accent, teach the one you know how to teach best, the one you have.
Now don't you all go telling me you ain't got no accent.
There ain't none as good as the one I have right now and I plan on improving it a little bit more so it can be more intelligible to more people who are non-native listeners of English. I do not speak as I did when first I left these shores back in the seventies. I am often shocked at how the denizens of this island, and here in the estuary, speak. This is the language my students need to understand. I teach it, I also teach a better version.

[Will.]

The best accent to teach...
If you really want to teach an accent, teach the one you know how to teach best, the one you have.
Now don't you all go telling me you ain't got no accent.
There ain't none as good as the one I have right now and I plan on improving it a little bit more so it can be more intelligible to more people who are non-native listeners of English. I do not speak as I did when first I left these shores back in the seventies. I am often shocked at how the denizens of this island, and here in the estuary, speak. This is the language my students need to understand. I teach it, I also teach a better version.

[Will.]

I've said it once, I am not saying it again.