Friday, August 28, 2009 at 12:57PM Clients have told me that they feel like they're somehow being "dishonest" or "deceitful" when speaking with an American accent... like they're being a "fake". But actors put on new characters — sometimes with new accents — all the time. Are they being deceitful? Or are you like an actor???
Monday, August 24, 2009 at 3:00AM In my previous post, I shared why I feel terms like "accent reduction" and "accent modification" reveal a negative approach to accent acquisition. Now let's consider a more positive perspective. I encourage my clients to take on the mindset of adopting a new accent... and I often use the example of putting on a suit.
Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 1:14PM I don't like the term "accent reduction"... or even "accent modification". Why??? Because these terms imply that your accent is a bad thing. The term "accent reduction" begins with the premise that you are trying to get rid of something bad, or fix something that is broken. But you are not broken!
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 11:39AM I'm often asked this question. And sometimes, because I train people to speak English with an American accent, people will presume that I think American English is better than other varieties of English.
Monday, August 10, 2009 at 12:01AM If you’re concerned about the impression that your accent may give to your audience in a public speaking situation, here’s a great line to use from an Indian immigrant (quoted in an article entitled “7 Things Never to Say to Asian-American Executives” on DiversityInc.com)…