Everyone has an accent. A person's particular way of speaking often allows a listener to identify where the speaker may be from. While diverse accents are a wonderful aspect of spoken English, sometimes an accent can make it difficult for individuals from one country or region to fully understand people from another. The Dalhousie Accent Clinic provides services to enable you to recognize and produce the sounds and speech patterns of North American English so that you may more easily communicate with other individuals from this region.
How do accents affect communication?
Whenever two individuals do not share the same accent, it is more likely that misunderstandings will occur. These communication challenges may have a negative impact on educational performance, career advancement and/or successful social communication, and might also affect an individual鈥檚 self-esteem.
Who might benefit from accent training?
- Individuals who have a good command of the English language but have found their speech is not always fully understood by people in the community in which they live, work or study.
- Individuals who feel self-conscious about their accent and decide that they would like to modify their speech to lessen their social discomfort and increase their confidence in speaking English.