Frequently Asked Questions
Interested in an assessment?
If you are interested in having an assessment please complete the Expression of Interest Form
- Download the Expression of Interest Form [PDF - 466 kB]
and email or fax it to the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders: speech@dal.ca or (fax) 902-494-5151.
- Why do I have an accent?
- Who cares if I have an accent! Why do you think I should change it?
- Why is the clinic in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders? Do you think I have a disorder?
- Why is it called a clinic? That sounds like a hospital. Do you think I'm sick?
- Why are accent assessments and sessions at your clinic done by a speech-language pathologist and not a teacher?
- Will this make me sound like a native speaker of standard North American English?
- What is the goal of accent training?
- Do accent training, accent modification and accent reduction mean the same thing?
- What kinds of things would I do to work on my accent?
- What kind of research is done through the accent clinic?
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Why do I have an accent?
There are several things that give you an 'accent', including differences in language skills and pronunciation. Language skills include things like vocabulary knowledge, grammar usage and idioms; these skills will be evident in your writing. If you cannot find the right word or you forget to add the past tense -ed onto a verb, these are language abilities. Language abilities can make it sound like you have an accent but are not what we focus on here. We work on pronunciation skills, which have more of an impact on your accent. Pronunciation skills can only be learned by listening and speaking and are not evident in your writing. It is very common for English language programs to focus more on language skills than on pronunciation skills, which is one reason why you may have an accent.
Your native language/dialect influence your accent. The sounds in your native language/dialect may be different from the standard North American English dialect. Some sounds may be hard for you to pronounce and some sounds that are different in English may sound the same to you. More importantly, the rhythm and melody in your speech will affect how well other people understand you and whether they perceive you to have an accent. For example, syllables and syllable stress are not treated the same way in different languages and you may have trouble with their use in English. This may sometimes make it hard for people to understand you.
Who cares if I have an accent! Why do you think I should change it?
We don’t think you need to change your accent at all if it’s not an issue for you. The reason we work in this field is because we love language and we find accents fascinating. However, we also know that some people feel that their accent is a barrier for them either in their personal or professional lives. We follow a client-centred approach, which means that we respect each individual’s feelings about his or her accent. Our job is to be available to provide evidence-based information and training on pronunciation if that is important to you. We understand why people would want to improve their pronunciation to be better understood or to express their chosen identity.
Why is the clinic in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders? Do you think I have a disorder?
No, we do not believe that you have a disorder. Our department offers programs in speech-language pathology and audiology and our faculty and students conduct research within these fields. In speech-language pathology, we specialize in communication, which means that we study how we learn language, how we produce and use speech, what can go wrong with these abilities, and how we can work on improving them. Accents are influenced by multiple factors of speech and language so accent training falls within our scope of practice.
Why is it called a clinic? Do you think I'm sick?
The term “clinic” is used here to mean educational sessions offered for a specific purpose, as, for example, “ski clinic” or “dance clinic.” The term “clinic” does not have any medical connotations. We do not think you are sick or that there is anything wrong with you. As a clinic, we can give you information about accents, your own accent and help you change things about your accent if that is your goal.
Why are accent assessments and sessions at your clinic done by a speech-language pathologist and not a teacher?
Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech therapists, have a different kind of training from English teachers. We are trained to understand how the brain represents language, how the brain controls our muscles in order to speak, and how to help someone change the way they speak or communicate. We are able to assess a person’s language and speech abilities, set specific training targets and create a training plan. In many ways, we are similar to English teachers in our approach to pronunciation instruction although English teachers usually focus more on language learning than on pronunciation. Neither is better or worse. You have probably already worked with English teachers or tutors but it is unlikely that you have worked with a speech therapist. We encourage you to find what suits your needs best.
Will this make me sound like a native speaker of standard North American English?
No, we do not expect that you will ever sound like a native speaker of this dialect of English. With clear goals, daily practice and a high level of awareness, you can make small changes over a long period of time, such as 5 to 6 months. You can think of your accent as a deeply ingrained habit that will be hard to change. If you feel very motivated to make changes in the way that you speak and you feel that you can fit in 15-20 minutes of practice at least 5 days a week, then you should make some noticeable changes relatively soon (e.g., 4-5 weeks). Your accent will always be a part of the way that you speak, especially when you feel tired or immediately after you have been speaking your native language/dialect.
What is the goal of accent training?
First, we focus on elements in the way you speak that might make it hard for others to understand you. We can also identify and work on other differences in your accent but that is entirely your decision. We respect that you may want to change your accent for your own personal reasons. You can decide why you want to work on your accent. Our goal is essentially to give you the information and skills that you need to change your pronunciation only if and when you want to.
Do accent training, accent modification and accent reduction mean the same thing?
Yes, these are all phrases that refer to the same type of training. You will find the same information online and in books if you search for any of those phrases, except that, for 'accent training', you may also find training for people who want to learn how to speak different accents for acting. We only work on what is called a North American English accent at the Dalhousie Accent Clinic. We can also talk about some of the dialect variations that you might hear or use in other regions but we are not experts on those dialects.
What kinds of things would I do to work on my accent?
In your first visit, we will assess your language skills, listening abilities, speech sound pronunciation and intonation patterns. Some of the assessment will be audio-recorded so that we can listen to your speech again after the session. We will write a report for you that describes the ways that your accent is different than the North American English dialect. In that report, we will make recommendations on speech goals we could work on with you and the minimum number of sessions needed to address those goals.
During training sessions, we focus on one accent goal, or target, at a time. These accent goals can be any difference in your accent, such as a speech sound, a syllable stress pattern, or an intonation pattern. We target accent goals using a layered approach, moving from speech targets in isolation to words, phrases, sentences, and finally conversation. We will not move up to the next level until you are successful with the current level. For example, if you struggle with saying the 'th' sound in words like 'think', we would not move up to saying the 'th' sound in sentences until you are comfortable with the sound at the start, middle and end of single words.
We will create handouts with terminology, phrases and sentences that are relevant to your field of study, social activities or work environment. For example, if you are a nurse, we might work on sentences that you would actually say to a patient, like "I'll need to check your blood pressure now" or "Let's sit down so I can explain your test results". We will create worksheets that you can use to practice in the session and at home and we will discuss with you how you could practice these new skills during your daily routines. There are online resources as well that we will share with you if we think they will be helpful. We try to make training sessions and home practice as relevant to your own accent goals as possible. In order to do this, we will frequently ask you how things are going with home practice, what you have noticed about your accent or the accent of others during your daily life, and how you feel about your accent over time.
What kind of research is done through the accent clinic?
We study the efficacy of group accent training classes (although we are not offering group classes at the moment) and the differences in vowel sounds in different dialects. You can find out more about Dr. Michael Kiefte's research projects at this link (https://www.dal.ca/faculty/healthprofessions/human-communication-disorders/faculty-staff/our-faculty/Michael-Kiefte.html). We are not currently conducting any research with private clients. We will not use any of your audio files or assessment results for research purposes without asking you first.