Polyglot Accents

02/15/2024

This was sooo fun, and it got me exactly right (actually, it said Aurora, IL, which is where my husband is from...hmmmm). Even if you're not a native speaker, try this out and see where it thinks you're from - at the end you'll get a few maps showing differences between what you say and what other parts of the country say. Don't have a NY Times subscription? Pro tip: lots of libraries have access, so check through your public library if you can get online.

What does the way you speak say about where you’re from? Answer all the questions below to see your personal dialect map.

02/08/2024

How do you say the word "literally?" Is it "lit-ruh-lee" or "li-duh-ruh-lee?" I shared this video with a client who was saying it "lit-ruh-lee" the other day (even though technically both are correct, this is what I think of when I hear it that way):

Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) says "literally" a lot. Lucky for you, we've made a video of every time he's ever said it! Enjoy!Your favorite shows, movies and mor...

02/01/2024

Here's a helpful link for my Indian English-speaking friends! Indian English is considered its own version of English, just like American English or Australian English. Here's a table of words and sayings showing Indian English/American English side-by-side. No more "nighties" for "PJs!"

This is not to say that the Indian English phrases are wrong, they are just different than American English. This table could be just as useful for American English speakers understanding their Indian friends.

American Language, difference between Indian English and American English

01/24/2024

A newer client asked me this week if there's only one American accent, so this article was perfectly timed! I myself have to tone down my Chicago accent when I'm teaching clients (it's "alley," not "ay-uh-lee") and I've noticed I've picked up California-isms (no "t" after "n," like in Sacramento).

It was a pretty valid question though, because how can you learn an "American" accent if there is more than one? I usually have two replies. The first is that obviously you should go for whichever accent is used where you live, if that applies. The second is that for a long time, broadcast journalism schools taught an accent that was based on Ohio English; so a nice Midwestern accent (without too many crazy vowels, I'm looking at you, Great Lakes) can be a good middle ground, because it tends to be the one used for news/sports programs and therefore generally accepted. (Getting people to use their regional accents in broadcasting is a whole different argument, which I fully support, but we can discuss that elsewhere!)

Migration patterns, cultural ties, geographic regions and class differences all shape speaking patterns

08/24/2023

Native speakers: I'm coming for you, and this is a hard one! Accent bias is a real thing, and it's often overlooked. PLEASE take a moment to read this brief, well-written article and consider your unconscious bias the next time you're hiring. The article suggests role-playing, spending time traveling and noticing your own difficulty with communication, and examining pre-existing biases as starting points.

"One study had students listen to audio-recorded interviews, accompanied by a resume and photo, and found that speakers with non-native accents were less likely to be recommended for a middle management position, despite the fact that the interview was scripted and all speakers said the same thing. Likewise, the same researchers found that making a pitch to acquire venture capital with a non-native accent led to less success at getting funding (Huang, Frideger and Pearce 2013). "

Non-native accents can serve as triggers to stereotypes.

08/22/2023

Last summer, I had multiple clients that loved Leonardo DiCaprio. While talking about intonation, a few of them cited this scene from The Wolf of Wall Street as an inspiration (and we all got a chuckle out of how random it was that more than one of them picked this at the same time). We talked about the difference between imitating intonation patterns vs. copying a speaker's voice outright. It's great to have an inspiration to look to! But make sure you're using what works for you, so you continue to sound authentic, and not like a very good copy of someone else.

Other speakers that clients have wanted to emulate in the past included Barack Obama and Rush Limbaugh. Who would you pick?

Wolf of Wall Street Sales Pitch

08/07/2023

Do you know this quote from the classic film My Fair Lady? (And can we all agree that Julie Andrews is a legend?)

A Mandarin-speaking client and I were joking about this recently, because this "ain" sound (specifically, long a before n) tends to be quite tricky for speakers like her. She pointed out that this sound has been challenging people for quite some time. :)

Does this apply to you? Think about how this long a sound combined has two vowels in a row, like "ay-ee," and make sure you spend enough time on the vowel to produce the whole thing. The most common difference I've seen includes shortening the sound to one vowel, which sounds almost like a short "e" ("ren").

Still not sure? Check out a clip from the movie online to hear more.

07/31/2023

If it's about native language influence, I'm interested! 🙋‍♀️ This one is specifically studying polyglots who spoke 5+ languages. It's a pretty small study, but still pretty cool.

"There was one exception to the rule: When participants heard their native tongue, their language networks were actually quieter than when they heard other familiar languages...[t]his trend held even when participants were fluent in their other familiar languages..."

Neuroimaging reveals how polyglots’ brains respond to both familiar and unfamiliar languages

07/24/2023

Cringe, this makes me regret using my "valley girl" accent as an intonation example. Do you find yourself being mentally more critical of female speakers? Really? Think about the last comedian or TedTalk you watched and then think again...

( used to be my jam, I love articles like this.)

The 3 reasons women’s voices are subject to negative stereotypes.

07/20/2023

Another quick share for my fellow SLPs and accent coaches out there!

I absolutely love this website for making my own word lists. You can look up whatever sound combo is particularly vexing your client (ain? words containing both w and v? recurrent r?) and create a list from there. Just type it into the box at the top, and select if you want the word to start with/end with/contain your letter combo.

words that start with a, words starting with a, words that begin with a, words beginning with a, a words

07/17/2023

Okay, this is pretty insanely cool to look at. Where's your native language on here?





Embark on a journey through the linguistic powerhouses, mapping the world's most spoken languages in captivating detail.

07/07/2023

This is so important! I've worked with a number of speakers of African languages, and every single one of them was multilingual (more than just English and their native language).

Studies of African multilingual contexts are almost non-existent in high-impact scientific journals.