Accent is a characteristic way of speaking based on a person’s ethnicity, mother tongue, location, peer group and work.
Ann Cook, a renowned Accent Trainer says that Accents are neither good or bad... they are just different.
If a person feels that he or she has a lot of Mother Tongue Influence and people find a little hard to understand him or her then Voice and Accent Training can really help.
In case you are in the field of training or public speaking or if you have foreign clients it makes sense to work upon your voice and accent. The way you speak and modulate your voice is a part of your personality and it helps you to create an impact. People pay more attention to you if you modulate your voice as per the situation and can create an excitement and interest in the mind of the listener.
Like the way we go to a gym and build our body muscles, we can also work upon our speech and sound more impactful. One can either join a Voice and Accent course or work with a coach to learn the intricacies of voice modulation and accent.
There are three dimensions of an accent:
- Articulation: The way we say our vowels and consonants sounds. (In India people sometimes have issues with S/Sh, Z/Zh and V/W sounds)
- Pronunciation: How we stress a part of the word. (Syllable Stress)
- Intonation: The music of the language... the rhythm, pace, pauses, highs and lows...
Becoming aware of these three areas can really help you to become aware of your speech patterns and work upon your opportunity areas.