Do we all have accents?

As an English language learner, I know I have an accent that will stay with me for the rest of my life. As an ESOL teacher, I was once asked by some of my students how they could get rid of their accents. A student once requested me to dedicate part of the class to teach them how to "change their accent." My response to their concern reinforced the fact that everyone has accents and that our accents are part of our identity. It is discouraging to see how so many colleges and businesses often fool students into thinking that an accent can be "corrected" or changed. It is upsetting to see schools and individuals make money by selling an idea that emphasizes incorrect information knowing that an accent can not be "removed" unless an individual decides to pretend to speak like someone else.

When I searched for the word “accent,” the first definition shown in wikipedia.com states that an "accent" is a way of pronunciation particular to a speaker or group of speakers. Then I wonder, why will people spend time creating courses or teaching something that's part of someone's identity? Why not instead, educate bilinguals about being proud of their identity, including our unique accents. One of the best articles I've read about accents discusses the experience of Hernan Diaz, an associate director at Columbia University. In his article and video, Mr. Diaz discusses his experience being accent discriminated whenever he uses one of the three languages he speaks.

Some might wonder, why some students’ accents are stronger or more noticeable than others. Subsequently, as part of our identities, accents are part of our ongoing development as a person. Accents are often more noticeable in the additional languages that we learn to speak. The older we are when we learn a second language, the stronger or more noticeable our accent maybe. Growing up when we went places with my dad, I remember seeing how often he struggled to communicate in English not being easily understood by others. There were times when he also struggled to find the correct pronunciation of the words he was trying to use. He learned to adjust and successfully ran a furniture business where he had to speak English every day. He managed to negotiate and discuss furniture and fabric by learning the terms related to the conversations he had every day. His perseverance and success taught me that we can learn to accommodate current situations as long as we have the will to not get embarrassed or discouraged from using our second or third languages.

When it comes to my own accent, I often remind myself not to get discouraged when I struggle to pronounce words correctly. I am living proof that an accent does not make us any less smart or knowledgeable. It just requires us to be more in-tune with the language we use. There are times when I have to repeat myself or be extra careful about the words that I use when speaking to others. Nevertheless, there are always different words we can use to get our point across with or without an accent.