An Accent is just a system of rules for speech and language.

I am a licensed and certified Speech Language Pathologist. Accent reduction and accent modification are terms that are used to describe what I offer to my clients. Some in the field of Speech Pathology as well as outside of the field think of the service as discriminatory. They feel that non-native speakers are discriminated against because of their accents. However, there are many more people who believe that individuals are seeking this service to improve their communications skills. The terms accent expansion or English pronunciation training/coaching is a more positive way to describe helping individuals improve their speech with a goal to sound more natural in their English communication. We are not taking anything away, but rather expanding on their current skills.

They have the sounds and rules of their native language and when they learn English or any other language after the first language, the subsequent languages are generally filtered through the rules of the first language. This leads to accented speech which can lead to frustration with communication as well as communication breakdowns and possibly feelings of isolation or limited career growth, etc. We all have accents - an accent is just a system of rules for speech and language. In a certain regions people inside that region share those rules. People outside generally do not know the rules of the region, but they can learn them.

I took French for years from middle school through sophomore year in college. Despite knowing the grammar and vocabulary of the language I did not sound natural. When I was in France and trying to speak French, I would get sideways glances as I was speaking French through my filter of rules that I use naturally in English. Therefore, I was speaking in English accented French or French with an English accent. If I were ever to move to Canada or another French speaking country, I would seek out a pronunciation specialist to help me speak French so I could more easily be understood and sound natural. There are rules that I would need to learn and practice to achieve that goal.