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Buzz Feed frequently plays with language and culture, from people trying international junk foods to trying out different accents. Here's a fun clip of people around the world showing off their best attempts at the American accent. When you watch a movie from the 1930's or 40's, you might think that Americans used to have a very different way of speaking. Not quite British, but definitely not what you hear in American media today. The real story, however, is that actors were taught a stylized way of speaking, called the Mid-Atlantic Accent, because it was considered sophisticated. It was a hybrid of the British Received Pronunciation and the modern American accent. You can read more about this phenomenon and see movie clips in this article by Trey Taylor in the Atlantic.
A big part of changing the way you speak is understanding the speech patterns you use and how what you hear may be different from what is actually being said. Our native language influences our brain from an early age, creating a filter for speech sounds, or a phonological system. When we learn a new language, our filter interprets the sounds we hear and tries to match them with known quantities. So while the new language may have different sounds, we aren’t always hearing them. Fortunately, when these sounds are pointed out with a contrasting sound (such as the error we produce with our accent), we can hear the difference, and begin to correct our production. To read a layperson’s take on the science behind accents, read Wired Magazine’s Nick Stockton’s recent article.
Sorry, could you repeat that please? Some people have a harder time than others when it comes to understanding a speaker with a foreign accent. Many people have a hard time asking for clarification when they don’t understand, but it is important to be willing to ask in order to reduce misunderstandings. Phone calls can be especially difficult. Some ideas? Ask specific questions with yes or no answers, repeat key words you understood to establish the topic, and rephrase what you heard to be certain you understood. For more ideas, read here.
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