Overview

An accent usually belongs to a group of people. It refers to their set of particular pronunciation patterns.¹ Everyone has an accent, as everyone is part of a group (geographically, socially, generationally, for example) that influences their way of speaking. In fact, our pronunciation can be affected by more than one group, the miscellaneous influence is how we develop our language. Sometimes people are not aware of their accent, but others will probably identify when someone says certain words differently.²

Accents can be understood as a part of what a dialect is. A dialect also exists within a group of people, representing their unique way of speaking. It has a system of its own, even its own vocabulary modifications, which makes it a broader variation of a primary language. An accent is a spoken variation, but it still follows all norms and structures of a language.²

Accent reduction is a process that aims to modify someone’s way of speaking, reshaping their phonetic patterns. The final goal is to be able to mimic another specific accent, usually socially known as more neutral, which does not mean losing the original speech habits. People who look for an accent reduction often want to speak more clearly towards a target audience, adapting to a way that will be better accepted. It could be for job interviews, impersonating a character, workplace communication or simply social interactions and self-confidence. The process of accent reduction is an attempt to strengthen relations with non-habitual groups.³ 

Role of speech therapy in accent reduction

What is speech therapy?

Through various techniques, speech therapy can help one overcome a wide variety of communication barriers, through exercises to strengthen vocal capacity, improve pronunciation and learn how to speak, in general. It is recommended to any type of speech impairment and adaptations, language disorders or even swallowing problems.

How speech therapists help with accent reduction

The speaking system we build while learning our native language comes with more than just knowing the words, it involves a range of sound inflexions. These phonetic variations are often particular to the group you grew up in, like your city. It is like throughout life you learned how to decorate your speaking with a certain set of accessories that everyone around you also uses. When you’re learning a new language or a variation of your own, you can not help but put your accessories on the new speaking systems. In speech therapy for accent reduction, you learn how to change the ornaments. It targets the distinguishable sounds that you were not sufficiently exposed to while growing up. 

Speech therapy for accent reduction relies on a series of exercises to turn habits first acquired when learning how to communicate more malleable and controllable. To do so, the therapist has to identify the preexisting patterns; how one pronunciate certain vowels and consonants, or how they use intonation and rhythm, for example. Such evaluation identifies target sounds to be worked on to achieve the set goals.⁴

Customised therapy plans

Once your therapist has identified your personal needs, this will guide the next steps. The approach is individualised based on the professional assessment and patterns known to speakers of your native language and natural accent. By being aware and practising regularly, your speech therapist can give feedback on how to improve your weak areas.⁴

Techniques used in speech therapy for accent reduction

Listening and auditory perception exercises

To be able to obtain a new way of speaking, it is important to be able to recognise the difference between the way you currently speak and the way you’re aiming for. So a part of the speech therapy for accent reduction is focused on distinguishing subtle sound and rhythmic differences, fine-tuning the ear. Once these are recognisable, exercises are based on repetition and try to imitate what is heard.^5,6

Articulation training

Training the mouth position for different sounds heavily impacts clarity, making the sounds smoother and also easier to mimic. Exercises focus on reproducing specific sounds based on the phonetic chart of the aimed accent or language (“th” in English, for example.^5,6

Intonation and stress patterns

Intonation refers to the melody of speech, pitch, and word stress, elements that affect comprehension of what is being said, as they act like spoken punctuation. Such training is part of speech therapy to increase fluency, these bring dimension to the speech.⁵

Rate of speech and rhythm

Adjusting speed for and emphasising the natural flow of speech also increases fluency, it makes the speech easily understandable for native speakers.⁶

Benefits of accent reduction therapy

• Improve communication: speak more clearly, both in a professional and personal setting, avoiding misunderstandings due to accent barriers
• Increase confidence: comfortably communicating in social situations; receiving more empathy from others, as they feel closer to you; enhanced ability to engage in diverse environments
• Career advantages: better job prospects in industries like customer service, media, or corporate roles by adapting to diverse audiences; increased public speaking ability; being more aware of the listener's needs

Challenges and considerations

Polishing your speaking to reduce your accent is time-consuming and requires a lot of commitment. Practices rely on repetition and keeping frequency, so brain connections related to speech can properly adjust. As improvements work gradually, realistic expectations are important not to lose motivation. 

Besides, accent reduction can bring a load of cultural sensitivity. It is important to keep in mind why to train for accent modulation and balancing it with cultural identity and personal preferences. The speech therapist should respect one’s native way of speaking while improving communication in a new language or accent.

Summary

Communication skills are important tools to develop relationships, either for personal or professional reasons. Being able to express and bring yourself closer to your audience, can open doors or be simply satisfying and fulfilling. Learning how to reshape accents can bring such benefits, depending on the context. Some might want it to be better understood, maybe for job interviews, presentations, others might find it helpful in new social environments, for blending in, feeling more confident and articulate.

Speech therapy for accent reduction can provide proper tools and guidance into mastering a new language or a different accent. It is not an attempt to lose your natural speaking inclinations, but to have more control of how you speak, being able to change how you’re perceived for your advantage. A speech therapist is able to evaluate your needs to achieve the type of communication you’re aiming for. Once the professional identifies weak spots and additional details that you could work on, there begins a series of exercises to train your brain into reshaping some communicative habits.

By listening to native speakers, recognizing patterns, training the shape of your mouth for specific sounds, keeping on repeating the exercises and being consistent with the speech therapy, one can gradually achieve the desired accent modulation. It is important to have a therapist who respects your original way of speaking and your culture, someone who is aware that your roots must be kept in balance with this process and that accent reduction is simply a supporting tool.