Accents present a distinctive mode of pronunciation especially associated with a particular nation, locality or social class.
In my opinion, accents are the world’s symphonies of voice. They sound very different just like musical instruments. However, they express a beautiful quality that no man made instrument can duplicate. A speaker’s voice uses a variation of pitch, volume, rate and confidence. The sound of a speaker’s voice is also unique as we all have are own individual quality exactly like no one else in the world. It is this uniqueness that also can give speakers that memorable performance.
With accents, a distinct emphasis is given to a syllable or word in stress, pitch or vowel quality. It can be delightful to listen to and helps to hold the audience’s attention. The only time, an accent is problematic, is when the speaker cannot be understood. That’s where speech training can help through imitation and correct pronunciation. The good news is that we all tend to shift towards the accent of the people we interact verbally with most, even without trying.
If English is not your first language, don’t let this stop you from becoming a professional speaker. Remember your accent is like a beautiful musical instrument ready to be played with precision, clarity and purpose.
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