1. Who is your favourite speaker in your language/English/other language?
2. Are there any prejudices toward accents in your country? Are broad regional accents a barrier to social mobility? Which regional accents have you had difficulties in understanding?
3. Have you ever considered changing your accent? Can you mimic any other accents?
Read article here: Accent Reduction Reading
4. What is your reaction? Were you surprised by the demand for elocution lessons in the UK?
5. Isn't elocution an old-fashioned concept? As social boundaries change in the UK, isn't speaking 'posh' now irrelevant?
6. Have you heard any of the UK accents mentioned in the article? Did any of them appeal to you, or did they put you off?
7. The author of the article mentioned educationalists who favour not correcting children's errors as it might affect their confidence; where do you stand on this issue?
8. Do you have elocution tutors in your country? Is there a big demand for their services?
9. What advice would you give to a young person looking to advance their career? Would it include changing their accent?
10. We’re less likely to believe something if it’s said with a foreign accent. Do you agree?
11. Have you heard of 'foreign accent syndrome', a condition that can affect people after some sort of shock?
12. Do pop stars/ movie stars adopt accents in your country?
13. Why do so many movie villains have British accents?
14. Do animals have accents? Does birdsong vary from continent to continent?
..........
Situation
You are an accent coach at Tutorpages.Com. Explain to a journalist (your teacher) the benefits of 'voice enhancement'. Answer any questions they have.
..........
Discuss quotes
"Germans don't speak in a German accent, they just speak German."
- Daniel Day-Lewis
"To cultivate an English accent is already a departure away from what you are."
- Sean Connery
"In Paris, one is always reminded of being a foreigner. If you park your car wrong, it is not the fact that it’s on the sidewalk that matters, but the fact that you speak with an accent."
- Roman Polanski
"Learn a language, and you’ll avoid a war."
– Arab Proverb
"Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery."
– Amy Chua
Student Handout PDF: Accent Reduction
Photo: Shvets Production