Article: Heavy accents can impede career success

Marianopolita · Jan 2, 2009

There is an interesting article in the Montreal Gazette today about accents and the fact that 'heavy accents can impede career success'. The article draws my attention for many reasons and some of the main ones being that Montreal is a very diverse city in Canada and among the most diverse in the world. French is the official language of the province of Quebec and Montreal is the most diverse linguistically. In addition to French, you will hear English, Spanish and Arabic, which are three secondary languages that readily stand out in my mind.

An article such as this one speaks to the diversity, challenges and communication issues that many face if they have a noticeable accent of any kind as a foreigner or immigrant when speaking the vernacular language of their new place of residence. This can hold true for any city or language in large and multicultural places such as Toronto, NYC, Los Angeles and Miami just to name a few. A heavy accent can prevent a person from getting a job in a field where communication and interaction with the public, students, co-workers, sales etc is a main requirement of the job.

The article reveals some options that speakers have if they wish to reduce their accent and the strategies and techniques involved in the process. IMO, it?s one possible option in order to improve one?s accent in a foreign language but I would have liked to have had a better sense via the article of the difference between heavy accent impeding career success vs. heavy accent but good language skills because there?s a difference. In the case of Montreal, are English speakers with heavy accents in French losing out on good job opportunities although their French is very good grammatically? This question holds true for other foreigners who speak French with an accent. As well, what about French speakers from other French-speaking countries, notably with different accents do they still face accent discrimination? These are just some questions that come to mind although I know through the experience of others what the challenge has been.

To bring this topic closer to Spanish, what about foreigners in the DR, do they face accent discrimination if they have a notable English accent (or any other when speaking Spanish)? I think we all know what the general perception is about accents, when it?s detected prices change, negotiation skills become necessary etc. but what about when the foreigner?s accent is hardly noticeable or the speaker has no accent at all which is quite possible? Some multilingual speakers sound very neutral or local in the languages they speak then what is his/ her experience? As well, do people automatically assume that because an individual is a foreigner with an accent s/he can?t understand Spanish and start to speak to the person differently or adamantly say 'no te entiendo'. I know people who have experienced this and it really should not happen.

An accent does not mean lack of comprehension or poor grammatical skills. I wish people were more open minded and looked at the positive side which is the person is multilingual, diverse and has the ability to successfully communicate in more than one language.

Heavy accents can impede career success

NB. The article was not written specifically about Montreal but was posted in The Gazette. The article originally comes from The Edmonton Journal.

-LDG.

wildnfree · Jan 2, 2009

Interesting.
I speak Spanish with an Andalucian accent, outside of Andalucia no-one detects that im not a native speaker but in the region they do. You can see how differently people treat you in such a situation.

Marianopolita · Jan 3, 2009

Not surprised...

That is a very normal phenomenon in language. Although you have a recognized accent 'Andalusian', phonetics, intonation etc. Andalusians will definitely detect if the accent is native or not but other Spanish speakers from others countries will mostly likely consider it foreign and/or not even necessarily Andalusian. This occurs for many reasons such as not being originally from Andalusia, the length of time you live(d) in the area, age of language acquisition, and your ability to speak other foreign languages prior to Spanish. As well, some people no matter what always retain a noticeable accent as mentioned in the article. One person, even after twenty-two years in Canada was still being asked 'when are you going home?'.

Jennifer Madigan, director of learning at Vancouver's L2 Accent Reduction Centre, says heavy accents can linger even after many years of living in Canada. She recalls one client who had lived in Canada for 22 years.

"She was tired of people asking, 'When are you going home?' "

One aspect I like to observe regarding accents is the neutrality of some bilingual singers. Being bilingual or multilingual is a blessing that should not be taken for granted. It's a skill that is clearly easier for some and not for others. A few months ago someone said to me 'hay que tener cabeza para eso'.

One singer who I admire immensely for her talent and her achievements is Gloria Estefan. Not only do I think her contribution to the music industry and Latin music is admirable but she speaks Spanish and English very well. IMO, she is an example of someone who sounds great in both languages. While she does not sound like a Cuban who grew up in Cuba, she certainly sounds Latin and not like a gringa either. Her English is non American sounding but not accented because of her Spanish. Gloria also sings very well in both languages. I enjoy her in both but really love to hear her voice in her songs from her colossal album Mi tierra and her most recent one 90 millas.

Ricky Martin as well is a great example of bilingual fluency although IMO, compared to Gloria he has more of the Spanish rhythm when speaking English but it's so minor compared to his overall speaking ability.

-LDG.

wildnfree · Jan 3, 2009

Yes, It is fascinating

In my case people outside of Andalucia always think Im andalucian, and if I misspronounce a word they sometimes even accuse me of trying to sound like a foreigner when im in fact Spanish! (I am Australian, for the record). I speak english and chinese prior to learning Spanish and can defend myself very well in the language. The interesting thing is the it seems to change, there have been Andalucians who are confused by the accent (they say "tu tienes algo, un deje de algo pero no s? realmente de qu?, y a veces no lo tienes') and others who, after saying one or two words to them will say "you must be an English speaker "(although it doesnt happen much it still happens)

Should I live here another year or so, the Andalucians assure me I would sound 100% native, but in view of the crisis and wanting to see my family I dont think Ill last that long! My accent will have to "quedar a medias'!

dulce · Jan 3, 2009

I pick up accents very quickly.
I was born in Maine and after a visit there I pick up the accent in a couple of days and retain it for a few weeks.
I live near Boston now so I speak with a Boston accent (which is not necessarily the same as a Massachusetts accent).
I moved to Santo Domingo and learned Spanish there. I spoke Spanish with a Boston accent. For example: We are lazy speakers in Boston and pronounce words different even if we know they are wrong. I always said Santa Domingo which irritated my best friend. I finally explained to him that I knew it was San-TO Domingo but would probrably always pronounce it with an "A" because of my Boston accent. People in SD asked me to say PAHK tha CAH. They decribed my accent as a "Kennedy" accent.
While living in the DR I had another good friend from Montreal who had a French accent when speaking English. After spending time with her I spoke with a French accent. I do not even speak French.
I taught English to Dominicans while living there so I suppose there are some Dominicans now speaking with a proper Boston accent.
When I returned to the US I spoke English with a Spanish accent.
As far as work goes no job has been effected by any of my accents. I do get upset when I speak with customer service on the telephone and the accent is so heavy that it is impossible to understand. To these customer service reps I respond in Spanglish. "YOU NO SPEAKI DE ENGLI??????

wildnfree · Jan 3, 2009

dulce said:
I pick up accents very quickly.
I was born in Maine and after a visit there I pick up the accent in a couple of days and retain it for a few weeks.
I live near Boston now so I speak with a Boston accent (which is not necessarily the same as a Massachusetts accent).
I moved to Santo Domingo and learned Spanish there. I spoke Spanish with a Boston accent. For example: We are lazy speakers in Boston and pronounce words different even if we know they are wrong. I always said Santa Domingo which irritated my best friend. I finally explained to him that I knew it was San-TO Domingo but would probrably always pronounce it with an "A" because of my Boston accent. People in SD asked me to say PAHK tha CAH. They decribed my accent as a "Kennedy" accent.
While living in the DR I had another good friend from Montreal who had a French accent when speaking English. After spending time with her I spoke with a French accent. I do not even speak French.
I taught English to Dominicans while living there so I suppose there are some Dominicans now speaking with a proper Boston accent.
When I returned to the US I spoke English with a Spanish accent.
As far as work goes no job has been effected by any of my accents. I do get upset when I speak with customer service on the telephone and the accent is so heavy that it is impossible to understand. To these customer service reps I respond in Spanglish. "YOU NO SPEAKI DE ENGLI??????

I pick up accents very easily too. According to pyschiatrists, we are extremely sympathetic and it is a (subconcious) way of trying to relate better to those whom we are speaking to

dulce · Jan 3, 2009

The doctors are probrably right. I am easy to get to know and do not have problems communicating with people speaking in any accent. I am a sympathetic and empathic person. I am very interested in learning of different cultures so I do not allow language to be a barrier. (except with call center customer service reps.) LOL

Marianopolita · Jan 3, 2009

RE: Post # 4 and 5

Dulce,

The range of accents you describe about your own speech is actually a sub topic regarding accents because they are variations of the same language, English. This is another linguistic phenomenon which many countries can serve as examples categorized in language as linguistic zones. Using Spanish as an example, many of the large countries in territory such as Colombia and Mexico are prime examples of countries that have several linguistic zones. Specific to Colombia, there are least five confirmed ones and the accents are notable as you move from one area of the country to another but all are notably Colombian if you were to listen to each person individually. If you are familiar with the accents of the country listen to a person from Bogota vs. Cali vs. Medellin- all distinct accents from different linguistic zones but all notably Colombian.

The DR is a good example too. Listen to people from the Capital vs. the South vs. the Cibao region and even within the Cibao region the accent and speech patterns differ. Mind you some people can?t hear the differences unless it?s really obvious or drastic but the DR accent varies too. I have a friend who is originally from an area about thirty minutes outside of SD. I met her friend from the same area (town) by coincidence and without even saying where he was from I said 'you two are from the same town' and he was stunned. He asked, 'how do you know?'. I said you have the same accent. They were amazed because they just considered themselves as capitale?os not realizing that their accent distinguished them from people who really are from SD such as Zona Colonial, Mirador Sur, Gazcue or other popular sections of the city.

dulce said:
As far as work goes no job has been effected by any of my accents. I do get upset when I speak with customer service on the telephone and the accent is so heavy that it is impossible to understand. To these customer service reps I respond in Spanglish. "YOU NO SPEAKI DE ENGLI??????

Regarding customer service reps not being able to speak English, this is the issue of the article. In customer service, if an English caller calls regarding a problem, s/he expects a representative who can understand and can be understood. I agree with this. Companies need to be very sensitive to customer needs as it drives business. I have experienced it more than once, getting reps that are totally incomprehensible and it?s not good customer service. Part of the problem is many companies in the US are outsourcing the customer service part of their business to Central America, Guatemala and Panama specifically and India. However, the language issue should be absolutely transparent to the customers. Some businesses in US have separate lines, 'for English, press one, para espa?ol, marque dos'. The same holds true for many businesses in Canada, there are two separate lines, one for English and one for French.

...

Hill advises students to avoid speaking their native tongue with other students from the same country. It can be difficult, but full immersion in the language is important for students to be proficient English communicators

The article did mention in brief that those who retained a heavy accent should mingle outside of their linguistic communities abroad. I wanted to mention this too as a key factor. Outside of some innate barriers such as age of acquisition, the key to improving one?s accent in a foreign language is to speak the language as much as possible which should be easier for those who already have a solid base in the language whereas a beginner has to acquire some basic vocabulary to even start practicing.

wildnfree said:
Should I live here another year or so, the Andalucians assure me I would sound 100% native, but in view of the crisis and wanting to see my family I dont think Ill last that long! My accent will have to "quedar a medias'!

All I will say is mastering a foreign accent is difficult therefore keep that in mind as you continue to polish your accent. Sounds like you have come a long way so give yourself a pat on the back for your linguistic accomplishments.

-LDG.

dulce · Jan 3, 2009

The DR certainly is a good example of variations of the same language. It was according to where the Dominican came from if I could understand them or not. They were speaking the same language but not the same. Some I knew for a long time and never understood them. Then again, I have a hard time understanding a southerner's accent in the US.

Marianopolita · Jan 5, 2009

The challenge of accents-

Out of curiosity where are some of your Dominicans friends from? Although what may be considered easier to understand for one person may differ for another, I think some of the more difficult Dominicans to understand accent wise will vary for diverse reasons other than just origin or region.

One aspect that one has to take into consideration in language is speed. Some people naturally speak faster than others in their native language and somewhat fast as well in any other language they may speak. This was also mentioned in the article that speakers must be conscious of their speed. Slowing down will greatly increase clarity of speech and ultimately comprehension of the listener.

Although speed is one characteristic of Dominican speech, I think Cubans speak even faster. Add this to some of the other regional characteristics such as dropping the /s/, the cibae?o /i/, the changing of the/r/ to /l/ by some speakers, and the different accents just to mention some of the speech characteristics and surely understanding can be a challenge. However, this does improve drastically overtime if you keep immersing yourself in the language and especially the more difficult speech patterns to train your ear for the starts and stops, intonation and joining of certain words.

A very close friend of mine, Salvadorean always talks about when he first moved to NYC and he encountered the Spanish varieties there especially Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. He always says it was like learning a new language. Not only was the vocabulary a shock to him but he said the accent and rhythm were some aspects of Dominican and Puerto Rican Spanish he had never experienced. He's originally from San Salvador, which is the capital and largest city and the Spanish spoken by many educated speakers is quite close to the standard with some of the characteristics of Spanish spoken in Central America.

One option you have to improve this outside of the DR is via television. If you don't watch Spanish TV already, I highly recommend it and not to limit yourself to one channel. Listen to a range of different types of programming. If you are already a fluent speaker your comprehension and speed will increase tremendously in a short period of time and then it will level off slowly as you continue to watch TV in Spanish. I recommend the news because the coverage is fast due to time constraints. Some good news channels are Univisi?n, Telemundo, and CNN en espa?ol.

Yes, I agree some of those US accents are difficult to understand.

-LDG.

wildnfree · Jan 5, 2009

Lesley D said:
Out of curiosity where are some of your Dominicans friends from? Although what may be considered easier to understand for one person may differ for another, I think some of the more difficult Dominicans to understand accent wise will vary for diverse reasons other than just origin or region.

One aspect that one has to take into consideration in language is speed. Some people naturally speak faster than others in their native language and somewhat fast as well in any other language they may speak. This was also mentioned in the article that speakers must be conscious of their speed. Slowing down will greatly increase clarity of speech and ultimately comprehension of the listener.

Although speed is one characteristic of Dominican speech, I think Cubans speak even faster. Add this to some of the other regional characteristics such as dropping the /s/, the cibae?o /i/, the changing of the/r/ to /l/ by some speakers, and the different accents just to mention some of the speech characteristics and surely understanding can be a challenge. However, this does improve drastically overtime if you keep immersing yourself in the language and especially the more difficult speech patterns to train your ear for the starts and stops, intonation and joining of certain words.

A very close friend of mine, Salvadorean always talks about when he first moved to NYC and he encountered the Spanish varieties there especially Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. He always says it was like learning a new language. Not only was the vocabulary a shock to him but he said the accent and rhythm were some aspects of Dominican and Puerto Rican Spanish he had never experienced. He's originally from San Salvador, which is the capital and largest city and the Spanish spoken by many educated speakers is quite close to the standard with some of the characteristics of Spanish spoken in Central America.

One option you have to improve this outside of the DR is via television. If you don't watch Spanish TV already, I highly recommend it and not to limit yourself to one channel. Listen to a range of different types of programming. If you are already a fluent speaker your comprehension and speed will increase tremendously in a short period of time and then it will level off slowly as you continue to watch TV in Spanish. I recommend the news because the coverage is fast due to time constraints. Some good news channels are Univisi?n, Telemundo, and CNN en espa?ol.

Yes, I agree some of those US accents are difficult to understand.

-LDG.

Thankgod, Im not the only one.

I understand almost 100% Andalucian Spanish, which is faster than even cuban and mumbled. But I have trouble with northerns (i.e Madrid) and you are right, its like learning a new language cause of the variety in the language. As for dominicans, I dont have trouble understanding them, nor with Cubans (apart from different words) they sound like Canary Islanders to me, with an acent more sing-song and open mouth. South Americans are a sinch, same with mexicans

dulce · Jan 5, 2009

I met people from all over the island. The ones I had the hardest time understanding were in service type jobs. I think some of them may have been Hatian/Dominican. A factor there may have been the education level. I met someone from San Juan de Maguana who spoke very different Spanish that I could not understand. I knew a lot of Spainards too and they speak a totally different Spanish. I had a hard time understaning the Spainards.
One of the ways I learned better Spanish was to watch TV. I watched Novelas because they speak clearly on them. I never watched them in English, YUCK. I watched comercials and sports and news. I also learned from reading newspapers even though at first I only understood every third word. I listened to music to learn. I also hired a professor to teach me the grammar.
I still watch Spanish programs and reading Spanish newspapers to keep on learning.

wildnfree · Jan 6, 2009

Can I just say, in my case it is getting ridiculous...

I wasnt conscious of it so much as I am now thanks to the article. today I was watching the news, and the news is always in standard crisp castillano. I was discussing things with my Colombian roommate afterwards AND I was speaking with the "ceta""(lisp). I thought I managed to get rid of it (In this part of Spain they dont use it) but it comes back if someone else around me uses it (even the TV)

I remember being addicted to the program "caso cerrado", hosted by a Cuban woman in Miami (Great show by the way, look at "peluquera rabiosa") and the majority of the defendants/cases involving Cubans. So what happens? Afterwards I start speaking Caribbean and people found it funny. I understand changing accents as a slow process, but in my case its ridiculous. Perhaps its because my own Spanish accent is "finding itself"????

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Article: Heavy accents can impede career success

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