Accent Modification Flashcards
What is accent modification?
Changing a person’s accent (i.e., how they sound speaking in their first language when they speak with their secondary language); it is an elective service so insurance does not pay for it
What are the three dimensions of an accent that impact how well English Learners communicate to other people?
accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility
What is accentedness?
How much does a person’s accent compared to other speakers in their community
What is comprehensibility?
a subjective measure pertaining to how much can one understand the speech of a person with an accent
What is nativeness?
how much a person sounds like a native speaker
What is naturalness?
how much a listener can focus on what is being said instead of how it is being said
True or False: A person can have an accent and still sound intelligible
True
Why may some seek accent modification services?
struggle to be understood; barriers in work/social/personal environment; people focus on the accent rather than the message; bias against their accent; sound more understandable to people; modify a regional or a nonnative accent; learn a new accent
What is the goal of accent modification?
to improve communication
The responsibilities that an SLP plays in accent modification includes
educating the patient, assessing the patient, determining if the accent impacts communication, and remaining informed about the knowledge related to accent modification
What is the goal of assessment in accent modification?
To comprehend if the person’s accent impacts their ability to be understood as well as their ability to complete activities of daily living.
What tools are used in assessing accent modification?
acoustic analysis signal; phonetic transcription task; subjective rating scale; phonetic analysis; analyze suprasegmentals
Intervention for accent modification involves
training listeners, counseling clients, implementing accent modification strategies and trainings, pronunciation training as well
Who can provide accent modification services?
SLPs, ESL coaches, voice and speech coaches, and other professionals
When obtaining a case history of an individual for accent modification services, it is important to know the following:
the languages the person speaks; where and when they learned the languages; why they want to modify their accent; the context in which their accent causes them problems; how their accent affects their participation in daily activites; where they have lived and for how long
