Have you ever learned a foreign language? If so, you may remember trying diligently to mimic the way your instructor spoke to ensure as authentic of an accent as possible. Students who are learning English typically do the same thing as well. Sometimes schools or language institutes require their instructors to be of a specific nationality for that very reason. For example, many schools in South Korea prefer or even exclusively hire Americans or Canadians because they want their students to have a North American accent. Yet this can be very limiting to a student learning English; it’s important that the student be able to understand multiple accents to truly be considered “fluent” in English.
There are many different accents for someone learning English to become familiar with. As an English teacher, you will have to consciously try to help your students to become familiar with English spoken in different accents. It’s especially important for a student to understand different accents as he/she reaches a higher level of English. You will have to take intentional steps to ensure your students understand accents other than yours. How can you do that?
Media– Luckily, we have access to television shows and films from all over the world. Showing your class video clips from different parts of the English-speaking world will help to familiarize them with various accents. Play the video clips and test their comprehension by asking questions afterward. You will probably notice that your students have an easy time with some accents and a more difficult time with others. Once you know the accent that troubles them, you can keep working with material from that region to help improve your student(s) comprehension levels.
Guest Speakers – Are you an American but have a British friend? Why not invite your friend as a guest lecturer in your classroom? By inviting a guest lecturer to your classroom, your students will be able to not just hear a different accent, they’ll be able to interact with the person. Alongside your guest speaker you can also demonstrate the differences in various pronunciations to help your students to recognize accents in the future.
Play a Game- Your students can practice listening to and identifying different accents outside of the classroom by just playing an accent game at home on their computer. Students of all ages will enjoy trying to guess the accents in the game. It will also help your students to sharpen their accent identification skills.
Teach Accents- This one might be a little more difficult for you, but with a little help from the internet, you should be able to manage. You can teach your students how different accents sound by offering tips. For example, Americans usually pronounce the word “bottle” by changing the “t’s” to a “d” sound. In the UK, however, people are likely to pronounce the word without ever hitting their tongue against the back of their teeth. You can learn all the differences between accents by looking them up on line or watching a youtube video that helps distinguish between accents. This lesson will take a bit of preparation and practice on your part, but it will be worth it when you can proudly say that your students understand the difference between a British accent and an Australian accent!
These are just a few things that you can do as an ESL teacher to ensure that your students have a good handle on various accents of native English speakers. It may be difficult for your students to understand more than one accent at first, but with a little practice, they’ll be able to understand and identify many accents of native English speakers!
Andrea represents Language Trainers, which provides individually-tailored language training on a one-on-one or small group basis worldwide. The Accent Game is a free educational tool provided by Language Trainers . You can find that and other free resources on their website, or email our team at enquiry@To-may-toe, To-mah-toe for more information.