Public Speaking and Presentation Skills: The Academy of Communication

Your accent – do you want to lose it?

Do you want to be better understood when you speak? Well, this doesn’t necessarily mean losing your own particular accent.

Why change?
In fact, very few people want to lose their regional accent, they just want to ‘neutralise’ it. Perhaps, deep down, many people have a desire to acquire a ‘standard’ voice.

Standard English
So what is a ‘standard’ English accent? In fact, what is the ‘Queen’s English’? Is it the English that the Queen speaks? Not any more. If you watch old movie newsreels, it’s hysterically funny to listen to the commentator’s accent. It’s a really ‘posh’ voice, but that’s what used to be thought of as ‘Standard English’ fifty years or so ago. Yet the so-called ‘posh’ voice is rapidly becoming a voice with an accent that, many who still have it, want to ‘neutralise.’ To most of us, this kind of voice sounds nasal, pinched, strangulated and exaggerated.

The Regional Voice
You’re still likely to find a strong regional accent in your own particular area. Even fifty years ago, you would seldom have moved out of your own particular area, so your accent would have been totally acceptable. However, now many of us work in organisations that are spread, not just across our own country, but also across the globe. So, to have a neutral English accent, one that can be as easily understood in Birmingham as Bankok, in Ipswich as in India, becomes increasingly desirable.

Voices in British Radio and Film
The radio and film industry in Britain has, in recent years, completely changed its attitude to accents. It’s all part of a governmental desire to give equal importance to everyone in Britain. The ‘posh’ voice was always linked to the wealthy South of England. British films, like their American counterparts, now seek to show us their idea of ‘real’ people in ‘real’ situations.

Neutralising your voice
How do you acquire a ‘neutral’ voice? Mostly, it’s down to how you pronounce your vowels. For instance, if you come from Scotland, you’ll probably allow your vowels to retreat towards the back of your throat. It’s also to do with the tune or cadence of your voice. The vocal ‘music’ of each region is very pronounced. If you’re from the North of England, you’ll most likely stretch and flatten your vowels. Those who come from Birmingham tend to let their vowels disappear up their noses. However, ‘Standard English’ really has no accent.

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