ACCENT IN LAGUAGE TEACHING Segmentals, Suprasegmentals, and Accent, What Matters the Most (original) (raw)

For long, accent in learning a second language has been a predicament caused by idiosyncrasy, especially in language teaching, influenced even by some teachers themselves. There is a need to keep in mind that there are programs to improve accent of English learners, for example. The critical question is, is it a must to speak English as Americans, English, Irish, etc., to get the message across? And what about pronunciation of segmentals? Studies have shown that accent is not as vital in communication as it is pronunciation. All people have an accent when speaking English. Diversity of accents is a characteristic of one of the most spoken and most widely used language of the world. The lingua franca, English, has speakers from different regions of the planet. The fact is to be aware of how significant for communication intonation, rhythm and stress is; that is suprasegmentals. This paper emphasizes pronunciation of segmentals over suprasegmentals. It also tries to help relief the pain of those English learners concerned about their particular accent when speaking English.