Resources and advice to help studying at an English-speaking university as a non-native speaker, or as someone who speaks English with a regional voice or accent. Accent and communication challenges Accent and communication across cultures can sometimes present challenges, as it can make students more self-aware of how they use language to express themselves and communicate with others. Despite your level of English and seizing all the opportunities to practise your language skills prior to arriving at your new program of studies, you might notice that it’s difficult to sound like a native speaker. You might notice that you have an accent only after arriving at your host country and commencing your studies, as this might not be something that you ever had to think about before. Sounding different from native speakers can sometimes make international students feel frustrated, or even ashamed, especially when it comes to speaking in front of an audience. This can make you try to acquire a ‘softer’ accent by finding opportunities to improve your pronunciation through practice. Although wanting to increase your confidence with public speaking and improving your English language skills is perfectly fine, it’s also important to remember that our ideas around accent and what constitutes native speech are also tied to how someone should speak a language. Language discrimination happens when bias occurs because one speaks English with a foreign or different accent. It is important to bear in mind that accents are part of our identity, as they reflect our unique background and are in most cases a sign that someone can speak multiple languages. Theoretical perspectives A lot of us make assumptions about other people based on their accents, labelling some accents as sophisticated and others as ''common'' or ''rough''. In reality, no accent is more effective than another in terms of conveying meaning. The perception of some accents as more highly regarded than others is more a product of social than linguistic norms (Creese & Kambere, 2003). In some cases, the perceived difference in a person’s accent can mark their non-belonging in a community, thus transforming the act of speaking into a political and social act. Furthermore, the distinction between native and non-native speakers can be problematic when one idealises the language of a native speaker while assuming that the pronunciation of a non-native speaker is inferior (Ortega, 2013). In that sense, language can become a source of oppression, prejudice, and microaggressions. Because society connects power with particular language skills, this influences people's language preferences, the importance and worth that others place on those language practices, and as a consequence, the identities that people feel pressured to adopt (Norton, 2016). Therefore, although there might be some value in adapting the way we communicate with different audiences from different cultures to convey our message more effectively, it is also important to be mindful of the ideology that lies behind how we think about language. References Creese, G., & Kambere, E. N. (2003). "What colour is your English?" Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 40(5), 565–573 Morton, J. M. (2014). Cultural code‐switching: Straddling the achievement gap. Journal of Political Philosophy, 22(3), 259-281. Norton, B. (2016). Identity and language learning: Back to the future. TESOL quarterly, 50(2), 475-479. Ortega, L. (2013). Ways forward for a bi/multilingual turn in SLA. In The multilingual turn (pp. 42-63). Routledge. Context for Scholars As Mastercard Foundation scholars move outside their home countries to study in English-speaking universities, they can become aware of different language barriers that encompass accent and communication with people from different cultures. Although English might be their first language, some scholars might find it difficult to keep up with different accents, especially during fast paced speech, and similarly other people might find it tricky to understand their accent. At the same time, there are cultural aspects of language that go beyond accent that one might become aware of when communicating with others from different cultures. For instance, as a scholar you might find that people use a less or more direct communication style during conversation in comparison to what is considered appropriate back at home (direct communication is when the speaker communicates true intentions directly during talk). In other cases, people can make cultural references during talk that apply to concepts, terms or ideas that pertain to their culture, but not yours. These can vary from movies, music and public figures, to behaviours that are considered appropriate for work or educational settings. As you learn the communication characteristics of your new environment you might become an expert in ‘’code switching’’. In general, code-switching entails changing one's manner of speaking, behaviour and expression, to appear as more adapted into a different culture than their own (Morton, 2014). As highlighted earlier, although becoming fluent in different communication styles is a useful skill, it is also important to recognise that what is considered an “appropriate” language and behaviour can depend on ideology and relations of power, and that code-switching can come at a psychological cost, as one may feel that they are devoid of the right to simply be themselves. Practical suggestions Remember that your accent tells your story. Your accent is a unique part of your identity that also reflects your brave journey of leaving home behind to become an international student who pursues their dreams and aspirations. We frequently invest native speakers with authority when it comes to language usage. However, this can also lead to language discrimination and feelings of non-belonging for people with different accents. For students at the University of Edinburgh, there are various forms of support offered for student’s health and wellbeing if you feel you need support. If you are a student at another institution similar services will be available to you. Find information here on a range of health and wellbeing services provided by The University of Edinburgh and throughout Edinburgh: Health and wellbeing services By exposing yourself as much as possible to locally spoken English and taking the opportunity to practise your English while speaking with others, you can become more confident with different communication styles. Mastercard foundation scholars’ experiences Listen to the Scholars Podcast: Language and Communication are part of your identity We shared how language and communication in new environments brought in the notion of self-awareness as scholars shared their challenges in communicating with people from different backgrounds. We shared how we learned about code-switching and assessing contexts and audiences as part of the ways to overcome language and communication barriers whilst still staying true to yourself by preserving your identity. I might say some words now and somebody will take it wrongly because they feel like that's not the right words to use. These are the things I started unlearning. There are some words that would be too sensitive for some people, that might be insulting to some people, but those words are not insulting to people in my country or back at home. I have to start unlearning some of those things. Look at the person before I share, "Do I need to say this thing? Should I say this thing or should I not say this thing? Mastercard scholar Even if it's interesting that you get to talk to people from different countries, different cultures, different places that are not connected to your own kind of person, not the same from the same continent or from the same country. You sometimes get misconstructed. There are times that I will say something and somebody will say, "What do you mean?" You'll be like, "Oh, I'm sorry. This is not what I meant." You don't know what would offend somebody for just being in that space of friends and being in that space of your own community. Mastercard scholar Useful Links The Costs of Code-Switching A World of Languages This article was published on 2024-06-24
