{"id":55354,"date":"2016-11-07T11:12:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T03:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicetube.com\/blog\/?p=55354"},"modified":"2017-05-02T23:25:34","modified_gmt":"2017-05-02T15:25:34","slug":"english-accents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voicetube.com\/blog\/archives\/55354","title":{"rendered":"Should I Choose One of the Many English Accents?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The English language has many accents, which vary according to country, region, and even social group. Should we deliberately choose one of the many English accents and stick to it?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Should<\/a><\/p>\n

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Choosing an accent<\/b><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all been there: after many years of studying English as a foreign language, there comes a time when we realise we prefer a certain accent over the others. Sometimes our choice is heavily influenced by location: someone moving to the U.S. would probably try to follow the American accent instead of a British one. Other times, it just depends on personal taste.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(via GIPHY<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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(via GIPHY<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Realising that we have our own preference between two different English accents brings up an interesting question: \u201cWhy is American English so different from British English in the first place?\u201d This is one of the most frequently asked questions among learners <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> native speakers: \u201cAren\u2019t they the same language?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Languages change over time<\/b><\/h2>\n

Languages are not immutable; they change over time, but we only notice these changes when we look back. Think about how different your great-grandmother\u2019s vocabulary is from your own, and how different Shakespeare\u2019s works sound in comparison with modern English. <\/span><\/p>\n

The language that the British took to North America in the early 16th century was quite different from today\u2019s British English, so it\u2019s true that <\/span>not only<\/span><\/i> the North American English changed over the centuries. There were changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as this cool little video from <\/span>The Seeker Daily<\/span><\/a> explains:<\/span><\/p>\n

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So the changes that took place have made American English and British English quite different from one another. They are the same language, but they are also not the same language – more or less like twins separated at birth, who were raised in different countries and had entirely different lifestyles \u2014 but who still look like twins.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are accents within the accents<\/b><\/h2>\n

One problem when deciding which accent to follow is that a country\u2019s accent is not uniform: ask an American if a person from New York and another from North Carolina speak the same variation of English and they will certainly say that these two have very distinct regional accents.<\/span><\/p>\n

The same thing happens anywhere else in the world! Think about how easily you can distinguish the regional accents in your own country, and how you can link that particular accent with a certain state or region.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it\u2019s pretty safe to say that what we call an \u201cAmerican accent\u201d or \u201cBritish accent\u201d are in fact two collections of regional accents, making things a bit more complicated for English learners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which one of the many English accents should I choose?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Given the wide variety of English accents to choose from, how do we decide which one to pick? Should we choose a specific regional accent?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, not necessarily. If you happen to live in an English-speaking country, it makes sense to try your best to speak like a local; but, if like so many other learners, you happen to be working on your English skills in your home country, maybe you shouldn\u2019t focus so much on learning one specific accent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The benefits of getting acquainted with different variants of English are many: you can expand your vocabulary, improve your listening skills and have a deeper understanding of the cultural differences between countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

What about proficiency exams? Do they prefer one specific accent?<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is a frequent question among VoiceTubers and learners of English everywhere. And the answer is no, proficiency tests like TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS <\/span>do not<\/b> expect the candidates to have one specific accent! What matters is that your pronunciation is clear and your sentences are grammatically correct and used in the right circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

[ctt template=”1″ link=”IkT1x” via=”no” ]An #EnglishTip from @voicetube: English proficiency exams like #TOEFL & #IELTS do not require you to have one specific accent![\/ctt]<\/p>\n

Valuable accent tips<\/b><\/h2>\n

Do you want to practice different accents? Follow our tips!<\/span><\/p>\n