Anne W. answered • 11/03/23
Experienced Speech Fluency Coach! M.A. Applied Linguistics
Hello! Accents are beautiful, and as long as communication is going well for you the way you would like, embrace it! If you have questions, begin by learning correct pronunciation of common words you use - or the words that you know are challenging! Increase your vocabulary if necessary. Learn about the pragmatics of the community language to better understand how people are using the language in a social, professional, formal, or informal setting. If you are having trouble comprehending other non-native speakers of a different first language than your own, a communication technique called negotiation of meaning will be helpful!
Many times people focus only on the accent when there may be one or two mispronunciation patterns transferring from the first (or additional) languages that are the - most - obvious and causing some form of misunderstanding or distraction from the intended message. Eventually, mastering those challenging words, that either you misunderstand or not able to pronounce yourself, you will feel more and more comfortable hearing and using those words.
This approach can be done by yourself or with a professional for structured guidance, resources, and feedback. I help my students with pronunciation, vocabulary, and pragmatics that help them communicate better in their everyday situations. I'm a native English speaker (U.S.), certified in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) , M.A. in Applied Linguistics, and work with non-native and native English speakers to improve these skills - which also makes them a better intercultural communicator. This is an excellent question, and you are probably a keen observer and already improving your communication step by step!
