ENGLISH LANGUAGE OF DIFFERENT ACCENT: RESPECT

Everyone is concerned about accent and pronunciation of English words. Some are fascinated by it and others make foolishness out of it. I, for instance, was captivated with the accent of the people in England.

When we say accent, it is the style of how a person or a particular community pronounce, enunciate, stress, emphasize, or drawl a word, phrase or sentences. It refers to the intonation or tone of voice of the speaker.

I had observed this behavior in schools and also within the community where I am living in, which some are making fun out of someone’s’ way of speaking. As a former student, I had classmates from different places. When someone is asked to recite using the English language, the classroom becomes lively for some of the students are giggling and laughing because of the way the student pronounced the words or because of the accent, he or she used. In our community, I often heard old folks pronouncing the word the Philippines into ‘pelepens,’ and I sometimes laugh at it which is I admit a wrong ethically.

English is known as the international language that can be speaking into different accents from different places. It is the primary language of some countries such as United States of America, England, UK, and Australia. Yet, as far as I know, they do not discriminate or laugh at each other when it comes to the way they talk. Rather, they admire ones’ accent.

While it is true that the English language is spoken in different pronunciation, intonation, inflection or emphasis, it is important to respect the way one person speaks. As long as he or she speaks good, understandable and truthful words politely, he or she deserves to be listened upon, not to be laughed at. Laughing at a persons’ way of pronouncing words takes away her self-confidence in expressing her thoughts and ideas.