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Accent Modification/Accent Reduction

By Speech and Hearing BC | May 22, 2014

What is Accent Modification/Accent Reduction?

Although accents are not a disorder, accent modification or accent reduction, which refers to teaching clients to speak with standard Canadian or American accents, is within the scope of practice of speech-language pathologists.

What can professionals do to help?

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have training in phonetics, phonology (sound patterns), and prosody (rhythm and stress or “melodies”) of language. SLPs also have extensive training and experience in teaching specific articulation of speech sounds and patterns. Some private practice SLPs offer accent modification or accent training services whereby they systematically analyze the speech of a client with a foreign or regional accent, and then instruct them in the production of a standard Canadian or American accent.