My husband, being Irish, loves to say little Irish quotes. Here is one he told my dad yesterday. ” May the wind always blow at your back and the path you travel be downhill. “ I’m not quite sure my dad knew what he was talking about!!!!
Have a great St. Patty’s Day!
Boy is it ever hard to blog every day. For all those daily bloggers out there- I admire you! Today’s blog is not about accent reduction tips, but about our accent reduction mobile. ( I really wanted to post the picture, but for some reason it is just not uploading.) Anyway, on our car there is a big sign that states “Is your accent holding you back?”
We were crazy enough to drive downtown on Sunday night, and were amazed at the number of people who took pictures of our car or just simply gawked. A lot of people don’t understand that we are not advocating that it is wrong to have an accent. We think that if an individual is completely fluent in English, but people have to second guess or strain to hear what the person is trying to say , then maybe this individual needs some tweaking. We think that having an accent is great. It is only when it impedes communication that one might need help. Everyone wants to be understood.
Holy smokes! It’s already Day 5 and congrats to Alex Biladeou. This tip is a short one…..
Place: TV in Jen’s living room
Who: Canadian news person
Word on the Street: “Again and again we heard that no Canadian has won on Canadian soil.”
Substitution : /e/ as in bay vs. /E/ as in bed.
Canadian Pronunciation: “ “Again and again.”
Most Canadians would say /əˈɡen/ rather than /əˈɡɛn/, I think this is the most noticeable word in determining a Canadian from an American. Oh yeah, and we can’t forget our “eh” at the end of sentences.
Tune in tomorrow for Day 6….. or visit us at L2 Accent Reduction Centre. (more…)
While a majority of people interested in accent reduction are working professionals, we have had a few older clients who are seniors. Our oldest client was in his 80’s. His main reason for studying was to keep his mind sharp. Adding that since his retirement, his use of English has become less frequent and was not like it used to be.
Recently, the Province announced an extra $780 thousand for immigrant language training, with an emphasis towards seniors. It points out that 39% of all seniors are immigrants. (click here)
A lot of clients feel that it is too late for them to change their accents. They remark about how lucky their children are to have learned English at a young enough age that there is no accent barrier. But of course, it is never too late to learn a new skill.