Accent problems essay

In most compound words in English, the primary accent falls usually on the first element. Generally the content words are stressed while the function class words are unstressed. For example, in the sentence, the tall boy is a brilliant student, the words tall, boy, brilliant and student are stressed and the rest, unstressed.

Entire stereotypes have built up around different accents - New Yorkers are rude, British RP speakers are educated, Yorkshire speakers are trustworthy, Southern Americans are pleasant, and Birmingham speakers, depending on who you ask, either sound melodic or like criminals. Accents can be funny things… until they’re not.

The more people change their accents to fit in with prevailing attitudes and stereotypes, the more those views are reinforced. This has had some real life impacts.

If your English pronunciation isn’t good, then your level of fluency will be consistently underestimated. A strong accent can be a great barrier to making connections. Research even shows that employers in the US often favor candidates who speak with standard versions of British and American accents for more prestigious roles.