Speech Therapy for Accent Reduction

Speech therapy for accent reduction can be beneficial for individuals looking to speak more clearly and effectively. Keep reading to learn more about accent reduction.

What is accent reduction?

An accent refers to the way you speak. There are two types of accents:

• Foreign accents: when a person uses sounds from one language and applies them to the one they're speaking (e.g. a French accent)
• Native accents: the way a group of people speaks their native language (e.g. a Texan accent)

Typically, it is harder to understand individuals with foreign accents, as their speaking doesn't follow the pronunciation rules of the native language. This may create a communication barrier, especially when trying to collaborate with others in a professional workplace.

Accent reduction - also known as accent modification - is the process of adopting a new speech accent to improve communication better. This can be done through various speech therapy exercises and training sessions.

What can a speech therapist do for you?

Speech-language pathologists can help you identify sounds and parts of your accent that are hindering your communication and allow you to reach your full language potential. Speech-language pathologists can also provide techniques to improve your pronunciation of certain words.

Many people who go through accent reduction cite significantly improved speaking skills. Accent reduction can help your peers better understand your thoughts and the way you speak.

Speaking exercises for accent reduction

There are many exercises that your speech therapist can teach you that you can do at home. These techniques will allow you to work towards your goal of clearer communication.

Here are a few:

• Repetition of certain words
• Slowing down speech and sounding out phrases
• Pronunciation drills
• Listening to recordings (e.g. e-books) to identify problem areas in speech

Contacting a speech-language therapist will help you identify these exercises and teach you which specific ones will help your accent.

Visit our site to learn more about what an SLP can do for you while recovering from a stroke. Or book a free consultation to see if our services are right for you.