having a "foreign" accent is the production of pure vowels where a diphthong should be pronounced…
One of the main factors that affects our understanding of the language is one’s regional accent. Although most words and phrases will be comprehensible some phonetics may have changed so much that all we can do is hope that the context of what has been said makes sense in order for us to ‘fill in the gaps’.…
The topic scenario that I chose was on accent discrimination. In this scenario an employee named Maria has had her job threatened due to tardiness, attendance, and language problems. Specifically her rapid speech patterns and heavy accent had lead to communication issues within her workplace. This topic is important for the study of cultural diversity because many people who move to the United States have accents. I would like to discover whether language issues such as having an accent are sufficient grounds for termination. To me this would seem to be an act of discrimination that conflicts with the Civil Rights Act (L.A. NOW, 2012). Therefore I would need to check the language of the bill to see if Maria 's case applies. I plan to research the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2002; EEOC Press Release, 2011) as well as publications on workplace fairness and discrimination from government websites. Pertinent cases to explore would be other language discrimination suits, especially any filed against Employers for wrongful termination due to an accent. However situations could exist where the ability to be understood in plain English would be imperative to one 's employment, depending on the necessary responsibilities of a particular job. Any other cases where a precedent has already been set would be helpful to establish discrimination in Maria 's situation or possible wrongful termination (Workplace Fairness, 2009).…
Gagen, M. (2007). Blending explained. 22. Retrieved from http://www.righttrackreading.com/blending.html Geva, E. (2000). Issues in the assessment of reading disabilities. Informally published manuscript, Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~hmcbride/HDP1285Geva%20RD%20ELL09.pdf…
Efforts to increase fluency in Indigenous languages need Canada’s support In an article originally published in Chatelaine, Métis author Chelsea Vowel argues that Indigenous languages should be taught alongside French and English in Canada. Vowel makes a case for the official protection of Canada’s Indigenous languages, which are currently on the brink of extinction. She brings up the uncomfortable reality that there are constitutional protections and billions of dollars of funding for Canada’s two official languages of English and French, while the languages of the original peoples of Canada are left behind.…
The first principle of verbal communication is that all language has value. (Cheeseboro, O"connor, & Rios, 2010) No one language is superior to another, and all are equally important as it a connection to people and give them identity, culturally, and spiritually. The second principle of verbal communication is; “everyone culture speaks a dialect, with unique pronunciation vocabulary, and grammar.” (Cheeseboro, O"Connor, & Rios, 2010) There are several different dialects in this country alone, not to mention around the world. For example, there is a distinctive accent between a person who lives in the United States, and people who live in England, yet English is the primary language in both countries. The key is to listen, and to give acknowledgement that you understand, or not. If you have problems understanding one’s accent, be sensitive, and respectful when asking questions, and don’t buy into negative stereotypes. Our differences should be celebrated, and viewed as an opportunity to learn about others. “The third prnciple is to understand that words do not mean the same to all people.” (Cheeseboro, O"connor, & Rios, 2010) In the southern United States the word “tote”, can mean to carry something, while in the northern United states people assume you are referring to a “bag”, or an “umbrella.” Therefore, it is always a good practice to refrain from using “slang”, unless you are certain the reciever understands it. The fourth principle of verbal communication is to recognize variations on how spoken…
The more I focused on my accent, the more I hated the way it sounded. Deep down in me I hoped I could train my accent away. For months I would watch movies and national geographic documentaries to mimic the accents of the actors and narrators. My parents thought it was a little strange but didn’t seem too worried. Soon I was getting better and it became fun to learn the rules that distinguish accents and pretty soon I was learning to mimic a few others besides…
Harmful effects and implications of accent discrimination Harmful effects on ESL learners As concluded by Munro (2003), accent discrimination has played a negative effect on many situations. Some of the most common cases include discrimination in hiring process, in employment, and even resulting in harassments.…
All languages change over time and vary according to place and social setting. The way we speak is influenced by many factors the roots of our elders, our social and educational background, our working environment, our friends and our own sense of identity. As we move across the country we experience the changing landscape and architecture. At the same time we notice a gradual change in the sounds we hear the accents and dialects that immediately conjure up a sense of the place to which they belong. The terms accent and dialect are often used interchangeably, although in strict linguistic terms they refer to different aspects of language variation.…
“English Not a Native Tongue” English as a second language is an issue now days. Many people that don’t speak or write English, life tends to be a bit harsh on them. I personally have experience how difficult it is when one is not born in a family where English is not the native language. I came across two great essays, written by Amy Tan and Richard Rodriguez. These two great authors wrote about the challenges they faced while growing up in families that English was not their native tongue. Tan from an Asian family, and Rodriguez of a Mexican family. While reading these two essays I notice that they are related to each other in similar ways, although they have different outcomes. In both essays school plays a huge role, for their success…
This survey provides an excellent example as to why we alter the way we speak in different situations. It shows that most of us judge and are aware of being constantly judged on our accents and so we develop our repertoire to allow us to relate to others and make ourselves…
In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually an improper argumentation in reasoning often resulting in a misconception or presumption. Literally, a fallacy is "an error in reasoning that renders an argument logically invalid"…
The short informational film, The Human Voice, taught me many new aspects about accents that I never knew. Studies show that the language a human develops before puberty is the accent that they will have for the rest of their life. This is why it makes it easy to distinguish where someone really grew up. Sometimes different accents are recognizable within one’s own country. For example, North…
Sycira Angel Ortiz Professor Mignerey Composition & Rhetoric 1301 2 October 2014 Ebola and Media Bias…
Fallacies are defined as deception, guile, trickery, the aptness to mislead, a deceptive or misleading argument or an error. Fallacies can be considered as defects that weaken your argument. Fallacies are used in written, oral and visual arguments by using different approaches to sway your way of thinking one way or the other.…