Why do people choose to lose their accent?
People choose to reduce or eliminate their accent for a variety of reasons. People pursue accent reduction if they feel others are having difficulty understanding them. Studies show that a listener will stop saying “what?” or ask for clarification after the second time. After that, the situation becomes awkward. Some accented speakers feel self-conscious or have less confidence and refrain from speaking situations if they feel there is a language barrier. There is a misperception that if someone is having trouble speaking the language then they must have trouble understanding it, which you know is not true. Perceptions like this can interfere with professional advancement or unfairly reduce someone’s level of credibility. Sometimes people who lecture, negotiate or conduct business get frustrated when asked, “Where are you from?” or, “Your accent is so cute!” These types of comments can be frustrating to accented speakers and in addition, when a listener is distracted by someone’s accen
