“Should I worry about my accent?”

Please consider your native language. Can you easily understand every word in your language? If this is not possible even in your language, how can you expect to be able to distinguish every word in English? Please listen to Elton John’s song “Believe” on YouTube. When he pronounces the word “love”, it sounds “löv” instead of “lav” to me although he is a native speaker. You can multiply such examples.
In conclusion, don’t let the small details disappoint you. I think that learning English is not a final destination for us, it is an ongoing journey. Be on the road and have fun.

Thank you Alex for all the progress you are helping me to make. Guess I’m not good at learning a language, but my compensation is that I’m stubborn and with my effort I can get by in English now. Hope to use it to travel a little longer. And if you ever come to the southern French Alps, let me know, I would love to meet you and help you if I can.

beernaard

Alex, thank you for your essential lesson! Accent is so individual and peculiar trait of personality and stumbling-stone for many English learners. I think people shouldn’t be shy of their accent because accent shows the identity and origin. Another thing is clear speech and correct pronunciation.
I’d like to wish you an exceptional, prosperous, healthy and successful year ahead with lots of new interesting lessons for us and diligent and curious students!

Zhanna Maltseva

Thanks, Zhanna! You’re 100% correct in my view. Accents add character and personality to language, and people shouldn’t be embarrassed by them. If your pronunciation is mostly good and comprehensible, and if YOU’RE okay with it and aren’t in a life-or-death job, your accent is just a part of who you are.

Alex

Great explanations!

Alex Oliv.ira

Thanks, Alex! I’m glad it was useful.

Alex

In a world that is moving towards globalization, the accent is less and less important … the most important thing is the correct pronunciation and correct grammar. Thank you very much Alex for your lessons which are always very interesting … Have a happy new year.

Alexer

My pleasure. And you’ve got the right attitude here. :)

Alex

I consider that Spanish people like me have a very strong English accent. Most of our consonants are very difficult to pronounce for English speakers. I´m thinking particularly about the double R, which takes foreigners a very long time to get used to it. This is the reason why our accent is so strong. Nevertheless, I speak with English clients on the phone in my job from time to time, and none of them have said anything about my accent (politeness maybe?), and I consider that I speak reasonably fluent and can be understood by native people, which is, at the end of the day, my goal.
Personally, I don´t pay much attention to accents. I listen to people from Canada, like Adam, Ronnie or you, but also TV programs or interviews by people from all over the world.
As you said, pronunciation is essential and accents only brighten languages!!!
All the best in this new year Alex!!!

knopfler86

You’ve got the right approach. As long as people can understand your vowels and consonants, and you’re able to pronounce words accurately, your accent just adds character to your speech.

Thanks for the wishes! All the best to you in 2022 as well!

Alex

Thanks