Accentuating diversity: Variety of speech patterns evidence of
multicultural community

By Jessica Hinds

If you only get one chance to make a first impression, the way you speak is of undeniable importance.
Here at Algonquin, international instructors and students know this well.

Harry Tait moved to Canada in 1993 from Scotland, and teaches public affairs and science technology and society.

"It's very, very difficult to shake off a Scottish accent," said Tait. "It's very difficult to get rid of an accent you're born with."

To help his students adapt to his accent, Tait said he "anglicizes" his speech quite a bit, speaks louder, and gives students plenty of opportunities to ask questions if they don't understand him.

Silvia Garcia, co-ordinator of English as a second language for international students, said students are eager to work on their pronunciation and try to change their accent so they sound more like a native English speaker.

However, changing their intonation and pronunciation affects an international student's identity, she explained.

"Although students are aware of the differences that they should make in their speech in order to reduce their accent or to improve their pronunciation, many times it's difficult to take on a different identity," said Garcia.  

Learning to speak English more like a Canadian can also be a costly investment. An hour of one-on-one instruction outside of the college is at least $30, and to change one's deeply rooted intonation and pronunciation can take many hours.

In an interview with the Algonquin Times five international ESL students shared their experiences. 
Karen Palm, who is from Mexico, said that although people will ask her to repeat herself, they are not rude when they do so.

The rest of the students agreed that Canadians are friendly, and accepting of their accents. However, they all expressed a desire to sound more Canadian when speaking English. They said they don't feel that they are losing their culture by doing this.    

Yousef Alijoufi, from Yemen, said he feels the pressure to sound more Canadian but this does not bother him.

"I came here for this reason, you know, to speak English, and I like the way that Canadians talk," said Alijoufi.

Tait said students have not made offensive comments about his accent to his face but he has overheard some. Despite the comments, he considers his unique lilt an advantage to students.

"In a country of immigrants like Canada, it's a good thing for students to get used to a wide range of accents," said Tait.