[Fwd: PRESS RELEASE: FAU Graduate Students Offer Speech Therapy Via Webcam to Republic of Rwanda Citizens]

[Angus B. Grieve-Smith]

On 2/3/2011 9:56 AM, Natalie Weber wrote:
> I wonder if it would be more accurate to say that this "therapy" aids in
> developing a more American accent, no matter what English dialect you had
> previously learned, and is called "speech therapy" to make it more palatable
> to those who pay for the service? Many language courses do not emphasize
> natural pronunciation, assuming that "it will just come when you are more
> fluent", so I would imagine such a speech therapy service could be in high
> demand.
     I think that accents are being pathologized because that puts 
speech trainers in a class of "medical practitioners" rather than 
teachers, and allows them to demand higher fees and greater prestige.  
It may even be paid for by some insurance companies, for all I know.

     It may also be a case of "when you've got a hammer, everything 
looks like a nail."  These two explanations are not mutually exclusive.

-- 
				-Angus B. Grieve-Smith
				grvsmth at panix.com