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

[A. Katz]

Angus,

I agree. Your explanations make sense. Especially the first one!

    --Aya


On Thu, 3 Feb 2011, Angus B. Grieve-Smith wrote:

> 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
>
>