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

[Natalie Weber]

Thinking cynically here:
Like Carlos and Mark, I doubt that a British accent impedes business in
America. But I do know of Americans who have trouble with African accents.
And African accent + British turns of speech would be even more difficult. 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.

No way of knowing for sure, of course, without partaking in the speech
therapy course itself or asking the people involved. But this is what it
sounded like to me from the description.

--Natalie Weber

On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 8:29 AM, Carlos M Nash <carlosmnash at gmail.com> wrote:

> I find it absolutely embarrassing, frustrating, and depressing that, in the
> 21st century, this sort of philosophy is being passed on to future
> academics. With the significant amount of British media accessed by
> Americans on a daily basis, and exposure to different varieties of British
> English from British actors in Hollywood, you would think there would be
> some negative indicator (e.g. lack or loss of profit) if there were
> difficulties for the average American consumer to comprehend non-American
> varieties.
>
> In the meantime, I'll watch another 30 minutes of BBC News before walking
> to
> campus in subzero temperature.
>
> Best Wishes.
> ------------------------------
> Carlos M Nash
> Department of Anthropology
> University of Kansas
>