Accent vs Pronunciation

Having taught accent, English pronunciation, and clear speech in London, UK and online for more than 20 years, this is a recurring cry:

‘Let’s not confuse accent with pronunciation! Learn the difference!’

And we should know the difference. Let’s dig a little more deeply with some (Oxford) dictionary definitions:   

pronunciation – the way a word is pronounced (I would add: to make it easily understood by a general audience.)

accent – the way words are pronounced (so far, so similar), associated with a particular region, group of people.

Okay. The two terms overlap but they are not synonymous. Both words deal with ‘how words are pronounced’, but ‘accent’ has the additional meaning of being associated with a particular region or group of people.

My own take, based on years of thought and on teaching all things related to voice, accent and pronunciation, is that an accent is a collection of pronunciation habits that carries some kind of regional or social association. This seems to line up pretty well with the dictionary definitions.

Pronunciation vs accent teaching

Now we’ve got the difference, what does this mean in practice? Do I teach accent or pronunciation?

Well…both, of course. One-to-one training might lean towards one or the other, depending on my clients and their individual aims.

If someone wants help with improving the clarity of their speech, it’s safe to say we’re working on pronunciation.

If someone’s aim is to reproduce a specific accent, perhaps because they are an actor or because they have a personal objective to explore a new accent, then, of course, we’re working on accent.

Pronunciation training does not exist in a vacuum

There is inevitable accent influence in the context or location of where the training takes place. A target pronunciation model can be useful, and there is no such thing as a definable, globally neutral accent. The sounds I teach have a particularly British flavour, unless agreed otherwise with my client at the start of the training.

Clarity is key; accents are a choice

I think the pronunciation vs accent sticking point comes when describing this type of training. It’s easy to use terms like ‘improve your accent’ or ‘reduce your accent’, when actually we mean ‘work on speech clarity’. The issue is the implication that some accents are not acceptable and in need of improvement. This. Is. Definitely. Not. The. Case! We can be clear in any accent, but it is important to be clear. Certain stronger accent features may stand in the way of clarity, depending on the audience, and we approach this on a case-by-case basis – the beauty of one-to-one training!

Working on pronunciation might once have meant aiming for a whole new accent, and maybe still means that to some. Today, I believe it’s more about helping my clients explore new choices that suit their individual goals and circumstances.

That’s why I called myself Vocal Choice 😊

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I’m Sonya Ross, founder of Vocal Choice and an experienced accent, pronunciation, and speech coach based in London and Hastings, UK, with online coaching options for clients worldwide. I work with international professionals who are eager to unlock the full potential of their speaking voice.