Accent modification or reduction?
Excuse me while I get on my soapbox.
The process of working on an accent used to be widely referred to as “accent reduction.” This term implied that there was a “standard” way of speaking (General American English in the U.S.) and that any other way of speaking is negative and needs to be minimized. The idea that one accent is inherently more “correct” than another is outdated and simply untrue. The term “accent reduction” also carries problematic undertones, suggesting that some accents are better or more desirable than others.
Also, the term itself is just plain wrong. An accent can’t be “reduced” - it’s just changed into a different accent. As a famous linguist noted, people tend to think that “an accent is always what the other person has.” A speaker of General American English will stand out just as much when visiting, for example, the UK, Australia, or certain rural areas of the US.
That’s why professionals now use the term “accent modification.” Modern accent modification focuses on improving intelligibility and naturalness, not forcing someone to sound like a native speaker, which is an unnecessary (and most often unrealistic) goal. The aim isn’t to hide who you are; it’s to empower you to communicate more confidently and clearly with American English speakers.
References:
Lippi-Green, R. (2012). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States. Routledge.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2005). Second language accent and pronunciation teaching: A research-based approach. TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 379–397.
Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. (2002). ESL learners’ perceptions of their pronunciation needs and strategies. System, 30(2), 155–166.
