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Seminar on Accent Neutralization for International Intelligibility

to be given at University of Southern Philippines-Augustin Jereza Hall

by Professor Z. N. Patil, The English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad,India

and Professor Anindya Syam Choudhury, Assam University, Silchar, India.

Date of Seminar-13 August 2011                                  Fee: Php 600

1^st Speaker: Professor Patil-Seminar  9:00 to 10:00 - Q & A Session 10:00 to 10:30   

2^nd Speaker: Professor Choudhury-Seminar 10:45 to 11:30 – Q&A 11:30 to 12:00

English has spread from the inner circle of countries like Britain, the United States and Australia to the outer circle countries such as India, Nigeria, South Africa and Singapore and the expanding circle countries, which include Vietnam, China, etc. Because of this spread, English has acquired new formal properties and functional roles. The most prominent property of new varieties of English that immediately catches our attention pertains to variation in accent. Thus when we travel across the globe we hear Indian accent, Chinese accent, Filipino accent, and so on.

Professor Patil and Professor Choudhury will cover diverse accents with reference to provincial, national and international intelligibility. For most non-native speakers of English it is neither necessary nor desirable to acquire British, American or Australian accents. For them, provincial and national intelligibility should suffice. They do not need training in accent neutralization. People who teach English, plan to join call centers, be involved in international aviation, work in the tourist industry, or intelligence services can benefit from undergoing such training.

The seminar given by Professor Patil and Professor Choudhury will illustrate unintelligibility caused by deviant accents. Professor Patil will draw upon his experience of teaching English in Vietnam for three and a half years, in Japan for three years, and his brief encounters with Korean, Chinese, Filipino and a few other varieties of English. He will suggest strategies to neutralize this variance so that the new varieties approximate the native British or American accents; if not fully conform to them. The speaker will make a case for neutralization of non-native regional accents for effective international communication.

For more information, please contact:

Thomas Magee – Executive Director or Ms.Lady May Kaamiño – Project Coordinator