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Every person has an accent, and these accents can be an important part of who we are and where we come from. However, accents can also lead to difficulty communicating with others.

One year ago, Dalhousie鈥檚 School of Human Communication Disorders launched the Accent Modification Clinic to help individuals challenged by communication barriers as a result of their accent. The goal is 鈥渘ot to eliminate someone鈥檚 natural accent,鈥� according to Cindy Dobbelsteyn, a speech and language pathologist with the clinic, but 鈥渢o increase their confidence and their ability to be understood.鈥�

Typical Clients and Tailored Programs

The clinic attracts a variety of people interested in altering their speech and 鈥渢here is no typical client,鈥� says Dobbelsteyn. From international students and residents of Halifax to actors who wish to change the way they speak for a role, the diversity of the patrons provides unique challenges for the Clinic, which tailors the program to the needs of each individual.

鈥淧eople from different language backgrounds will have different needs,鈥� says Dobbelsteyn. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why at the outset we do an in-depth assessment.鈥澛� After the assessment 鈥� which is audio recorded 鈥� Dobbelsteyn spends a lot of time listening to the client鈥檚 speech to pinpoint problem areas and designs a program to reflect those needs.

Changing Communications Habits

鈥淭he longer you鈥檝e been speaking a certain way, the harder it is to change,鈥� says Dobbelsteyn. Participants generally take 12 weeks to complete the program, which gives them an awareness of areas they need to work on in their communication and tools designed to help.

It鈥檚 up to each individual to practice the skills they鈥檝e learned in order to see the most improvement. Altering speech takes a lot of practice and Dobbelsteyn recommends an 鈥渉our a day for optimal success.鈥�

Feedback

Lucinda, an accounting student at Dal, heard about the clinic through an international students鈥� support group. She was initially hesitant to participate in the program for financial reasons, but thanks to one-time funding from the Faculty of Health Professions specifically for students, she was able to attend.

When she first started the program, Lucinda struggled with pronouncing vowels. Although she had started learning English in primary school, she says at that time she 鈥渉ad little interest in practicing鈥� and found it boring. Now that she is living and studying in Canada, Lucinda is paying a lot more attention to her English skills.

Attending the clinic has given Lucinda more confidence in her speaking abilities. Previously, she had difficulty understanding some of her Canadian friends 鈥渂ecause they talk so fast,鈥� but now when she talks to her friend from Ontario, Lucinda says, 鈥淚 understand every word.鈥�

Lucinda explained that it鈥檚 the 鈥渟mall things that have been changed鈥� in her pronunciation that make all the difference.

Many others who have attended the clinic express similar results. Through assessments done after completion of the program and written feedback, the clinic is able to measure its impact.

鈥楶ost鈥� assessments show that participants have experienced 鈥渟ignificant improvements in identifying spoken components of English,鈥� says Dobbelsteyn. Every participant has said that they have benefited from the program and the assessments have shown that participants are 鈥渕ore able to identify components of spoken English that they weren鈥檛 previously able to identify.鈥�

Looking To the Future

As the international population in Halifax continues to grow, the clinic hopes to increase its popularity.

According to Dobbelsteyn, 鈥渃ost is a barrier, particularly for the international students,鈥� but she is thankful for the funding from the Faculty of Health Professions and Dal student services which provided one-time support for students wishing to attend the clinic this year.

With awareness of the clinic鈥檚 offerings increasing and an ever-growing international presence within the Halifax community, the Accent Modification clinic is well positioned to continue to help clients improve their English communications skills.

Want to know more about the clinic and its services? Visit the .