Regional Dialect Coaching
Improve Your Southern Dialect, african american dialect,british dialect, NEW York dialect, caribbean dialect, CREOLE and others
Linguistic diversity makes the world an interesting place. However, if the way one speaks is difficult to comprehend, or interferes with communication goals, one may consider learning ways to be better understood. Some speakers with a noticeable dialect have become tired of being asked "where are you from"?
Choose one of the options below
Dialect Coaching in Atlanta and Austin
Advanced Accent Training (AAT) is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Austin, Texas, so we have had the opportunity to work with many clients who wish to reduce a Southern dialect. We also teach Standard American English to speakers from New York, Caribbean Islands, and other geographic regions. Due to recent surges in Covid variants, classes are mostly still provided online via Zoom.
Speakers from the Southern region of the United States are sometimes known for their politeness, but perceptions of a dialect may vary across the country. There are at least four Southern dialects, each which can require customized instruction. A dialect spoken in Texas may be quite different from a Tennessee dialect (or parts of Tennessee), or speech in various regions of Georgia and/or other states. AAT will start all programs with a thorough speech assessment to customize your program.
2. Worldwide Online Dialect Coaching
AAT offers dialect modification online and in person at selected locations. Standard American English (SAE) is the type of pronunciation that is heard on a national news broadcast such as CNN, or FOX. SAE is sometimes thought of as "proper" or part of main American culture, although there is nothing "better" about SAE than any other dialect. Your online accent coach will identify areas of your dialect to "neutralize", including such things as vowels, consonants, pitch, Southern drawl, rate, and voice. We can also work with actors to reduce or learn a dialect for a script, or improve social conversation skills.
African American Speech
Regional dialects can reflect a language style or speech pattern from a specific region or social group. A dialect may also impact vocabulary or grammar, in addition to pronunciation. AAE (African American English) is a dialect or "vernacular" that has some common characteristics with Southern dialects:
"I’ve traveled around the world in the shipping industry. I grew up in South Georgia and always felt self conscious about my speech and grammar I learned as a child. I sometimes felt judged by the way I talk. Jon helped me learn Standard American English"
English speaker with Southern Dialect (Seafaring Industry)
Dialects and Discrimination
Dialects can usually be understood by others who speak the same language, although with some degree of difficulty or could just be distracting to the listener. Some dialects are unfortunately sometimes discriminated against by other groups. Incorrect assumptions can be made about a person's educational background or socioeconomic status.
British Dialects
We have also worked with speakers from Africa, India and other countries, where British English is the primary or secondary language. Some of our clients request that we "Americanize" their British accent. Some of our recent clients come from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and others. A dialect may combine with a foreign accent to create a particular speaking pattern or style.
How AAT Can Help
Sometimes a spoken dialect may interfere with being understood. Other times, one may feel self-conscious, even though communication is not impeded. It can be a very personal decision to change the habitual way that one speaks his or her native language. Having an accent or dialect is not a speech disorder. People speak in a variety of ways around the globe and there is no “right” way to speak English. However, if you have a Southern Atlanta dialect, Caribbean, Northeastern accent, or other regional speech pattern that you would like to modify or learn more about, AAT is here to help.
See this recent Wall Street Journal Article about Southern Dialects. Our Director, Jon Berton, M.A.-SLP was interviewed:
Atlanta Dialect Class Locations
Whether you live in Atlanta, Georgia, other Southern states such as Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, or another area, we can assist with dialect coaching. Our main Atlanta offices are in Sandy Springs or Roswell, GA. We also provide worldwide online accent training.