Understanding accents and their role in language learning

A woman on her phone smiling outdoors in a city
Reading time: 4 minutes

Accents are a fascinating aspect of language that can reveal a lot about a person's background and experiences. For language learners, accents often become a central focus, sometimes to the detriment of more important language skills. In this post, we’ll explore what accents are, why people have them, and why intelligibility is more important than mastering an accent.

Ways to improve your language intelligibility
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ɫèAV can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

What are accents?

An accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing words that is characteristic of a particular region, social group, or native language. It involves variations in phonetics, intonation and rhythm. For example, a person from London might speak English with a different accent compared to someone from Edinburgh.

Accents are natural and inevitable; everyone has one. They are influenced by various factors, including geography, culture and exposure to other languages. When you learn a new language, your native language influences your pronunciation.

Depending on your accent, you may pronounce some sounds in certain ways that aren't reflected in another language, or perhaps certain sounds or words don't even exist in your first language. For example in Japanese, there is no /L/ sound, so a native Japanese speaker might struggle to pronounce the word "love" with an accurate /L/ sound.

Another example is . They often use clicks in their language, which is not found in many other languages, making it difficult for non-native speakers to imitate and learn. For anyone who has to make a sound they aren't used to, it can be initially difficult as the mouth has to move in a way unfamiliar to the speaker.

There is even a discussion on whether physical aspects affect accent, such as the shape of your teeth, tongue and oral posture (the way your teeth rest together and tongue sits in your mouth). There are also many other physical factors that are under debate on whether they impact voice/accent.

Why do people have accents?

People have accents for several reasons:

  1. Geographical influence: The region where a person grows up significantly affects their accent. Even within the same country, accents can vary widely from one city or town to another.
  2. Cultural factors: Cultural background plays a role in shaping how people speak. For instance, social norms and traditions can influence speech patterns and pronunciations.
  3. Native language impact: Your first language has a profound impact on how you pronounce sounds in a new language. Certain sounds may not exist in your native language, making them harder to replicate accurately in another.
  4. Exposure and practice: The amount of exposure and practice you have with a new language can affect your accent. Regular interaction with fluent speakers can help you adopt more native-like pronunciations. If you spend a lot of time around foreign media you may start picking up accents from there.

Have you ever spoken to someone and you feel like they're mimicking your accent? or that you're subconsciously mimicking theirs? This can be due to the ', when a person adopts and mimics things such as gestures or voice of the person they are in conversation with. This is seen as a subconscious way to build rapport and connection with others.

Why do accents matter?

Accents matter because they are a core part of our identity and how we relate to the world. For language learners, accents can be a source of pride or frustration.

However, it’s essential to understand that having a foreign accent is perfectly normal and not a barrier to effective communication. In fact, accents add diversity and richness to language and should be embraced.

Why intelligibility is more important than mastering an accent

In the context of language learning, intelligibility—being understood by others—should be your primary goal rather than eliminating or changing your accent. Here’s why:

  1. Effective communication: The main aim of learning a new language is to communicate effectively. If others can understand you clearly, your accent becomes less important.
  2. Reduced pressure: Focusing on intelligibility rather than perfecting an accent reduces stress and makes the learning process more enjoyable. You can concentrate on expanding your vocabulary and improving grammar instead.
  3. Cultural acceptance: Many native speakers are accustomed to hearing various accents and can understand them without difficulty. They appreciate the effort you put into learning their language, regardless of your accent.
  4. Retaining your identity: Trying to eliminate your accent may mean losing part of your cultural identity. Embracing your accent shows others that you are proud of where you come from and can open the door to meaningful conversations about culture and diversity.
  5. Practical progress: Concentrating on intelligibility allows you to make practical progress in real-world situations, such as ordering food, asking for directions, or participating in conversations.

Tips for improving intelligibility

  • Listen and mimic: Spend time listening to fluent speakers and try to mimic their intonation and rhythm.
  • Practice pronunciation: Focus on pronouncing key sounds correctly.
  • Record yourself: Recording your speech and comparing it to fluent speakers can help you identify areas for improvement.
  • Seek Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask fluent speakers for feedback on your pronunciation and clarity. It's the best way to determine your intelligibility.

Be proud of your accent

Accents are a natural part of language and identity. While they can influence how we are perceived, they should not be a major concern for language learners. Instead, focus on being understood and enjoying the process of learning a new language. Remember, an accent is not a flaw; it’s your blueprint.

Read out blog posts 'What does it mean to be fluent in English?' and 'Understanding dialects in the English language'

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • Two women sit at a desk, one pointing at a document, in a discussion, with a plant and window in the background.

    My lifelong learning journey: Why learning English never stops

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Why did I want to learn English? When I was 9 years old, I became sick of French at home and I decided to go for the "opposite": English. I fell in love with it the moment I started learning. Though I could not see the point in many activities we were asked to do, such as turning affirmative sentences into negative and questions, or transforming conditional statements, I was good at it and hoped that at some point, I would find the meaningfulness of those exercises.

    Overcoming challenges in English language learning

    I kept on learning English, but the benefits were nowhere to be seen. In my school, classes are monolingual and teachers and students all share the same mother tongue. However, translanguaging was not an option. I even remember being told to forget Spanish, my mother tongue, which was as ridiculous and impossible as asking me to forget I have two legs. Before I finished secondary school, I knew I wanted to take up a career that had English at its core.

    From student to teacher: Finding purpose in teaching English

    I started the translators programme, but soon I saw that it was teaching that I loved. I changed to that and I have never stopped teaching or learning. All the pieces fell into place as I was asked to use English meaningfully, as I started focusing on meaning rather than on grammar. And I made this big learning insight one of the principles and main pillars of teaching. Some heads of school wondered why I would not follow the coursebook. My answer, since then, has been: I teach students, not a book or a syllabus. Because I was focusing on using English with a purpose – using it meaningfully – the results were excellent, and my students were using the language. And they passed the tests they needed to take.

    Teaching English with meaning: Moving beyond the coursebook

    I used coursebooks, as every other teacher did, but continued to make changes that I thought would be beneficial to my learners. As I taught Didactics at university in the Teacher Education Programme, I was invited by some publishing houses to give feedback on new coursebooks. As I was told, the feedback proved to be useful, and I was asked to start modifying international coursebooks to fit the local context and design booklets to provide what was missing in these adaptations, until I was finally invited to write a series for Argentina.

    In all the series I’ve written, my first comment has always been: “This is the result of my experience in several different classrooms, with different students from various backgrounds. This is a series by a teacher and for teachers and their learners. The focus is not on teaching, but on what is necessary for students to learn."

    Flexibility has always been at the core of these series and my teaching as well. Sometimes students need more work on something, and in the Teacher’s book I included several suggestions for further activities, which I called “building confidence activities”.

    Flexible teaching strategies and confidence-building activities

    As I got involved with the GSE, I saw how it can help students learn much better, and how it can support teachers as they help learners. How so? Because it starts with a focus on using English rather than on learning about it, that is, learning about its grammar. I’ve shared my views on it with every colleague I can and it has been the topic of several presentations and national and international conferences. It’s a fantastic resource for both teachers and learners, but also for the wider educational community. When the scales were finally published, I remember thinking, “Oh my, I was born in the wrong century!”

    I am still teaching English – working at schools as a consultant, designing professional development projects and implementing them, and yes, actually working in classrooms, teaching learners. After many years of teaching English, and still loving it, the best advice I can give is this:

    Advice for English teachers

    Teachers, we’re blessed in that we do what we love, and despite its challenges and hard times, teaching is absolutely rewarding. Nothing can compare to the expression on a student’s face when they've "got it".

    Remember to focus on meaning, help learners become aware of what they already know and set a clear learning path that will keep you and them motivated. The GSE is the best resource and companion for this.

  • A teacher sat with young students while they work and hold crayons

    Icebreaker activities for the beginning of the school year

    By
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    The beginning days of school are both exciting and occasionally nerve-wracking for teachers and students alike. Everyone is adjusting to new faces, routines and a fresh environment. As a teacher, you can help make this shift smooth, inviting and enjoyable. One effective way to achieve this is by using icebreaker activities.

    Icebreakers are simple games or activities that help students get to know each other, feel comfortable and start building a positive classroom community. When students feel connected, they are more likely to participate, help each other and enjoy learning. Here are some easy-to-use icebreaker activities and tips for making the beginning of the school year memorable for everyone. Here are just a few ideas for icebreakers you can use in your classroom.

  • A teacher with students stood around him while he is on a tablet

    How AI and the GSE are powering personalized learning at scale

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    In academic ops, we’re always finding the balance between precision and practicality. On one side: the goal of delivering lessons that are level-appropriate, relevant and tied to real learner needs. On the other hand, we juggle hundreds of courses, support teachers, handle last-minute changes and somehow keep the whole system moving without losing momentum or our minds.

    That’s exactly where AI and the Global Scale of English (GSE) have changed the game for us at Bridge. Over the past year, we’ve been using AI tools to streamline lesson creation, speed up course design and personalize instruction in a way that’s scalable and pedagogically sound.

    Spoiler alert: it’s working.

    The challenge: Customization at scale

    Our corporate English learners aren’t just “students”. They’re busy professionals: engineers, sales leads, analysts. They need immediate impact. They have specific goals, high expectations and very little patience for anything that feels generic.

    Behind the scenes, my team is constantly:

    • Adapting content to real company contexts
    • Mapping GSE descriptors to measurable outcomes
    • Designing lessons that are easy for teachers to deliver
    • Keeping quality high across dozens of industries and levels

    The solution: Building personalized courses at scale

    To address this challenge, we developed an internal curriculum engine that blends the GSE, AI and practical, job-focused communication goals into a system that can generate full courses in minutes.

    It is built around 21 workplace categories, including Conflict Resolution, Business Travel and Public Speaking. Each category has five lessons mapped to CEFR levels and GSE descriptors, sequenced to support real skill development.

    Then the fun part: content creation. Using GPT-based AI agents trained on GSE Professional objectives, we feed in a few parameters like:

    • Category: Negotiation
    • Lesson: Staying Professional Under Pressure
    • Skills: Speaking (GSE 43, 44), Reading (GSE 43, 45)

    In return, we get:

    • A teacher plan with clear prompts, instructions and model responses
    • Student slides or worksheets with interactive, GSE-aligned tasks
    • Learning outcomes tied directly to the descriptors

    Everything is structured, leveled and ready to go.

    One Example: “Staying Organized at Work”

    This A2 lesson falls under our Time Management module and hits descriptors like:

    • Reading 30: Can ask for repetition and clarification using basic fixed expressions
    • Speaking 33: Can describe basic activities or events happening at the time of speaking

    Students work with schedules, checklists and workplace vocabulary. They build confidence by using simple but useful language in simulated tasks. Teachers are fully supported with ready-made discussion questions and roleplay prompts.

    Whether we’re prepping for a quick demo or building a full 20-hour course, the outcome is the same. We deliver scalable, teacher-friendly, learner-relevant lessons that actually get used.

    Beyond the framework: AI-generated courses for individual learner profiles

    While our internal curriculum engine helps us scale structured, GSE-aligned lessons across common workplace themes, we also use AI for one-on-one personalization. This second system builds fully custom courses based on an individual’s goals, role, and communication challenges.

    One of our clients, a global mining company, needed a course for a production engineer in field ops. His English level was around B1 (GSE 43 to 50). He didn’t need grammar. He needed to get better at safety briefings, reports and meetings. Fast.

    He filled out a detailed needs analysis, and I fed the data into our first AI agent. It created a personalized GSE-aligned syllabus based on his job, challenges and goals. That syllabus was passed to a second agent, preloaded with the full GSE Professional framework, which then generated 20 complete lessons.

    The course looked like this:

    • Module 1: Reporting project updates
    • Module 2: Supply chain and logistics vocabulary
    • Module 3: Interpreting internal communications
    • Module 4: Coordination and problem-solving scenarios
    • Module 5: Safety presentation with feedback rubric

    From start to finish, the course took under an hour to build. It was tailored to his actual workday. His teacher later reported that his communication had become noticeably clearer and more confident.

    This was not a one-off. We have now repeated this flow for dozens of learners in different industries, each time mapping everything back to GSE ranges and skill targets.

    Why it works: AI + GSE = The right kind of structure

    AI helps us move fast. But the GSE gives us the structure to stay aligned.

    Without it, we’re just generating content. With it, we’re creating instruction that is:

    • Measurable and appropriate for the learner’s level
    • Easy for teachers to deliver
    • Consistent and scalable across programs

    The GSE gives us a shared language for goals, outcomes and progress. That is what keeps it pedagogically sound.

    Final thought

    A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed we could design a 20-lesson course in under an hour that actually delivers results. But now it’s just part of the workflow.

    AI doesn’t replace teaching. It enhances it. And when paired with the GSE, it gives us a way to meet learner needs with speed, clarity, and purpose. It’s not just an upgrade. It’s what’s next.