Unlike other aspects of communication treated by SLPs, accent modification is considered an elective service, i.e., it is not a disorder. As such, a physician’s order is not required for the service. Because it is not a medically necessary service, it is also one that is not likely to be covered by insurance. Accent modification is typically provided to adults that are interested in improving the clarity of their speech production in a language or dialect that is not their own, e.g., a native French speaker that speaks English with a heavy accent. Each person’s motivation for accent modification differs; however, generally speaking, many people are highly interested in altering their accents for personal or professional reasons. Perhaps people do not understand most of their speech or maybe there are a few sounds that are difficult to pronounce because they are not part of the person’s first language, e.g. /z/ does not exist in Spanish. Perhaps an actor would like to land a great role that requires speech that is completely different from his natural speech.
As you might infer, there may be many benefits to accent modification. Personal, social, and professional gains may lie around the corner for those who have learned to alter and adjust their speech for their listeners. Improved speech clarity can lead to fewer communication breakdowns and an overall greater communication exchange. In addition, clearer speech may help improve one’s confidence for public speaking, presentations, and the like. If you are an adult that would like to improve your accent then accent modification may be for you. Please visit www.bilingualspeech.org or www.asha.org for more information.
