What is Neutral Accent?

[anupumh]

Hi,

I would like to ask all the English Teachers..

What do you understand by Neutral Accent?

Thanks

[konungursvia]

Among all the varieties of English, there are those that are widely considered less extreme in their pronunciation, more middle-of-the-road: the English spoken from Chicago to Toronto, around the Great Lakes; and the English of the South-East in England. Australians are also easy to understand and not at all grating. These might be neutral accents.

[anupumh]

Among all the varieties of English, there are those that are widely considered less extreme in their pronunciation, more middle-of-the-road: the English spoken from Chicago to Toronto, around the Great Lakes; and the English of the South-East in England. Australians are also easy to understand and not at all grating. These might be neutral accents.

Dont you think the term "neutral accent" is an oximoron?

[konungursvia]

No, it is only the ethnocentric that view their own dialects as having no accent. Enlightened souls agree we all have accents, and speak dialects of a neutral collective. But it would be unrealistic to say they are all equidistant from the centre.

[anupumh]

No, it is only the ethnocentric that view their own dialects as having no accent. Enlightened souls agree we all have accents, and speak dialects of a neutral collective. But it would be unrealistic to say they are all equidistant from the centre.

So, if you feel everybody has an accent, then what is the basis of the term "Neutral Accent"?

As something which is neutral should not have an accent and an accent can be intelligible but never neutral...

[konungursvia]

Only if you view neutrality as a black-and-white absolute: I feel there are degrees of neutrality, there are differences from averages and norms that can be measured as more or less extreme.

[anupumh]

Only if you view neutrality as a black-and-white absolute: I feel there are degrees of neutrality, there are differences from averages and norms that can be measured as more or less extreme.

What attributes will you assign to your so called "Neutral Accent"?

Do you think a neutral accent can be acquired?

What is the difference between neutral accent and neutralized accent?

[konungursvia]

I have stated those above; yes, it can be acquired. Dan Rather worked on and attained Chicago pronunciation to become America's number one news anchor. The third question I don't understand.

[anupumh]

I have stated those above; yes, it can be acquired. Dan Rather worked on and attained Chicago pronunciation to become America's number one news anchor. The third question I don't understand.

There is another term "Neutralized Accent"

Do you think neutral accent and neutralized accent are one and the same or they are different?

[anupumh]

How to speak Neutral Accent?