PORTFOLIO # 12 Videos

1- The Inspector needs "a flawless American accent":

In the first video we can see a clear example of “accent”.  When we talk about “accent” we are referring to the “differences in aspects of pronunciation that identify where an individual speaker is from, regionally or socially”. By hearing the inspector’s accent we can see a variation in the way he is speaking English. His accent identifies him as French. In order to not raise any suspicion, the inspector needs to acquire a perfect English accent. The woman is trying to teach him the Standard American English but he has some difficulties with the pronunciation.

2- Students' dialects?

In the second video we can see an example of “dialects”. The term “dialect” involves much more than differences in pronunciation. This term is used to describe features of grammar and vocabulary as well. The people in this video present these kinds of differences in their speech. For example, they have problems with grammar, lack of vocabulary, emphasis and spelling. These differences make them hard to be understood.

3- Speak English, please!

In the third video we can see another example of “accent”. Unlike the inspector from the first video, the Iraqi man is highly educated. He studied English in the American University in Cairo. We can see that he has a good use of grammar and vocabulary but there is a variation in his accent. His accent is not the Standard American Accent. By hearing his accent we can identify that he is from the north of Iraq. Because of his different accent, the news reporter is translating what he is saying into subtitles in case the audience finds it difficult to understand him.