Reasons Not To Learn RP Accent

I have something to share with speakers of English as a foreign language. As a language specialist, enthusiast, voice actor and (sometimes) language teacher, I’m fascinated by the diversity within the English language.

The Standard in Other Languages

My native language, Korean, is a highly centralised language. Not only it has a centralised institute that dictates what is right or wrong, it is primarily spoken inside of Korean Peninsula, with relatively less variants. Korean education abroad is also largely controlled by a handful of organisations, all of which follow the said Institute’s rulings. This is the case for many other languages.

As a voice actor, I learned to master this standard Korean, defined by the authority as “the language of educated Seoul residents.” Unless I’m playing a role specifically from a regional background, I stick to standard Korean at all times. I was lucky because this was easy for me. After all, I was an educated Seoulite. I learned my Korean from grandparents and parents who also grew up in Seoul. But I saw fellow aspiring actors putting in extra work because they came from other regions or because their parents did. (Seoul is much like London; people migrate there from all over due to its sheer dominance.)

English Works Differently

English is different. It is spoken worldwide as both native and foreign language. Its variants are shaped by diverse geographies, cultures and proximity to other languages influences. Accents and dialects each have their own place. We are at least moving in that direction, though some dialect still hold more cultural power than others.

I love that English-speaking actors, narrators, and voiceover artists are more encouraged to speak in their authentic voice these days. In English, there’s a growing trend of embracing diverse voices, reflecting the global, inclusive nature of the language itself.

Standard Accent? No Such Thing

It is natural for many second language speakers learning English to feel pressured to speak in “standard” English accent, either Received Pronunciation or “accent-neutral” American English. This pressure leads many students to spend extra money and effort on “neutralising” their accents or to self-consciousness. I myself once perfected my “accent-neutral” American English to the point that people just assumed I had either grown up or studied in the US. But I am not keeping it. Because I’ve decided I’d like to sound in a way that reflects my personal history.

Do whatever!

I’d like to invite everyone to see the diversity within English language and steer further toward the equality between English variants by being a part of diversity. Like it or not, English already has become the global common language. We use English to communicate with a wider audience around the world. We don’t need to sound like middle-class Southern English or American news anchors. But if you’d like to sound that way, I also totally understand that strategical choice, too. Let’s do whatever we like with our accents!

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash