So, you want to know how to speak another language without an accent? I get it. It’s an appealing thought to be so fluent you’re mistaken for a native. Or is it? Here’s why learning how to speak another language without an accent shouldn’t be high on your language learning priorities.

What is an accent?

First of all, let’s clear up the term ‘accent’.

An accent refers to the pronunciation and little nuances that make up how we speak a language.

There’s two “types” of accent – our accent(s) we have when speaking our mother tongue(s), and our accent(s) we acquire when speaking new language(s).

It’s influenced by where we live, where and how we learn a language, who teaches us that language and their level, our social expectations and understandings of the language, our exposure to other speakers…so many factors!

This also means that everyone who speaks every language ever has…you guessed it, an accent.

When I was younger, I fell into the common trap of thinking that because people on TV sounded like me, I didn’t have an accent – everyone else did. My family in Scotland had a Scottish accent. My family in the north had a northern accent. And I, an hour or so north of London had…no accent.

I was so wrong!

Unfortunately, the same thing (hearing a dominant language variety spoken in media) is in part what also leads us as language learners to believe we want and/or need to aspire to the mythical native accent.

Dominant language varieties often end up being spoken widely in the media because they hold more power. And for each language variety and situation, there’s going to be a whole host of reasons to untangle that lead to that being the case.

Now, of course, as learners, this doesn’t mean we have to reject all resources that seem to us to make use of this dominant language variety. I’m not saying “Neglect dominant language varieties” or “Go forth, dear learner, and learn that accent spoken by 10 people on that island that’s so distinct it’s mostly classified as its own language or dialect!”

I mean, if those 10 people are your buddies, do it. Otherwise, there’s no need to exploit or exotify here.

Instead, what I am saying is that we don’t need to stress about acquiring a “native accent” or losing our own when we learn another language.

How does that feel?

You just panicked? Died a little at the thought of proudly owning how you speak another language?

That response makes sense. A dominant language variety in the media isn’t the only reason we often want to learn how to speak another language without an accent. And this other reason is probably what’s got you feeling that way.

There’s a lot of saving face and fitting in and assimilating that comes into play in our decision to do this.

We want to be accepted. We want to be validated. To fit in.

How about this: what if your accent actually intrigues and tells a story about who you are and where you’re from?

Linguistic DNA, on show to whoever you speak with.

And here we’ve uncovered another reason why we want to learn how to speak another language without an accent. It can be scary to be vulnerable.

When a part of us is on show that we don’t necessarily want to reveal, it makes us feel like we’re in a weaker position.

Curveball: what if you treat your accent as an advantage that puts you in a stronger position?

Sure, people will judge you for your accent, your way of speaking a language. But they’ve already judged you for your clothes, your hair, your walk, your nose ring, your smile (or lack of. Lack of smile, nosering, walk, or hair that is…hopefully not lack of clothes).

So, if people will judge you regardless of how much work you put into learning how to speak another language without an accent, why stress over it? Why not use it to your advantage instead?

The big advantage is this: your accent lets people know “This person isn’t a native speaker. They may get words wrong. I may need to listen more attentively here.”

This can be a huge advantage when going into a speaking situation with a desired outcome.

And yep. I hear your thoughts aloud right now: But what if they’re thinking “This person isn’t a native speaker. They may get words wrong. Oh man, I can’t be bothered with this.” Or…words to that effect. Perhaps peppered with an expletive or two.

That’s not your problem. It’s not your problem if someone you speak to choses to interpret your accent as weakness. That’s on them.

Do you even know how smart I am in Spanish?

I often find myself thinking back to this scene from Modern Family:

“Do you even know how smart I am in Spanish?”

I wonder if this is one of the reasons for all the research into multilinguals having different personalities for different languages. The idea that we adapt to what we can say and how we can say it when speaking a language beyond our mother tongue(s).

And with that adaptation can come feelings of shame. Shame that we don’t know the precise word we want. Shame we might be misunderstood. And shame we might even expose ourselves as a learner of this language.

Phew. That’s a lot, right?

Our non-native accent can make us feel shame, vulnerability, weakness, fear, judgment, disconnect, ‘other’.

So of course, with all that in mind, it’s obvious how we got to a place with accent and dialect coaches working beyond film, TV, and theatre, and creeping into language learning.

Accent = Identity

But here’s the thing – your accent is your identity. Your way of speaking should not be a source of shame.

Yet throughout history, linguistic dominance of certain language varieties has led many people to feel shame for their way of speaking. I think we can agree that is something we’d prefer to leave in the past, yes?

It certainly isn’t something that will disappear overnight. I’m not naive here, and like I said, we judge. It’s human to build up assumptions about strangers from the clues we’re presented with, including accent.

But it is something that as language learners we should be conscious of and question when we think we want to learn how to speak another language without an accent.

Is learning how to speak another language without an accent something you want for you, or something you think you should do – an expectation from external sources?

When you do want to change the way you speak another language, consider the way you talk about this carefully. You don’t need to “lose” or “reduce” your accent, or speak a language “without” an accent. Instead, you are acquiring an additional accent, an additional way of speaking.

And I know that may sound mind blowing in the sense of “More?! An additional accent?! Extra?! More work?!”

Well, we do this all the time. Think about the way that you speak to someone interviewing you for a job is different to how you speak to your friends you’ve known for years.

We are all capable of adapting our speech and having multiple ways of speaking. And it’s the same when we use another language too.

So although we can dream of a world in which we never have to ask “Do you know how smart I am in Spanish?”, until then, we can mindfully consider how we learn accents, dialects, and variations of speaking other languages.

Imitating and Shadowing

I don’t write about accents and pronunciation a lot because mostly imitating and shadowing has led me to being understood in the languages I know.

My goal is always first and foremost to be understood. I really don’t mind if I speak with a “foreign” accent when using another language. That alone is very freeing, because I’m able to imitate and shadow what I hear with less stress about being perfect.

So what do I mean by these terms?

Imitating is exactly what it sounds like. You may want to try this first of all when alone, so you build up a level of comfort. Essentially, you’re trying to repeat what you hear as closely as possible. Not just in terms of getting the words out, but also the tone, style, and any accent features you noticed.

Through doing this, you’ll be able to build confidence with using these little flairs you notice that begin to make up your accent in this language.

Shadowing is similar in that you repeat what you hear. However, there’s space here to also focus on speed and overall intonation and flow, not just specific words.

This is a useful skill to then put into practice when you’re imitating and speaking.

Related: 12 Top Tips: How to Improve German Pronunciation

Pronunciation and Clarity

One big thing that we mistake for meaning we want to speak without an accent is that we want to speak clearly.

Speaking clearly is, of course, key to being understood – our primary goal.

And one of the easiest ways to enhance that is with work on our pronunciation.

If you’re wondering what the difference is between accent and pronunciation, pronunciation is one core element that makes up our accent. So they’re not equal, but rather accent includes pronunciation.

And yes, much like an accent, pronunciation can vary too.

You’ll likely need to search for pronunciation using terms like “correct pronunciation” to get the answers you want. This is ok, as long as we acknowledge that there can be multiple “correct” pronunciations depending on accents and language variation. Remember – everyone has an accent, and no accent is superior or inferior.

I really like the website Forvo for checking pronunciation. Not only is it quick and easy to use, but it also tells you where speakers of submitted pronunciations originate. It’s interesting to click through a couple if you have a popular word and listen for differences.

Related: When to Worry About Pronunciation When Learning a Language (+ What To Do About It)

Acknowledging Other Accents

We just mentioned this briefly in the last point, but it’s an important one.

As we acquire our own accent when speaking another language, we need to be sure to acknowledge the validity of other accents too.

There’s a danger of widening the gap between dominant language varieties and non-dominant ones, and as language learners, we can play a role in this not widening any further.

The easiest way to do so is to consider exposing yourself to non-dominant language varieties from time to time.

This could mean booking a Russian lesson with a native speaker from Kazakhstan. It could involve watching a Spanish TV series set in Mexico that uses an accent you’re less familiar with. It could even be getting involved with language activism.

Related: Language Varieties: Accents, Dialects + More