When we learn a foreign language we can often become so caught up with the correct pronunciation and tone of a word that we do not realise we are acquiring an accent at the same time.

An accent is the characteristic style of pronunciation; it’s what makes us all different and the world an interesting place to live in.

Just because you may speak the same language as someone doesn’t mean you will have the same accent. I grew up in Australia with Scottish grandparents and although we all spoke English, there were times when I had no clue what they were saying to me as their accents were so strong.

When I studied Japanese and then travelled to Japan, people would ask me where I learnt to speak with an accent as my teacher was from the island of Shikoku. It made for some interesting discussions and lots of laughs.

Your SLS language teacher is the best person to help you with any questions you may have about learning with an accent and if you have a specific request to speak the accent from a certain region of your country of choice, then you should discuss this with them.