Appreciating Accents: Tips for Clear Communication

Written by: Angelika Sellick 
​Learning Facilitator
Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy

Recently, I observed my 7 year old son struggle to make the spelling of his name understood by other children during a get-to-know-you game. I watched as my son repeatedly spelled his name out, only to be met by confused faces. I also noticed how many children were unsure of how to ask for clarification, and I noted my son’s deflating confidence with each unsuccessful exchange.

My son’s name is LÉ0 . Notice the french accent over the E which means his name is pronounced ‘lay-o’. This particular french accent is called accent aigu. Unless you are somewhat familiar with the French language, the use of accent aigu (pronounced ‘a-sant a-gu) may certainly create confusion. 

Even as adults, we daily encounter similar breakdowns in communication with one another. For example, phone numbers recited at rocket speed, spellings of names said too quickly, and slang or acronyms used that aren’t always obvious to everyone. 

 What can we do to ensure communication is clear? Here are some tips that require a two-way effort between both people:

• Speak slower. Add a pause between numbers and letters.
• Ask for clarification: “Sorry, can you say that again please?”
• Act it out . Polite gesturing or a bit of charades can help.
• Repeat the information out loud to confirm you understood correctly.
• Write the information down and show it to the other person. You can also do this through email or text.
• Be patient

​In the situation with my son, Léo, we can see some of these tips come into action. The confused faces of his peers prompted my son to try repeating the spelling of his name, speaking slower, and even “air writing” his name. Finally, he wrote the É on a piece of paper and whenever it came time to say E accent aigu, he pointed to his paper. It was then that the other children understood and easily recorded his name on their paper. I watched with appreciation as the interactions continued forward with clarity, and my son confidently spelt his name out loud which included a lovely french accent.