A Viewpoint on Accent Services: Framing and Terminology Matter

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Existing biases toward accented speakers impact service delivery.
• The speech-language pathology profession faces calls for increased diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for an equity-minded reframing of accent services.
• To promote nonpejorative terminology and global linguistic diversity.
• To encourage practitioner diversity within speech-language pathology.

Main Methods:

• A contemporary viewpoint on accent services.
• An in-depth scoping review of accent modification literature.
• Discussion of respectful terminology and speaker identity.

Main Results:

• Accent services require reframing to be equitable and unbiased.
• Nurturing linguistic and practitioner diversity is essential.
• Current practices may perpetuate biases against accented speakers.

Conclusions:

• An equity-minded approach to accent services is overdue.
• Recommendations for least-biased accent services are provided.
• Promoting unconditional respect for speaker identity is crucial.