Learning English with CBCListening Lessons for Intermediate StudentsBased on CBC Manitoba Radio Broadcasts

March 25, 2014Lesson 98: Self Study Edition

Level: CLB 6 and up

Topic: Our Accent is Part of Who We Are

Language Skills and Functions: Listening – listening to a short interview for the main ideas

Speaking – expressing opinions; expressing agreement and disagreement

Reading – reading a short text for main ideas/detailWriting – writing a paragraph about a personal

experience

Language Competencies: Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Listening and Speaking Strategies, Socio-cultural/sociolinguistic Competence

Language Tasks: Answer questions about speaking a new language with an accent

Use new vocabulary in context

Listen to a short interview about accents for the main ideas; identify the speakers

Read the Manitoba Memo for main ideas and detail; answer true/false questions

Read statements about accents and express agreement or disagreement

Read scenarios and express opinions on whether there is discrimination on the basis of language, ethnicity or place of origin

Write a paragraph about a personal experience where communication was difficult due to the speaker’s accent or the listener’s attitude

Essential Skills: Reading text, oral communication, writing

Appendices: Transcript of the podcastAnswers to Worksheets

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Manitoba Memo Does your name affect your employment opportunities? What about your accent? Although many employers recognize and appreciate the value of a diverse workplace, discrimination on the basis of name, accent and related grounds like ethnicity and place of origin does take place.

A 2011 study of English speaking employers in three major Canadian cities found that applicants with English sounding names had a better chance of getting a callback from an employer than if the applicant had a Chinese, Indian or Greek name. Matthew was more likely to get a callback than Samir. Alison was more likely to get a callback than Min. The researchers sent dozens of employers identical resumes, changing only the name of the applicant. They found that the resumes with English sounding names were over 35 percent more likely to get a callback. In a second phase of the study, they changed the resumes for individuals with Chinese, Indian or Greek sounding names and emphasized that these applicants were fluent in English or French, as well as their mother tongue. But callback rates still did not increase.

Follow-up research with employers and human resources staff indicated that many assumed job applicants with foreign sounding names and backgrounds would have inadequate English language and social skills to work at their company. These workplaces were making decisions on the basis of ethnicity, which is a form of discrimination.

Other studies have found that even if Samir or Min got a callback, they could face another obstacle. They might find that some employers assume that if they speak with a non-native accent, they are less qualified for a job than someone who has a native accent.

The preference of some employers for native accents has resulted in the growth of accent reduction classes for newcomers and immigrants so they can sound “Canadian” or “American”. However, the intent of these courses is controversial. Critics say that accent reduction courses assume that a native accent is the superior accent. They point out that it is virtually impossible for an adult to speak a new language with a native-like accent unless they have been exposed to the language since they were six years of age. This is why English as an Additional Language programs in Canada don’t focus on accent reduction. Their goal is communicative competence. Pronunciation, intonation, grammar, listening, speaking and related skills are seen as the key to being understood and to being able to understand others in a new language.

Are newcomers and immigrants discriminated against because of the language they speak, or the accent they use when they speak a new language? That discrimination may sometimes be subtle and hard to prove, but it occurs.

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Background

1. Answer questions about speaking a new language with an accent

Think about the issue of people speaking a new language with an accent. What are your thoughts and experiences? How would you answer the following questions?

a) Think about the community where you live, work, study and shop. When/Where do you hear a lot of people who speak with an accent?

b) What do you notice about how native speakers react to non-native English speakers with a perceived accent?

c) Do you think people may respond negatively because of a person’s accent or is it because of other reasons as well?

d) What have your personal experiences been as you interact and communicate within the community where you live?

e) What strategies do you use when someone doesn’t understand your spoken English? e.g. repetition, gestures, speaking more slowly etc.

2. Vocabulary definitions

Here are some words you need to know to understand the CBC interview.

Vocabulary

to have an accent We say someone has an accent when they pronounce words of a language in a way that shows what country or part of a country they are from. Sometimes an accent is also seen as an indication of social class.

a promotion When someone receives a promotion, they are moved to a more important job or position within a company or organization.

a counterpart Your counterpart is someone who has the same job or role as you do, but who works in a different organization or place. For example, the counterparts to immigration officials in Canada are immigration officials from another country.

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to reduce something If you reduce something, you make it smaller or less in size, amount or price. For example, someone who wants to reduce their accent wants to make it less noticeable.

a touchy subject This idiom refers to subjects or topics that need to be dealt with very carefully because they are sensitive or may offend people. For example, some people would say that asking an adult how old they are is a touchy subject.

to head a program A person who heads a program runs that program. They are in charge.

a point of view If you consider something in a particular way, or make a judgement about it, we say that you are approaching the situation from a particular point of view. For example, when you are listening to someone with an accent, you bring your point of view to the situation. As a result, you may pay more attention to someone’s accent than to what they are actually saying.

to guarantee something When someone guarantees something, they promise to do something or promise something will happen.

to judge someone When you judge someone, you form an opinion about them on the basis of what you have seen, heard or learned.

to be predisposed to something If you are predisposed to something, you are more likely to think or behave in a certain way. For example, a research study showed that recruiting companies were predisposed or less likely to call back applicants with foreign names, even when two individuals had exactly the same credentials and experience.

to be confident Someone who is described as being confident is sure that they have the ability to do things well or to deal with situations successfully.

to do something consciously When we do something consciously as opposed to unconsciously, we are aware that we are doing it.

Cargill Cargill is the name of a large company that is involved in the agricultural and food industry.

to lean toward someone If you move or bend your body so that you are closer to someone, we say you are leaning toward them. People often lean toward someone so that they can more easily hear what they are saying.

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evidence If you have evidence about something, you have facts or signs that show something is true or is happening.

to seek clarification When you ask questions or request information to make something clearer or easier to understand, we say you are seeking clarification or clarifying something. You may seek clarification because you do not understand the content of what someone says or because you miss some of what they have said because of their accent, background noise etc.

an approach to something Your approach to something is how you deal with it. For example, an approach to a job interview would be to research information about the company or organization and practise answering possible questions an interviewer could ask.

a perception of something Someone’s perception of something is how they think about it or what they think it might be like. For example, newcomer perceptions of Manitoba could be that people in the province are friendly or that winter never ends.

an equal opportunity employer An equal opportunity employer gives everyone an equal chance for a job. They do not discriminate against any group.

to embrace something If you embrace an idea or concept, you welcome it. You are eager to do it. For example, a company that embraces diversity would have a workforce comprised of men, women, people of different ethnic backgrounds, different cultures, who speak different languages etc.

perspectives Perspectives are different ways of looking at a situation or thinking about things. Your perspective is influenced by your life experiences, your education etc.

to enrich something If you enrich something, you improve the quality of it. For example, students can enrich their education in a language by visiting a country where that language is spoken.

to be an asset to something If your employer considers you as an asset to the company, it means that they think you are helping the company succeed.

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3. Use your new vocabulary in context

Learning vocabulary before you listen helps you understand the podcast. Can you match each vocabulary word or phrase with its meaning? You can use an English Language Learner’s Dictionary to help you. The first one is completed for you as an example.

Vocabulary Word Meaning

1. _d an accent a) the person in charge

2. __ a promotion b) a subject that is sensitive or could offend someone

3. __ a counterpart c) to be useful to an organization; to help it succeed

4. __ to reduce d) the way you pronounce words in a language

5. __ a touchy subject e) to promise

6. __ the head of something f) facts or signs that show something is true

7. __ a point of view g) a move to a more important job within an organization

8. __ to guarantee h) something or someone that helps make an experience better or deeper

9. __ to judge someone i) to be more likely to behave in a certain way

10. __ to be predisposed to do something

j) a belief about what something is like or may be like

11. __ to be confident k) to welcome something; to be eager to do it

12. __ to do something consciously

l) someone who has the same job as another person but in another organization

13. __ evidence m) to be sure of your abilities

14. __ to clarify n) to make smaller

15. __ to embrace something o) to be aware of what you are doing or saying

16. __ to enrich p) to form an opinion about someone on the basis of what you hear or see

17. __ to be an asset to an organization

q) to ask questions to make something clearer or easier to understand

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4. Can you predict what the interview is about?

In this podcast, several Manitobans whose first language is not English talk about speaking English with an accent and how people respond to their accent. Can you predict some of the things they might say based on your own experience? Here are some examples:

They might feel strongly that…their accent is part of who they are.Maybe they feel that …listeners are making assumptions about them or judging them because of their accent.Perhaps they feel that…they need to improve their pronunciation.I wonder if they …share the communication strategies they use.

5. Get ready to listen

In this podcast, you will hear five speakers. You will hear:

Marcy Markusa – hostJorge Requena – CBC producerWalter Luzzi – Access to English, Immigrant Centre of ManitobaJoseph Oladele – Cargill employeeDaniel Peimbert – Employment Services, Immigrant Centre of Manitoba

After-listening activities

1. Review pre-listening predictions

Were you able to predict what people had to say about their accent and how others respond to it?

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2. Listen for main ideas and identify the speaker

Look at each of the sentences in the chart below. Each comes from the CBC interview. When you listen to the interview again, listen for these sentences. Can you identify the speaker? What are they talking about at this point in the interview? Complete the chart below. You can check your answers using the transcript.

What was said…. Who said it? What is the speaker talking about? Explain in your own words.

1. I personally consider it part of who I am.

a) Jorge Jorge is talking about his accent.

2. I can guarantee you that now someone is listening to me and is paying attention to many things beyond whatever I want to say, which is the content of the message.

3. Well the real goal is to communicate.

4. Many a times I find people trying to lean towards me to hear what I’m saying, which is an evident of the fact that my accent is possibly not too clear to them.

5. It’s about changing our perception a little bit.

6. I mean let’s be honest, speaking more than you know one language is actually ah a good asset to an employer.

Speakers

a) Jorge Requena – CBC producerb) Walter Luzzi – Access to English, Immigrant Centre of Manitobac) Joseph Oladele – Cargill employeed) Daniel Peimbert – Employment Services, Immigrant Centre of Manitoba

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3. Read the Manitoba Memo for main ideas and detail

The Manitoba Memo at the beginning of the lesson provides some background information on the topic. Can you read the Memo to identify main ideas and detail? Can you answer the following questions? The first one is completed for you as an example.

1. Your name can affect your employment opportunities. True False

2. A 2010 study in three Canadian cities found that job applicants with English sounding names were more likely to receive callbacks.

True False

3. The study’s research methodology involved sending out identical resumes but changing the name of the applicants.

True False

4. The study found that applicants with English sounding names were over 35 percent more likely to be called back.

True False

5. However, when the resume stated that applicants with Greek, Chinese and Indian sounding names were fluent in English or French, call back rates for these groups went up.

True False

6. The study results show that some employers do discriminate on the basis of ethnicity.

True False

7. Employers and human resource staff assumed that applicants with foreign sounding names lacked English language skills and would not fit in socially.

True False

8. Immigrants and newcomers who do get a callback for a job still face obstacles.

True False

9. Accents can also be a barrier to employment. True False

10. If someone has a strong, foreign sounding accent, it is important to take accent reduction classes.

True False

11. Anyone who has studied a new language for at least six years will be able to speak it with a minimal accent.

True False

12. The goal of adult English as an Additional Language classes is to help people to communicate and to be understood.

True False

13. Cases of language discrimination are often tied to ancestry, ethnicity or place or origin.

True False

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4. Express agreement or disagreement with statements about accents

Can you express your opinions on a topic that may be sensitive or controversial? Do you have the language skills to agree or disagree that something is the case in Canadian society? Can you explain the reason you feel that way? Here are some examples of sentence starters people use when they are expressing agreement or disagreement in a group discussion:

In my opinion… I agree/disagree with… I strongly agree/disagree with… I believe that… I can see your point of view, but… On the one hand, I think that…….but on the other hand, I think that… I’m not sure what to think.

Read the following statements and think about how you would respond. Practise expressing your opinions out loud.

1. People are usually very perceptive to even the slightest accent. They can even detect an accent in a short piece of spoken language.

2. If you compare urban and rural communities, you will find more negative reactions to someone with an accent when you are in a rural community.

3. Some listeners get upset listening to someone speaking with an accent, just because it requires more effort and patience to understand.

4. A speaker with a heavy accent can still be understood.

5. EAL learners should focus on pronunciation problems that affect their intelligibility rather than try to eliminate their accent.

6. People often stereotype others on the basis of their accent. They assume that because someone has a specific accent they represent what’s good or bad about the country or people they associate with that accent.

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6. Is it discrimination? What’s your opinion?

Read each of the situations below. Do you think it is a case of discrimination? Or do you think the employer or manager has a valid concern? Think about your opinion for each situation. Practise expressing your opinion out loud.

1. Julio was denied a supervisory job in a meat packing plant. He speaks with a heavy accent. The employer decided that his spoken English would be too hard to understand. The employer felt that this might create a safety risk if the other workers couldn’t understand him in an emergency situation.

2. Marko got a job as a labourer on a construction site. Usually he worked alone. He did basic manual labour. After a few weeks, his boss laid him off. He said Julio’s accent was too hard for him to understand when Julio asked questions.

3. Lisa got a job in a sales office. Most of her work involved calling customers on the phone. Customers began to complain that they couldn’t understand her on the phone. They threatened to take their business somewhere else. The employer asked Lisa to leave.

4. A manager supervises a group of workers who all speak English as a second language and have different countries of origin. During a break, he orders four employees who are speaking Arabic with each other to “act Canadian” when they are at work. He says if they continue speaking Arabic at the workplace he will fire them.

5. An African Canadian woman has a disagreement with a co-worker over the phone. Her manager overhears the conversation and tells her that her accent is “hard and rude.” The woman is offended that her accent is being blamed for the disagreement. She objects and is branded as “difficult” and “aggressive.” The manager orders a performance review.

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Background Information The language we speak and the accent we speak with are linked to our ancestry, our ethnic origin or our place of origin. Under the Manitoba Human Rights Code, language in itself is not considered a ground for a complaint, but discrimination on the basis of ancestry, ethnicity and place of origin is prohibited. Because language is closely linked to all of these things, cases of discrimination related to language do arise. If a complaint is filed with the Human Rights Commission, the question becomes whether there is an underlying discrimination. For example, is the denial of housing, services or employment, based on a person’s ancestry, place of origin or ethnic origin, of which language and accent are a part?

It is not discrimination however if an employer can show that proficiency in a certain language, and the ability to communicate and be understood in that language, is required for an employee to be able to do the job.

6. Can you write a descriptive paragraph about a personal experience?

Can you write a descriptive paragraph about a personal experience where communication has been difficult due to the speaker’s accent or the listener’s attitude? Think about the following questions before you begin. Answering the questions in order will help you organize and write your paragraph.

1. What was the experience? Can you briefly summarize what happened?2. How did the people involved react?3. Do you think the reaction you / others had was appropriate? Why or why not?4. Was anything learned from the experience? Is there anything that could be done

differently in the future?

Opening sentence to introduce the topic

____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________.

First supporting detail

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________.

Second supporting detail

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________.

Conclusion ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________.

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Want to know more on this topic?

Background for the Manitoba Memo is from:

www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/19/canada-immigration-foreign-skilled-workers_n_2293003.html

blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/10/14/why-do-employers-prefer-to-interview-alison-but-not-min/

The website for the Immigrant Centre of Manitoba is:icmanitoba.com/services/

The website for the Manitoba Human Rights Commission is:www.manitobahumanrights.ca/

The Ontario Human Rights Commission website has information and examples related to language related discrimination. Some of these examples were used for Worksheet 6. Go to: www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-discrimination-and-language/language-related-grounds-discrimination-ancestry-ethnic-origin-place-origin-race

CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites

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Appendix 1: Transcript1

February 11, 2014 (broadcast date)Speaker Podcast Line

Marcy Hi I'm Marcy Markusa and you're listening to Learning English

with CBC. A new study has shown that people with accents

are not being considered for promotions as often as their

counterparts. CBC’s Jorge Requena has spoken to some

people in Winnipeg about whether they think accents have an

impact on who gets hired for a job. He’s going to share some

of what he found out with us. But first, he tells me why the

topic of reducing your accent is a touchy subject for him.

5

Jorge I personally consider it part of who I am. I feel like it lets

people know a a little bit about me, that I feel is important, so I

wanta keep my accent. And as it turns out, the Immigrant

Centre does not offer accent reduction courses. Walter Luzzi,

who heads their Access to English program, give me a good a

really good reason why. He says focusing on reducing your

accent won’t make you better at communicating.

10

15

Walter From um a listener point of view, I can guarantee you that now

someone is listening to me and is paying attention to many

things beyond whatever I want to say, which is the content of

the message, because he or she might be saying, oh you know

what’s this guy from, where is that accent from. I mean we all

judge at one level or the other.

20

Marcy It sounds like employers may be predisposed to judge as well

in some cases. Is there anything that can be done?

1 For the complete interview or other recent CBC Information Radio podcasts, go to: www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/mbinforadio.xml

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Jorge Well the real goal is to communicate. So one of the things us

people with accents can do is be a bit more confident and

consciously trying to make ourselves understood. Joseph

Oladele from Cargill also told me a little bit about that.

25

Joseph Many a times I find people trying to lean towards me to hear

what I’m saying, which is an evident of the fact that my accent

is possibly not too clear to them so I also learn to to speak

slowly so that, you know, I can be heard and also seek

clarification you know from people where where it is necessary.

30

Marcy But there’s also the employer side of things so what can they

do to improve their approach?

Jorge It’s about changing our perception a little bit. Hiring a person

with an accent can actually be, really be a good thing for a

company. Daniel at the Immigrant Centre put it like this:

35

Daniel More and more companies that are ah equal opportunity

employers or are are embracing diversity or trying to, it it it’s I

think it’s great for them that they are actually looking at that

and saying maybe people from overseas and with different ah

values, different culture, different ah ah points of view and

perspective actually enriches the whole ah the whole company

and the culture. I mean let’s be honest, speaking more than

you know one language is actually ah is actually a good asset

to an employer.

40

45

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Answers to Worksheets

Vocabulary

1. d2. g3. l4. n5. b6 a7. j8. e9. o10. i11. m12. p13. f14. q15. k16. h17. c

Listen for the Main Ideas

Answers about what the speaker is talking about will vary.

The speakers are:

1. Jorge2. Walter3. Jorge4. Joseph5. Jorge6 Daniel

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Read the Manitoba Memo for Main Ideas and Detail

1. T2. F3. T4. T5. F6 T7. T8. T9. T10. F11. F12. T13. T

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