American accent coach?

Hi everyone,


I am new to these forums so please be nice :)


I will be moving with my husband from the United States to Hong Kong. I am a speech therapist certified in accent reduction. In the United States I work with corporate clients from all over the world. The reason for my post is that I am wondering what my job prospects will be like in Hong Kong. When visiting I noticed that most people seem to speak with a British accent and I am wondering if that is the "preferred" accent out there. I teach the "standard American" accent.


Thank you for any input!


Enid

I wouldn't say there is a "preferred accent" to English here. Granted, Americans are one of the largest expat groups, but you'll also find large numbers of Aussies, Kiwis and of course Brits. You'll also find plenty of South Africans and Canadians. It's a mix really.


Locals with very good English are likely to have an American, Canadian or British accent. North American accents are due to the large number of HK Chinese who have family there or grew up there. British obviously from the colonial era.


Most locals who speak English have a "HK accent" if you will. Less grammar, more "la" and "ay-yaa" mixed in. Not as distinctive as Singapore English but still very definitely "local".


Normally English spelling here is British (colour, not color) though that doesn't affect pronunciation.


It seems to me you didn't find a representative mix when visiting.


So in summary, I guess you'll find all sorts but certainly lots of Americans. I recommend contacting Hong Kong International School (the biggest American School), the American Club and the American Women's Association.


You may very well also find work for local parents as a language tutor. Tutoring is very highly regarded here and there is nothing "remedial" about it. Most parents will do anything do give their kids a leg up and good English is definitely part of it.



BTW out of curiosity what is "standard American"? For example which region speaks it? In the UK most people would call so called Received Pronunciation standard, although it is being supplanted by Estuary English. But I don't know about standard American.

I know many international schools have on staff speech therapists. Also, lots of work for native English speakers as well as noted by axptguy.

"expat, I'm sure the op can tell you more than me, and can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think standard American would be in regards to Merriams or Websters dictionary instead of Oxford???"


For spelling and grammar yes. But I was wondering what a "standard American" accent is. I guess your "Anchorman's English" would be it. Similarly, the Received Pronunciation is often called "BBC English".

Thanks for all of the replies!


Yes, The "Standard American" accent is a Newscaster accent. It's an American accent without any regional distinction and is thus the easiest accent to understand.


Does anybody have any suggestions on where to post ads for this type of service? Ken, I will certainly follow your advice and try to connect with former clients but I wonder where I might be able to connect with parents or other locals.


Thanks again!

Hi, enidcoleslaw, are you still giving lessons?