Cheryl Cole Told Not To Drop Accent
Cheryl Cole has been warned not to drop her Geordie accent after reports emerged that she was considering elocution lessons.
Cheryl is said to have been advised to soften her thick regional accent in a bid to crack America, however a language expert has warned that if she does this she may seriously affect her image in the UK.
“If she is seen to be changing her accent for commercial reasons, this could damage her image here…In the UK, the Geordie accent is viewed very positively and studies of reactions to accents consistently show that it is considered friendly, honest and generally attractive,” said Joan Beal, professor of English Language at Sheffield University.
“There are lots of voice coaches who claim to be able to soften regional accents, and I’m sure Cheryl would have access to reputable ones who’ve worked successfully with actors. But does she want to be seen as putting on an act?”
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It would be true that a lot of singing teachers and eleocution teachers can work with a person to soften a dialect. The big thing is does Cheryl want to do that? I don’t see why she should do it, she is young and provided she mixes with people from all over Britain the Gerodie dialect will soften of its own accord without any tutoring. The most important thing about speech is being understood. So no matter who you are or where you are from, you should make a conscious effort to speak slower and choose your words carefully, the simple act of thinking before you speak is all that is needed.