by Judy Ravin | Apr 21, 2012 | Communication Skills, Language Acquisition
Have you ever wondered how languages are made? Who invents all the rules anyway? Are we really ‘hard wired’ for language acquisition or is it something we learn if given the right set of circumstances? Or both? It’s rare that we get to see the birth...
by Judy Ravin | Apr 19, 2012 | Accent Reduction, American Pronunciation
This is perhaps the number one question I get from people interested in offering accent modification as a training program. It speaks to the topic’s sensitivity. Their intentions are great: to empower an organization and its personnel. Their delivery can be...
by Judy Ravin | Apr 18, 2012 | Accent Comprehension, Accent Reduction, Communication Skills, Professional Development Training
Absolutely. For years, professional development training has focused almost exclusively on how foreign nationals can improve their communication skills when speaking with their American counterparts. But does focusing on only one side of the communication street make...
by Judy Ravin | Apr 18, 2012 | Accent Acquisition, Accent Modification, Accent Neutralization, Accent Reduction, American Accent Training
Twenty-four years ago, as an American student participating in a Junior Year Abroad program in Paris, I was inundated with the phrase, “Quoi? Qu’est-ce que tu as dis?” That’s French for, “What? What did you say?” It was then and...
