From the Readers

Speaking English with you own accent

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-07-02 13:21

Comment on "'White-first' mentality still haunts many in China" (China Daily, June 25)

Chinese inferiority complex is manifested in yet another area. Many camouflage their English inadequacies by mimicking western accent. What a joke, speaking Chinese English with a western accent! Who are they trying to impress? The Chinese equate good English with western accent. This is a misconception which could account for the demand for white teachers. There is no standard for accent; there is a standard for pronunciation though, and that is the international phonetic system.That's what one should be aiming for. There are different American accents in various parts of the USA, and many different British accents too. So who do you imitate? Just get your pronunciation right and forget trying to ape the westerner. We can accept good English spoken with the speaker's own accent, but not half-baked English spoken by Chinese with western accents.

SpeakEnglish, on China Daily Website