I went to a café last week with my French colleague and the staff asked him if he is
French and added he could tell by his accent. My colleague was furious and thought the staff was rude picking on his accent.
I told him not to get upset for 2 reasons:
First, I had a different theory. I think pointing out the accent may be a way for people to start a conversation (though it may not be a very sensitive way as some people are upset about it). When I travel to another country, some shopkeepers usually start saying “hello” to be either in Japanese or Mandarin (neither of them is my mother tongue which is Cantonese) even before I open my mouth. I doubt if they wanted to offend me because they did want me to make a purchase. Therefore, I think some people do try to make a connection by saying “Hello” in what they thought was your native language or asking where you are from.
Second, everyone speaks with an accent. For example, in the U.S., there are Texas, New York, Bronx, Brooklyn and California accents while in the U.K. there are Liverpool, Oxbridge, Essex and Cockney accents to name a few. I agree that communication needs to clear but there should not be a social hierarchy related to one’s accent. One should not feel inferior because he/she speaks with a foreign accent and the native speakers should not feel superior because of their mother tongue.
My humble advice:
For speakers:
1) Speak slowly and clearly.
2) Articulate more.
3) Don’t lose confidence which will worsen your speech.
4) It takes two parties to establish a successful communication. Don’t assume it is your fault that the listener did not understand you.
For listeners:
1) Have patience and make an effort to understand.
2) Don’t switch off automatically because the speaker has an accent different from yours.
3) Clarify and confirm your understanding.
4) Appreciate the speaker making an effort to speak your native language. Imagine the reverse.