ith booming foreign-born and multilingual communities, New York City is home to thousands of languages and, thus, thousands of accents.

However, many foreign-born New Yorkers find that, even when using correct words and grammar, they are often misunderstood because of the way they speak.  Good grammar does not always translate into good communication. For these people, the struggle for clear communication leads them to seek out professional help.   That’s where accent reduction comes in.

People from all different countries and backgrounds take accent reduction classes for a wide range of reasons.  Many go to advance their careers or their education; some just want to be better understood. “They also want to blend in a little bit more,” said Everett Leiter, director of Confident Speech, a company that helps people reduce their accents.  “They don’t want to be perceived as coming from somewhere else.”

For teachers like Leiter, reducing an accent isn’t just a matter of vowels and consonants – it’s a full-body process.  See (and hear) some of this process by checking out Leiter's methods or by entering the classroom.