Speak local accent at home, but switch to standard accent when going out?

Should I keep my regional accent or speak in the standard accent? The compromise is to speak the regional accent at home to bond and switch to the standard accent when going out to communicate.

Speaking with a country accent is good for bonding but spelling must be correct.

The article "When should you speak with a regional accent, when should you speak with a standard accent?" on Tuoi Tre Online received many responses from readers. Most of the comments answered the article's question. That is, at home you should speak with a regional accent, and when you go out you should switch to a standard accent.

Local accent to connect with roots, popular accent to communicate

There is one thing that is almost certain and no one can deny: the regional accent is a unique characteristic, a voice that helps the listener to know which region the speaker comes from. Therefore, many readers also share this opinion.

Reader Tran Quang Dinh wrote: "The local accent is a cultural feature of a region. If you communicate with fellow countrymen and relatives, you should use it."

An Ngoc suggested: "The local accent should be kept when participating in traditional cultural and artistic activities to enrich the regional nuances."

Agreeing with the above point of view, Tra Hoa wrote: "The local accent is identity, a connection to the origin. It should be used when communicating with relatives and fellow countrymen to maintain intimacy and authenticity."

But according to many readers, when going out to communicate or work, it is necessary to switch to common accent so that listeners can understand easily.

"When interacting in society, try to pronounce so that others can hear and understand," reader Tran Quang Dinh continued. Reader Bao Anh pointed out the advantage of using both the country accent and the popular accent: "The flexible use of the two accents is a form of "subtle code switching", helping the speaker to be both honest and adaptable."

Agreeing with the opinion that we should use a common accent when speaking in front of a crowd, Quynh Nhu commented: "When giving a speech or academic presentation, we should use a standard accent so that listeners can focus on the content rather than the tone."

"A common accent is necessary when communicating at work and working with multi-regional partners to ensure professionalism and ease of understanding," reader Bao Binh explained.

Meanwhile, reader Hong Hanh said that not only she speaks with a common accent when going out and then speaks with a country accent when returning to her hometown, but almost all the people in her hometown do the same.

"I think this is appropriate because many times when we go out to communicate and use our hometown accent, no one can understand us, unless the listener is from the same hometown. It's not that we don't respect our hometown accent, but if we want people to understand each other better, we should use the common standard accent," this reader explained further.

Speak with a local accent but write with correct spelling

Reader Thuy also does not object to regional accents because even her family has many accents (her father has a Southern accent, her mother has a Hue accent, her siblings have a Northern accent). And not only Vietnam but any country has a regional accent. This is a valuable feature, a unique identity that cannot be mistaken for anything else.

"However, mispronunciation and spelling mistakes... need to be corrected from a young age at home and school to use Vietnamese correctly," this person wrote.

Some readers also think that local words and mispronunciation of Vietnamese are two completely different concepts. High school or university students can completely distinguish between local words and mispronunciations. But elementary school students probably cannot distinguish.

Therefore, according to reader Thanh Tung: "When teaching in school, teachers need to pronounce correctly and help students pronounce accordingly. This only helps them get a feel for the correct pronunciation, but they will also speak in the accent of their family and friends they meet every day."

This reader also pointed out the importance of speaking in a common accent when appearing in the media: "Editors can remind characters to use common words and pronunciation to help the audience listen easily, and also help spread the standard accent everywhere."

Sharing the same opinion, another reader wrote that "when we go out into the community, we use standard language; when we return home, we can use the local language. Of course, teachers in school must teach standard language."

Reader Nguyen Viet Lap said that in his hometown, there is a problem of people mispronouncing "n" and "l". Therefore, "learning and teaching how to speak, read and write correctly is necessary". "When teaching or training skills, teachers should use a standard accent to ensure consistency in pronunciation for students", another reader added.

Reader Sao Xet wrote that it is necessary to distinguish between correct spelling and speaking with a regional accent. "Teach and learn, speak and write Vietnamese with correct spelling. Not forcing people to abandon their regional accents."

Reader Truong Kiet also thinks that it is necessary to distinguish between local accents and local words. There is no standard accent or standard words, but only national words and local words.

"When pronouncing, the requirement is to let others hear clearly what you are saying. When communicating, you must know who you are talking to in order to use appropriate words. If you use words typical of your locality when talking to people from other regions, how can we understand each other?" Truong Kiet wrote.

DONG HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/o-nha-noi-giong-dia-phuong-ra-ngoai-chuyen-giong-pho-thong-20251028111534296.htm