Today’s interview is with Luke Nicholson, who is an accent coach. I know quite a few people who got into linguistics because they were interested in accents and voice training, so I’m excited to share Luke’s story. Luke is also a great example of how you can use your interest in linguistics to tread your own path and start your own business - in 2017 he won IPSE’s UK Freelancer of the Year award. You can catch Luke tweeting about phonetics and accents at @ImproveAccent. What did you study at university? I studied German and Italian at the University of Birmingham in the UK. I always found myself drawn to modules which allowed me to analyse language in detail. For example, in the Italian culture module I investigated how queer language was translated into Italian, and in the German film module I examined different sociolects in Germany. After university, I took a CELTA course leading to qualification in teaching English to non-native speakers. This was the time when my interest in phonetics was sparked. I later trained as an actor at East 15 Acting School in London, which gave me a better understanding of how the voice works anatomically. Finally, I took the IPA (International Phonetics Association) Certificate of Proficiency in the Phonetics of English. I couldn’t find anyone to help me prepare for the exam, so I spent my days poring through as many phonetics textbooks as I could. The exam was really fun! My favourite part was when the examiner (speaking with a conservative RP accent) was reciting nonsense words to transcribe. The variety of implosives, clicks, and ejectives (among other unfamiliar-to-an-English-speaker sounds) was particularly enjoyable! What is your job? I run my own business in London called Improve Your Accent. I spend my days teaching non-native English speakers on a 1-1 basis and helping them communicate more clearly and confidently. Typically a session starts with me doing an assessment of the client’s accent (both speaking and reading). I work out what should be prioritised for communication purposes. For example, if a speaker has problems distinguishing /r/ and /l/ and problems distinguishing /θ/ & /ð/ (“th” sounds), it would be more productive to start with the /r/ and /l/ sounds as they have a higher functional load compared to the latter. I familiarise the client with their mouth muscles and we do exercises to increase proprioception (awareness of what your mouth is doing when you talk) and control of these muscles. Afterwards, we work on priorities for that individual. These could be vowels, consonants, rhythm and intonation, or articulatory settings/voice quality. I have a microphone and recording software set up so that the client can listen to their own voice and we can mark progress. We use the free interactive pronunciation resources on my website (shameless plug) as well as worksheets and audio recordings that I’ve created over the past six years. Does your linguistics training help you in your job? Very much so. Whenever I have a client from a new language background (which is always very exciting), I use it as an excuse to delve into academic journals to see what information I can uncover about their native phonology. A quick glance at this should make it clear what English sounds they might find challenging – or any phonotactic constraints they may have (what sounds can go together to make syllables). Do you have any advice that you wish someone had given to you about linguistics / careers / university? Just because you had a specific career in mind when you started university, it does not mean you have to pursue it. Any other thoughts or comments? Think about the amount of accent variation we have in the native English-speaking world. One paper describing the phonological system of one variety of English does not necessarily apply to another. So when reading about specific languages, do not assume that native speakers you meet will always match what you have read. Some of my most exciting moments come from realising that the speaker has an interesting accent from a region I’ve never heard before. One pertinent example of this was when I was teaching a Venezuelan speaker who would end every nasal coda with [ŋ] rather than [n] (I later learned that this was usual from speakers in that area). Alternatively, there may speaker-specific divergences. Examples of previous students that come to mind include an Italian speaker using [ʁ] rather than [ɾ] or a Hebrew speaker using [ɬ] instead of [s]. Trust your ear as much as an academic paper. Website: www.ImproveYourAccent.co.uk Twitter: @ImproveAccent Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ImproveYourAccent/ YouTube: www.YouTube.com/c/ImproveYourAccent Previously: Interview with two Communications Professionals Interview with a university course coordinator Interview with a think tank researcher Interview with a Museum Curator Interview with a Communications Consultant Check out the Linguist Jobs tag for even more interviews