A wonderful mom posted that she was worried a Filipino reading tutor might give her child a Filipino accent. She sounds like a great parent, so this is a different question. Are other families with one expat parent worried about accents?
Does Team Aussie in the Philippines want their kids to sound Aussie, or is Team St. George (England) hoping for a posh English accent? If I had a vote, I'd pick Michael Caine's Cockney.
My wife grew up in rural Mindanao and speaks with a neutral, near-American accent. I speak neutral American English. Our kid learned English at 5, is now 8, and speaks with a generic, near-American accent.
The kids in our mixed-family group also speak with generic, near-American accents, even with Kiwi (New Zealand)–Filipino, Swedish–Filipino, Japanese–Filipino, or Korean–Filipino parents.
I'm not pushing the American accent. If I could have any accent, it'd be Ray Shoesmith's from the show 'Mr Inbetween.'
I've done a little research on this. As I understand it, the Filipino accent is pleasant to the ear across most countries and cultures. It's one of the reasons the Philippines has succeeded as a call center and BPO hub. People are more comfortable being served in a Filipino accent than in the accents of other countries that provide these services.
I want my child to be an accent chameleon, because that's what I do and it works perfectly. I'm Filipina but sound American when I talk to native speakers, and I use a Filipino accent with Filipinos. I also change my approach depending on who I'm with. Being multilingual, I've learned that mirroring your audience is the best approach.
I'm Dutch, but I don't have a strong accent. My son goes to school in the Netherlands. I hope he picks up my more neutral accent and not my wife's. For spelling, I'm hoping he picks up British English, since that's what they teach in school here. I'm also helping my wife improve her pronunciation so Dutch people can understand her (Filipino) English.
You choose to live in the Philippines and then worry about a Filipino accent (lol ?) ..
Neutral American accent? Can y'all please explain that one? Bless your heart.
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