Category: News

March 2025 Vol 7 Issue 3

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Economic Immigrants
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-March 2025!

As I prepare this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” Mark Carney has been
elected the new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and just hours ago was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister.

Recently as everyone knows, unprecedented tariffs have been levied against
Canada by US President, Donald Trump, and the oligarchs who support him,
plunging our beloved country into an unprecedented trade war and the potential for great economic loss.

And, less than one week ago, we observed (or tried to), International Women’s Day, and (for our neighbours in the UK, Australia and the US), Women’s History Month.  The timing of Donald Trump’s undemocratic policies to coincide with the commemoration of women’s lives and rights is not coincidental, as becomes clear in “Article One,” this month.

Just as we need to stand up for Canada, we also need
to stand up for women: Elbows up, indeed!

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” on a lighter note, I show that whatever goes on in the world, English collective nouns (for animals in their habitat) still matter and amuse ESL/TEFL teachers like me and my students. Who says that grammar can’t be fun?

And in “Shop News,” I thank those in my social and work circles who lift me and others up, showing their integrity, generosity and kindness, that certain extreme politicians cannot fathom.

As winter grudgingly cedes (“seeds?”) to spring–local piles of snow are melting and grocery stores are selling tulips, daffodils and vegetable seeds–as we complete the first quarter of our annual revolution around the sun (2025).
How the days fly by . . . .

Despite the divisiveness that fills the news, may each of us as Canadians,
Saskatchewanians and, often, as women, rest long enough to appreciate the
blessings we receive and to feel grace and self-compassion for ourselves; may we rest in that emotional space before we work to support deserving others in our community.

 

 

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Shih

Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: On International Women’s Day: Women, AI and the Ever-Present Risk of Misogyny
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: For Comic Relief: On Collective Nouns for Animals to Cheer You

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US
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Article One: On International Women’s Day: Women, AI and the Ever-Present Risk of Misogyny

“International Women’s Day” recently passed (Saturday March 8th, 2025) and the month of March is recognized as “Women’s History Month” in the US, UK and Australia (since 1987, building on a week-long celebration that began in the 1970s).

Online sources tell us that both the day and the month are a time to
“highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary
society.”

And yet, if we are to take the US Government seriously, “women” and related
words do not exist, so that such calendar observances will shortly be effaced.
US President Donald Trump and the head of his Department of Government
Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk (supported by their male oligarchy), have ordered the removal of references to women and other, increasingly marginalized groups, from all government documents.

Internationally, we have seen the rights and support of women and minorities
eroding or withdrawn by authoritarian governments. These are “rights we thought we’d entrenched in our world,” laments TEFL Org Co-founder and Director, Jennifer MacKenzie (my ESL training company). Her company’s mission has been to “drive growth through language education.”

MacKenzie noted that the observation of International Women’s Day and
Women’s History Month have been “taken over by corporates and multinationals.

In 2025, she cites, ruefully, that “NASA ordered to scrub any mention of ‘women in leadership’ ” from its websites.

And she’s right. Reporters at The New York Times (reported on March 7th, 2025) pored through 5000 pages from various US Federal agencies and found that many words had been deleted (on Presidential order) from government websites and publications.

Trump and Elon Musk, though they often claim to support “free speech,” are
happy to censor language and ideas they find offensive or insubordinate–including women and minorities.

As you know, good readers, we have returned to a political period likened to
Hitler’s Third Reich, defined by toxic masculinity, and understandable, as some
writers and critics have argued, by historians or psychoanalysts and those who
devoted to those fields.

Trump, in his effort to purge the American government of “woke” initiatives, has censored hundreds of terms from government documents, including “women,” “female,” “females,” “feminism,” alongside dozens others, such as “accessible,” “activism,” “activists,” “advocacy,” “anti-racism,” “community diversity,” “cultural sensitivity,” “disabilities,” “diversity,” “equal opportunity,” “ethnicity,” “inclusiveness,” “LGBTQ,” “mental health,” “minorities,” “non-binary,” “oppression,” “race,” “sexuality.” And on the list goes.

One only wonders why Americans have not revolted in an uprising of their own
(against Trump, that is, instead of for him, as in the January 6th, 2021 attack on
Capitol Hill).

Researchers have been scrambling to determine what public data has been deleted from government websites, multi-disciplinary electronic publications and what reasonable, thinking citizens can now do, given the psychopathology occupying the White House.

If words can disappear, the people they denote can, too . . .

Not coincidentally, we have seen a resurgence in public conversation about the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) over contemporary working life, at a time when women’s (and others’) autonomy is under threat.

Sarah Steinberg, director of Global Public Policy Partnerships at Linkedin, wrote an article recently, called, “AI is reshaping work—let’s make sure women are not left behind.”

She argues that AI will only increase its power to drive economic growth and to create skilled jobs. But if we are to “fully realize this potential, we need to ensure that women, who make up half of the global workforce, have the skills and opportunities to move into AI-driven jobs.”

That will be particularly challenging to achieve, if the term “women” and
independent women in democracy, cease to exist.

Certainly Steinberg is right that women need more opportunities to learn and
“upskill” in AI. Hiring practices need to be modified, so women are hired
according to skill or ability, and not only by prior experience or connections in
“in-demand roles.” This change, Steinberg says (based on statistics of LinkedIn’s research division), could “increase women’s representation in the applicant pool,” desperately needed, “by a full 13%.”

She also writes, we have to use “real-time data and insights” to track the evolution of jobs and to design upskilling methods “to ensure all workers” including women “are prepared for the changing economy.”

But the world also needs a fundamentally different attitude toward humanity in relation to AI.

Citing new research from LinkedIn’s Economic Graph Research Institute (data
drawn from anonymized information of the network’s 1B+ members, around the world) Steinberg says that “one in three women worldwide works in a role likely to be disrupted by Generative AI” (the type of AI that creates new content based on existing data). She adds that women are transitioning into AI-augmented roles at a lower rate” than men.

LinkedIn’s “State of Women in Leadership Report” has published that “women
occupy less than one-third of top management positions, and the rate at which
they’re filling those roles has slowed [from 2022-2024], falling to a 0.2% increase [in that time], down from 0.8% increase in the two years before that.”

Steinberg summarizes that “looking beyond leadership, increases in women’s
overall participation in the tech labour market has also fallen, from a 2.5
percentage point increase (2020 to 2022) to a 0.1 percentage point decrease from 2022 to 2024, [with women] hovering around 43.4% of all workers in our data.”

She adds that “women make up less than one-third of the AI engineering
workforce—and an even smaller share of those with AI literacy skills.” So while
AI can automate repetitive tasks like data entry and processing, ostensibly to free workers to focus on more strategic or people-focused work, AI is also disrupting industries where women are more likely situated, terminating their employment in fields “such as writing, editing, translating, and data analysis.”

Few people would dispute that the world needs to invest in skills-based training for everyone, and especially for women. The transformative capacity of Generative AI [GAI] brings both opportunities and risks (as the “Godfather of AI,” British-Canadian computer scientist, Geoffrey Hinton, has long-cautioned).

But when references to women and minorities (including minority women) are
being removed from public government records, AI skill development and hiring are not likely. Instead, Steinberg identifies this as a time when many measures of women’s economic participation and success” in the workplace “are stalling or even declining globally.”

Steinberg continues: “LinkedIn data suggest that men and women do not have
equal opportunities to benefit from [GAI’s] transformation. Across nearly all
countries, we find that women are more likely than men to work in occupations
where we expect more of the skills to be replicated and outmoded by GAI
(“disrupted” fields) and less likely to work in occupations where more of the skills will be boosted by GAI (“augmented” fields). Globally, we expect one in three women works in a role we expect to be outmoded by GAI.

Women are at risk of being left even further behind by the adoption of GAI in the workplace—in Canada, as well as the US. Yet, women know how much we have already had to fight historically to get where we are—and that fight we now must redouble for us to work where we would like to be.

In my (currently, all-women) writers’ group, we gather monthly to inspire and
encourage each other with our successes, experiences, stories—and collaboration. We use AI to varying extents. As creatives, we collectively need greater resources and more equal access to them around the table—regardless of gender, sexuality, race, class, organizational affiliation, and so on. These are basic Human Rights.

And yet in 2025,  they are threatened.

Where I work to teach English-as-a-Second Language , I see women (including
online) lifting each other up, as we work in-the-trenches and, often with AI, amid the vicissitudes of daily life.

So, if the annual commemoration of “International Women’s Day” or, indeed, of
“Women’s History Month,” feels tired or somewhat “past” to you, good readers, I hope this editorial might persuade you otherwise.

Trump, Musk and their hate-filled, divisive allies targeted these dates for their
campaign to erase women and minority rights.

Their “policies” have yielded Orwellian times.

To close, a few final comments of my own:
First, a shoutout to the many amazing women in my writers’ group that I refer to above, and especially to my co-founders, Julie Barnes and Ashleigh Mattern (see their descriptions in “Shop News”).

We do exist, in-person, in (digital and other) print and in speech. We are human
rights and tech savvy when we share and publish our ideas–because of the many generations of women before us who have made it possible to do so, including locally (to name only a few Saskatonians), the late Merle McGowan, Monica Kreuger, Silvia Martini, Adele Buettner, Lillian McKay, Laura Van Loon, Gwen Ament, Annabelle Wallace. . . and the list could fill many books!

When women and minorities have the solidarity we must actively defend, human rights can and are observed and respected.

Finally, in 1993, in the Academy of Motion Picture’s “Year of Women” in film,
one of my favourite actors, the English feminist, Emma Thompson, accepted the best actress award for her role in a Merchant-Ivory production of “Howard’s End.”

Thompson said in her speech that she looked forward to a day when the industry no longer needed to so dedicate such awards, because women’s work would be so thoroughly acknowledged and integrated into the world that there would be no need.

Well, 32 years later, ditto for “International Women’s Day” and “Women’s History Month.”

Of course, with the influence of a repeated felon running the largest government in the Western world (and manipulating resources of AI to do so), we have fallen further away–not closer–from Thompson’s rallying cry of 32 years ago.

But we can still find hope and humour in our feminist political resistance to
Donald Trump. If the parallel developments of misogynistic and exclusionary politics these days feels overwhelming, consider this humourous side story, also furnished by Emma Thompson:

In 1997, when she said she associated Donald Trump only with “tasteless architecture . . . but already a boundless sense of narcissistic . . . madness,” she recounts that “Donald” phoned her one day, in her trailer, when she
was working on a film, to ask her for a date. She thought it a crank call, so replied “Oh, F- – – – off!”

When he convinced her it was actually him, she was astounded that he had gotten the number to a random phone she had never used, in a private film trailer: “So I just said I’d get back to him and hung up!”

By 2017, she quipped on a talk show that she regretted not accepting Trump’s
offer, as “If I had gone out with him for dinner, I could have [ruined his comb-over, hair-spray-heavy, orange-dyed hair]. And then we might all have known the truth . . . and then maybe HE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PRESIDENT!” she shouted.

And now it’s your turn: what do you think about the censoring of women and
minorities from government documents, at the time of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month?

And, with that as backdrop, how are you coping in this age of AI and technological “supremacy?”

Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing,
Reading and Editing . . .

This month: For Comic Relief: On Collective Nouns for Animals,

to Cheer You

Having reflected on weighty topics like misogyny and censorship in “Article One” this month, I’m pleased to share a fun point of grammar–on collective nouns for animals!

In a recent posting on LinkedIn, my colleague, (US-Based) Intercultural
Communication Coach and Trainer (and no Trump supporter), Lauren
Supraner, shared some fun knowledge about “collective nouns.”
Lauren writes: “Some estimates suggest there are around 243 collective nouns for people, animals, and things.

Languages with classifier systems (such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) do not have as many distinct collective nouns as English.
Many collective nouns in English are unknown to most speakers and rarely/never used.”

And then she shared this fun list: Are any of them new to you?

COLLECTIVE NOUNS for ANIMALS (in their native habitat, not on the dinner
table):

MAMMALS
–A pride of lions
–A herd of elephants
–A crash of rinos
–A colony of bats
–A troop of monkeys
–A pack of wolves
–A mob of kangaroos
–A scurry of squirrels

BIRDS
–A murder of crows
–A parliament of owls
–A gaggle of geese (on land)
–A skein of geese (in v-formation flight)
–A flamboyance of flamingos
–A conspiracy of ravens
–A kettle of vultures (in flight, circling)

MARINE ANIMALS
–A pod of dolphins
–A school of fish
–A shiver of sharks
–A raft of otters
–A bloom of jellyfish
–A bed of clams

INSECTS
–A swarm of bees
–An army of ants
–A kaleidoscope of butterflies
–A cloud of gnats
–(in colloquial use) A bunk of bedbugs

Speaking of dinner tables, you might try some of the lesser-known examples
(minus the bedbugs) above to charm the guests at your next party!
Please share the results with me for my next issue (lol)!
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SHOP NEWS:

Two nights ago, Shawna Nelson (CEO of Nelson Strategic Solutions and Executive Director of Downtown Saskatoon BID) and the team at Women Entrepreneurs of SK (WESK) hosted an interview with Susan Bater (Manager of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program, Community Futures).

Bater shared the success story of Taylor Layton, an entrepreneur with Down’s
Syndrome, who (about 10 years ago) started and ran for five years a brilliant
recycling business in Outlook, SK.

Taylor’s story infused the room with oxygen!
Her success was a perfect antidote to world politics, and highlighted the bravery and “gumption” of women entrepreneurs.

Community Futures (and its urban sister groups–“The Ability Hub” in Saskatoon) promote diversity and inclusion for women entrepreneurs with differing abilities.

Bater said that change is still needed to increase income exemption levels for
entrepreneurs on government support programs in SK (where it is little more than half of what is allowed in MB).

She said we also need to increase grants and “seeds-for-dreams” investment
opportunities for entrepreneurs with pluck and “gumption.”

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My renewed gratitude goes out this month to the two women entrepreneurs who co-founded (with me) our writers’ group–Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable– more than 10 years ago this spring!

Thanks to Julie Barnes of Julie Barnes Creative Services who writes insightful
and evocative articles for “Saskatoon Home Magazine” and for the CBC, is an
agent for professional musicians and (amongst many other things) finds time
for philanthropy toward others.

Julie’s friendship and generous spirit are amazing and it is a joy to be in her
presence.

My other co-founder, Ashleigh Mattern of Vireo Creative (a website design
company), provides online marketing content for thriving business owners.
She also finds time to read voraciously, write and publish fiction and to lead
literary workshops and promote writers’ retreats in our community (and that’s
not an exhaustive list!).

I look forward to hearing a fuller update on Ashleigh’s writing when we gather
in the spring.

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As a part of outreach at my church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian (YXE), Reverend
Roberto DeSandoli and members are striving to create a community hub with
other groups that will offer local assistance to the homeless and marginalized,
often in the downtown core.

Critics who lament the irrelevance of churches in our community need look no
further. But a major challenge remains to engage new and diverse contributors, so that long-time supporters do not burn out.

If you have resources of any kind (including time!) and would be interested in
participating in this work, please email me for further information (address
below).

While my schedule is often fully packed, I plan to contribute when I can to
literacy services.

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As a teacher to economic immigrants, I sometimes encounter well-educated,
cultured individuals who struggle with the immigration process and to find long-term, professional employment in our community.

When scheduling permits (and my family duties are manageable), I try to
connect these folk to entrepreneurs and business owners in the city (for no
affiliate fee–it is voluntary outreach).

If you are a changemaker and/or leader in YXE and have some time to spare to
assist such newcomers, please reach out to me at shih.ea@gmail.com

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Teaching ESL to economic immigrants is only possible when one has a quiet
and calm meeting space. For that, I’m especially grateful to the Saskatoon Public Library, who actively supports newcomers by sharing meeting space and its digital resources (terrific Wi-Fi!).

Library staff have helped students to download apps that improve their English skills (e.g. “Hoopla,” “Libby” and “Mango Languages”).

While the atmosphere at some branches is sometimes contentious (with
marginalized people seeking warmth indoors), welcoming staff keep meeting
spaces quiet and conflict-free, so patrons are free to learn.

Thank you, Saskatoon Public Libraries!

There are always new entrepreneurial and related success stories to celebrate.
Please send me yours to share in future issues!
But for now, this is a wrap for mid-March!

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ABOUT US:
Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications
chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the
Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.”
I now help economic immigrants to secure better jobs or gain better
contracts by improving their language skills; and I help major
companies write their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information: www.storytellingcommunications.ca

February 2025 Vol 7 Issue 02

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Economic Immigrants
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-February 2025!

As I pen this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” most of Saskatchewan is blanketed in a month-long cold spell, with temperatures nearing -40 degrees Celsius.

The “deep freeze” in our weather feels apropos, as so much of the news these days conveys challenges we all face–such as respiratory viral infections in workplaces and senior care homes; healthcare and education sectors groaning under the weight of patient and student needs; homelessness in our communities that is not easy to address; and an outright economic war on Canada, declared by a tariff-happy, US President Donald Trump, to name only a few.

And yet, we Canadians are a stalwart and resilient people, finding ways to serve our community (and maintain sovereignty, as a nation) better than ever before, even under challenging conditions that sometimes arise.

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To maintain our ground, we need to stay confident. So in Article One of this
month’s issue, I visit seven tips on how to improve your assertiveness at work,
from productivity and leadership specialist (and an Orthopedic surgeon), Dr.
Alexander Young.

And in “Storytellers’Corner,” I return to an “evergreen” posting from four years
ago, on the worrisome development of “accent hallucination” and “accent bias.” American “GrammarGirl,” Mignon Fogarty, weighs in on the concepts.

Equally important are steps we can take to stop racism directed at those who speak differently than we do. They deserve to be confident speakers, too.
As we surpass the half-way mark of this, the coldest month of Saskatchewan’s
winter, may each of us find gratitude for the blessings that we sometimes fail to notice (e.g. the support of friends, neighbours or loved ones, this Valentine’s Day), but which continue to grace our lives.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: How can you sound (and be) more assertive, with Dr.
Alexander Young

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
On “accent hallucination” and “accent bias,” from “Grammar Girl,” Mignon
Fogarty (revisited from 2021)

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One:
How can you sound (and be) more assertive, with Dr. Alexander Young

As a teacher who is also an introvert, I often find myself feeling slightly shy when I first meet a non-native speaker of English in a professional or business setting. Those who study with me often say that they, too, felt nervousness in those first few moments. But we quickly find confidence in our ability to gain and use language skills in ways that respect ourselves and each other.

This month, I’m sharing some phrases that help professional speakers, teachers, students and executives (like my students and me) sound more assertive.

These pointers started on the desk of productivity and leadership specialist (and US orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Alexander Young. I’ve also deepened them.

Young often argues about the importance of sounding assertive in boardrooms; I would add this is needed in classrooms, libraries and really, in every room.

This issue is especially of concern to women professionals and newcomers who (in current political times) find themselves undervalued, or worse, shut out of decision-making and promotions, altogether. We might ask, how have the gains of women in the 20th C (which I studied faithfully as an undergraduate student 25+ years ago) been forgotten or undermined in the 21st?

The question of assertiveness affects some men, and non-binary people, too. How can all of us who work with integrity, talent and diligence (as the subscribers to this newsletter do) gain more confidence at work?

Young says that assertiveness is necessary but “isn’t about being aggressive. It’s about speaking with confidence and clarity.”

As in so many psychological processes, a lot comes down to language. Young
shares seven phrases to help all of us sound more assertive:

1 “I believe . . .”

–> Instead of: “I just think…”
→ “Just” weakens your statement. Removing it makes you sound more confident.

Similarly, “think” sounds tentative, whereas “believe” is more assertive.

“How to” Action: Start your sentences with conviction. Say “I believe” or “I know” to assert your point.

2. “Let me know if you have any questions.”  Or, better yet, as intercultural communication coach/trainer, Lauren Supraner, recommends, “What questions do you have?”

→ Instead of: “Does that make sense?”
→ “Does that make sense” suggests doubt. The alternatives instead open your
presentation for discussion.

“How to” Action: Young says to assume your presentation was clear and “invite
engagement rather than seeking validation.”

3. “Do you have a moment?” or “I’d appreciate a moment.”

→ Instead of: “Sorry to bother you…”
→ Young says that “apologizing unnecessarily makes you sound less confident. Asking directly is more professional.”
“How to” Action: Remove unnecessary apologies and ask straightforward
questions.

4. “I’ll find out and get back to you .”

→ Instead of: “I’m not sure, but…”
→ “I’m not sure” undermines your credibility. “I’ll find out” shows initiative.

“How to” Action: If you don’t know something, acknowledge it and commit to
finding the answer. No one has all the potential answers.

5.  “I recommend we try …”
→ Instead of: “Maybe we should try…”
→ “Maybe” sounds hesitant. “I recommend we try” positions you as a decision-maker.

“How to” Action: Be decisive. “If you have a suggestion, ” Young says, “own it
with confidence.”

6. “Here’s what I think .”

→ Instead of: “I could be wrong, but…”
→ Don’t undermine your point “before you even make it.” Young’s alternative is
more confident and likely to meet more respect.

“How to” Action: Remove self-doubt from your speech. Present your ideas with certainty.

7. “Let me know if you have any concerns .” Or, “What concerns does this
raise?”
→ Instead of: “I hope that’s okay,” which begs for approval.
→ Young’s alternative phrasing “invites feedback while you keep control.”

“How to” Action: Assume that what you say has value, until others object or
qualify. Young says: “Don’t undermine your own authority” or you risk inviting
others to do the same.

But always remember, Young says, that the “the way you speak to yourself matters just as much as the way you speak to others.” Negative self-talk spawns self-doubt and poor self-esteem.

Don’t forget to consider self-respect, in the silent talk that runs through our heads, daily! Plenty of recent Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), such as the classic book, Mind Over Mood, addresses that issue.

Making small changes in the phrasing you use—and your tone of voice–can make a big difference in how you’re perceived—in every room, for women, newcomers, indeed for everyone.

Thanks to US-based, intercultural communication coach/trainer, Lauren Supraner, for sharing Young’s posting on Linkedin.

Lauren’s book on accent modification for Chinese speakers of English has been tremendously helpful to my ESL students, which is important because accurate pronunciation is more likely to be understood and respected by others.

And now it’s your turn: do you already use some of these seven, improved phrases?
How can you incorporate them into your next presentation or consultation?

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

Words, stories, riddles and more on writing and editing . . .

On “accent hallucination” and “accent bias,” reported by “Grammar Girl,” Mignon Fogarty (revisited from 2021):

Mignon Fogarty (America’s “GrammarGirl”) recently shared some findings on
issues raised by accented English, from the research of Professor Valerie Fridlund (Department of Linguistics, U of Nevada, Reno, NV).

Fogarty began by saying that research shows that people tend to prefer those who sound like we do. This leads to what linguists call “accent bias” (AB).
AB occurs when someone feels negatively about another’s (different) accent and develops resistance or prejudice toward it.

Fogarty goes on to report that AB can make it harder for those with minority
accents to succeed in school or at work. Those with different accents also may not find legal recourse for such discrimination.

Even the belief that people (who may be perceived as non-native speakers) have an accent, rather than the accent itself, can create a barrier to comprehension and acceptance. So some speakers are discriminated against or suffer accent bias, without even having an accent!

The increased processing time (a small amount more of cognitive functioning) that we need to understand a non-Native speaker of English, or even the anticipation that we will hear an accent, can lead to problems in comprehension.

That might be challenging enough for a non-Native speaker. But the phenomenon that someone who looks different will have an accent can lead to “accent hallucination.” Here, a native speaker is heard to have a foreign accent, when they actually don’t (e.g. such as a speaker who is a second-generation Canadian)!

Fridland’s research shows that online, oral comprehension among university
students of a lecturer believed to be an international graduate student Teaching Assistant (TA) can be reduced, when students are simply shown a photo of the TA as an ethnic minority. Here there is a perception (“hallucination”) of accent, not an actual one.

Just being shown a minority person’s photo made it harder for students to
accurately transcribe what a Native Speaker TA was saying! “Accent
hallucination,” indeed!

The bias is believed to pertain to the listener’s resistance to making extra cognitive effort to decipher another’s accent, which diverts attention from their transcribing process. Processing efforts and inaccurate hearing of listeners may affect how comprehensible speakers are found to be, whether or not they actually speak with minority (non-native speaking) accents.

Hearing something unexpected, like a foreign accent, can have other detrimental consequences, such as finding such a speaker to be less trustworthy or believable (credibility).

In the face of racist implications from linguistic misperception, Fogarty does have some good news: she says that “fortunately, we are [or can be] fast and flexible learners” of others’ accents and speaking styles. She shares these insights:

(1) Recognizing listeners’ bias, we must park some responsibility on the listener’s efforts and not only the speaker’s. (I can remember learning to adjust to understand a South African professor, 25 years ago, whose accent was quite new to me. Within the two hours of our first seminar, my comprehension level had vastly increased.)

(2) We can reduce listener’s bias (and delay in comprehension) by (i) increasing
our exposure to non-Native speech and (ii) by receiving more information about what to expect before we hear a non-Native speaker.

For instance, prior exposure to, or training on, speech with a foreign accent
reduces the cognitive processing listeners must do and can decrease negative value associations (e.g. the belief that “accented” speakers are less credible than “non-accented” ones). In truth, all speakers of every language are accented, according to our backgrounds; when living in the UK, I found my “neutral, North American accent” was unfamiliar to an Australian student, who ungraciously and frequently asked me to repeat myself.

Tolerance can be found when listeners are willing to make additional effort
and not if they are unwilling or refuse out of racism.

Telling open-minded listeners that they’re about to hear a foreign accent, prior to exposure, can help them adapt more quickly. This is likely because less of a
mismatch arises between listeners’ expectations and what they actually hear (which pertains to at least some of the results of “accent hallucination” studies).

Likewise, when subjects in linguistic processing studies were told, before hearing and rating non-Native speakers, that the process could affect the believability of the speakers, listeners no longer judged those with mild accents to be untrustworthy.

(3) Broader exposure to other, non-Native linguistic communities also improved listeners’ processing.

Encouraging listeners to have a “growth mindset” whereby they will improve in
their ability to understand and transcribe non-Native accents by increased
exposure, helped to decrease resistance and accent bias.

Dr. Fridland’s findings on “accent hallucination” and “accent bias” can improve
communication between Native and non-Native speakers globally, thereby
reducing racism.

As Mignon Fogarty concludes, it is our responsibility to “prime a positive
mindset” and to give listeners more contextual information about who they are
listening to, when we teach, introduce, or translate speakers with foreign accents, so as to reduce negative outcomes for both listeners and speakers, alike.

Do you have a concept, idea, or problem involving any aspect of language?
Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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SHOP NEWS:

 

I want to thank deeply the medical team at Saskatoon City Hospital (the preferred hospital of most Saskatonians) for caring for me, during a health “blip” at the very end of January.

Although the government has long needed to consult frontline healthcare workers to create change, the doctors and nurses who treated me were very respectful and professional. They’ve earned my gratitude, many times over.

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Equally important thanks to Parish Nurse, Laura Van Loon (RN), for helping my
family navigate the choppy waters of hospital care, when specialists sometimes forget to share knowledge with family.

Laura is a discerning, wise, and powerful advocate for many–truly an “unsung
hero” of physical, mental and spiritual health in our community.
I thank her deeply, too.

++++++++

My advisor and colleague, Community Health Nurse, Joan Stephens, recently
shared that she will retire in April.

I thank Joan for her career-long advocacy for patients who find challenges
navigating the complex bureaucracy of our health care system.

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On the more familiar topic of entrepreneurial training, here is a renewed call to
readers with entrepreneurial instincts: If you (or someone you know)
is entrepreneurially minded or simply has “an idea for a business,” programs
developed and offered by The Praxis School of Entrepreneurship will help you
make it a reality.

Besides core training on entrepreneurial concepts and processes, such as in the growSMART program, the PSE also offers deep instruction on complementary topics.

Furthermore, you’ll benefit from gaining a network of engaged colleagues that
continues to provide support, long after formal programming concludes.
The PSE is a training ground for fruitful relationships with talented leaders,
entrepreneurs and alumni, under the visionary leadership of Monica and Brent
Kreuger, and their deeply talented and experienced team.

To learn more, contact the PSE program administrator at (306) 664-0500, or
email elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca

(Full disclosure: Several years ago, I facilitated business writing seminars for
Praxis programs, startSMART and digiSMART.)

There are always new businesses and programs to promote.
Please write me to share your success stories!
For now, this is a wrap for mid-February!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications
chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the
Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I
now help economic immigrants to land better jobs and secure larger
contracts by improving their English skills; And I help major companies
write and edit their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).