Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

114 | GUIDE TO ONGOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND ACCENT MODIFICATION

294. The most dramatic form of intercultural competency comes when an individual learns a language other than his first language. Of course, the language ability is itself a key cultural skill. But learning a language has broader and deeper effects than meeting the practical need to commu nicate. To learn another language is to “get inside the head” of another culture and to experience different patterns of thinking. When, after much hard work, an individual progresses beyond the basic level of fluency, he develops new sympathy and even a bond with persons of the culture who speak that language. Opportunities for language study may address the needs of missionary priests outside the United States or US-born priests who need to learn a language or languages for ministry to US immigrant communities. Accent modification is a related aspect of language ability. When a priest ministers in a language other than his own—for example, when a priest from a non-US but English-speaking country speaks with the accent of his homeland, or when a US-born priest learns an immigrant language—the man may need to modify his accent to promote the efficacy of his ministry. Two important observations concern accent modification. First, complaints that a given priest cannot be understood may be a subtle form of cultural rejection. In the US setting, people find it more acceptable to raise “accent difficulty” as an issue rather than express discomfort with the differentness of a priest from another culture. Curiously, when parishioners get to know a given priest, the complaints concerning accent diminish, even when the accent remains static. Therefore, when a diocese addresses concerns about accent modification with a priest, it needs to take care to reassure the priest that the issue concerns the efficacy of his ministry. Whatever his accent, his missionary contribution matters. Engaging early and effectively with the people is just as important to his ministry as a program for accent modifica tion. Second, accent modification is best addressed by speech pathologists and not by language instructors. Although language instructors might ask students to listen to and repeat words in the target language, speech pathol ogists possess the expertise and tools to assess the individual’s formation of sounds and then teach exercises to modify how the individual makes the 295.