January 9th, 2008
English Word Stress - Does It Really Matter?
Yes and No.
Yes, if you are a non-native speaker speaking to a native English speaker (classified as English speakers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and North America).
No, if you are a non-native English speaker speaking to another non-native speaker (classified as… everybody else).
Let me explain.
English language teaching theory has traditionally been based on native English forms, more specifically British and American English varieties. In today’s international community however, where more than 1 billion non-native English speakers use English as a lingua franca, teaching theory is changing to focus on English as an International Language (EIL).