1. Focus on Communication!
問 本文でいうコミュニケーションと訛りはどちらが重要かあなたの意見を日本語で述べ
なさい。（解答用紙記入、３００字以上で記述してください。目安は４００字です。）
Whenever I tell students that they have a good accent, I see their faces light up
with pride. They feel as if all those long hours of study have been worthwhile. Although
accent is important, students must be careful
not to exaggerate its importance. They should
remember that what counts most is
communication.
I would like to tell you a humorous story
about accent. A few years ago I gave a lecture in
California. Since I was living in Italy at that
time, some people probably assumed that I was
Italian. After the lecture, one professor
complimented me on my interesting
presentation and particularly on my excellent
accent in English. In his opinion, I almost
sounded like a real American! Since I did not want to embarrass the professor, I
thanked him politely for the compliment. Inside my heart, I was laughing. Can you
imagine his shock if I told him that I came from New Jersey?
This episode illustrates that accent can sometimes be a very subjective matter. The
professor judged my English on what we knew about me rather than on how I spoke.
But his compliment also proves that communication is more important than accent. My
lecture was successful, because the audience had understood what I said.
Communication is the most important part of language learning. Accent is really a
secondary problem, especially in English. As you know, there is no uniform standard for
spoken English and thus no model for standard accent. A native accent in English refers
to one of the many varieties.
I urge you to concentrate on communication rather than accent for a very
important reason. As more and more people speak English, the variety of accents will
increase, and thus the number of “correct” pronunciations will also increase. Because of
this expansion, English speakers-both native and non-native alike-will grow more
accustomed to these varieties and thus less concerned with the problem of accent.
The English language belongs to all its speakers. So stop worrying about accent,
and focus on communication.

2. 問 本文でいうコミュニケーションと訛りでどちらが重要かどうかあなたの意見を日本語
で述べなさい。（３００字以上で記述してください。目安は４００字です。）