You should never change your accent

Should we change our accents? Some argue that we should never change our accents as it shows our heritage and where we grew up. Our accent is part of us and some people use it to define themselves, such as the Welsh or Scottish. We should also value the fact that we all have different accents because it makes us diverse. Additionally, when other countries talk about the 'British' accent they are usually talking about standard RP, therefore having different accents should be seen as a positive thing because we are not seen as typical British people but unique individuals. 

There are often debates about the correct and incorrect use of the English language, however there is no such thing as this. This suggests that having a certain accent doesn't mean you are speaking the incorrect English and accents shouldn't define you or assumptions shouldn't be made about you due to your accent. If this was the case, maybe people wouldn't feel the need to change their accent is particular situations.

However, changing your accent can be beneficial; especially when convergence occurs. This is often seen in a job interviews because regional accents can be seen as though you are uneducated whereas if you speak RP it is more likely you will be perceived better. In addition to this people change their accents for certain jobs, for example news reading or working overseas as sometimes regional accents can be difficult to understand.