Students of the Applied Foreign Language study program got a pleasant surprise on Thursday, 18 April 2024. A native English speaker, Stuart Thelwis, entered the English Pronunciation class to introduce British accents to the first year students.
Stuart is a volunteer from the United Kingdom who is conducting volunteer activities under the auspices of the Dejavato Foundation, an international volunteer organization. During his visit to Diponegoro University, Stuart explained to the students that there is not only one accent in Great Britain, but there are many variations. Some of them are Cockney accent from London, Scouse from Liverpool, Scottish from Scotland, Brummie from Birmingham, and many others. However, the most commonly heard accent from this country is Received Pronunciation (RP), the accent that is considered standard and commonly used by the royal family and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Because it is used by the royal family, it has a posh feel to it.
Apart from explaining about accents, Stuart also shared information about geography, culture, food and tourism in the land of King Charles. He told the audience that Scottish kilts are one of the cultures he is most proud of. A kilt is a skirt-like garment worn by men with a plaid pattern.
The discussion was fun. The students were very enthusiastic in listening to Stuart’s explanation. They were also very excited when given the opportunity to ask questions to this native English speaker. This guest lecture activity is a very valuable opportunity for Applied Foreign Language students to gain exposure to foreigners and communicate directly with native speakers of the language they are studying.
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