ABSTRACT
Culture shapes how speakers and listeners participate in public speaking. Efforts to acknowledge and facilitate verbal differences in public speaking are increasingly needed. A speaker's verbal characteristics, such as the accent and dialect, can influence their self-expression and how listeners receive the message. This chapter focuses on the experiences speakers and listeners may have within the public speaking setting based on the accents and dialects expressed. In a comprehensive review of academic and non-academic literature, this chapter focuses on the impact of accents on speaker's perceptions and listener's reaction to the message. Furthermore, the chapter reviews the use of dialects, such as Black Vernacular English (BVE), during public speaking and the challenges speakers encounter. The chapter discusses how discrimination and prejudice may influence a speaker's self-expression and a listener's response to unfamiliar verbal characteristics. The chapter ends with recommendations for speakers, listeners, educators, public speaking facilitators, and researchers to promote cultural sensitivity and understanding in public speaking contexts.
