Pronunciation is simply how you should say the word. Thus, it's either you're saying the word right or you're saying it wrong.

Let's say for example you're supposed to say the word fax. But then you pronounce it like, fox. Well, that would be a resounding, "Oh, my God!"

A single mistake like this definitely causes miscommunication. Dazed and confused, native speakers will quite likely ask you, "Pardon?" or "What did you just say?"

Pronunciation, therefore, is essential to make yourself understood. Most students, however, confuse pronunciation with accent.

Here are my two cents: Everyone has an accent. Someone, somewhere even in your very own country speaks your own language with an accent. Agree?

Not surprisingly, anyone trying to acquire another language ends up speaking that language with his or her own accent. Agree?

Take for example, Jackie Chan or Arnold Schwarzenegger. They both speak understandable English with their unique accent. And people love them for it.

I once met one American guy who made an attempt to speak Tagalog (our national language) and did it successfully with an American accent. Did I laugh? Yes, I did. I laughed with him.

Most Filipinos like to hear foreign nationals speak our language with their accent. Do they sound funny? Yes, but in a way we love to hear. It's more of a curiosity thing than anything else. No big deal.

Understandably, a British learning Chinese will perhaps begin to speak this tonal language with a British accent.

This is exactly what happens when a Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Filipino like me begins to learn to speak English.

We speak it with our respective accents. And yet to my surprise, we would oftentimes face this extraterrestrial question,

"WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"