Choosing between standard and local forms
A student records a two-minute oral presentation about his town. He grew up speaking a local variety and naturally uses local vocabulary and pronunciation. His teacher has said the presentation is assessed on clarity and appropriateness, not on accent. A classmate tells him he must 'speak proper Bosnian' and avoid all local forms, or he will lose marks. The student is anxious and considers memorising a script in a variety he does not speak comfortably. He has one week and two practice sessions with the teacher.
1. Should the student try to eliminate all local forms from his presentation? Justify your answer.
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No, not all of them. The assessment focuses on clarity and appropriateness, not on erasing accent. Trying to remove every local feature would likely make him less fluent and more anxious, which can reduce clarity.
The better judgement is to keep his natural pronunciation and focus on what the audience needs: understandable vocabulary, clear structure, and consistent register. If a local word is unlikely to be understood by the class, he can replace that word or gloss it briefly. That is a targeted choice, not a blanket ban.
The classmate's advice confuses standard language with good speaking. Standard Bosnian is a reference variety, but an oral presentation can be clear and appropriate without sounding like a newsreader.
2. How should the student use the two practice sessions with the teacher?
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He should use them to test intelligibility, not to chase an accent. In the first session he can present as he naturally speaks and ask the teacher to note any words or phrases the class might not follow. In the second session he can present the revised version and check that the changes did not make him sound forced.
He should ask specific questions: which terms were unclear, whether the register was consistent, and whether any local form sounded out of place for this audience. That turns the sessions into evidence gathering rather than reassurance.
He should not spend the sessions memorising a script. A memorised script in an unfamiliar variety is more likely to break down under pressure than a well-prepared natural delivery.