Accent or Vocabulary.. which is more important to you in regards to speaking a language?

[Anonymous]

A good/beautiful-sounding accent!

A high vocabulary!

[RebelinSteel]

It greatly depends on what you mean by an accent when speaking the language, an English speaker speaking English with an accent is fine, however most non English speakers speaking English sound pants in comparison. Add to that in England, pretty much everyone speaks English with an accent.
ideally RVSP comes into it.

R = RHYTHM
S= SPEED
V= VOLUME
P=PITCH

and clarity.

[DishLady]

Depends on the person and their social/professional circle. Some circles don't require a "high vocab" so its fruitless to cultivate one for no reason. Other circles require a cultivated vocabulary with specialized terms, etc. and so vocab development becomes an essential part of fitting in.

"Accent" can be indicative of your cultural/regional background and possibly your social status. Those who care about "fitting in" with a crowd they're looking to join and grow comfortable with.

Both of these are secondary to the most important thing -- having something relevant to say.

[purplepoppy]

The problem with most non English speakers isn't their accent, we've dozens of English accents already and some are awful. The problem is they don't grasp the subtle differences between words and just use them interchangeably.

For example dog, mutt, pooch, hound, all mean the same thing yet they don't.

As for native speakers the ability to pluck the right word out of the air shows you're educated. When people say things like "words can't express.." or "there's no words for it.." I really want to tell them they should have listened more at school.

[Sarah2007]

High vocabulary but as long as the person is speaking fluently and can pronounce the words in a good way ( at least I can understand what they are saying ).

Although I don't mind if the person is speaking in a messy way and deliver their thoughts in a simple way using simple words.

It's all about how clear they speak.

[Nikki1989]

Anyone can learn a language, but it won't always sound right. An American speaking German still sounds like an American speaking German for example.

[Account]

Neither. They are attempting to learn a foreign language which is possibly entirely different to their mother-tongue.
They are already trying and that should be commendable.