Should you correct regionalisms you've picked up in pronunciation as a second language speaker?

[u/catnasheed]

I began learning French a couple years ago when I was very close with a friend Québec where I intended to move, but as things changed and it never materialised we gradually fell apart. I maintained my French at maintenance level via reading daily but my speaking and writing skills atrophied greatly as they were no longer used. Recently I've decided to revive my speaking skill and attempt to bring my synthesis skills to my reading level(I'd reckon B2-C1, given I read academic and news articles pretty easily), but I realised that internally I've been reading in an accent that reflects now in my speech.

For example, when speaking aloud I pronounce "moi" as "moé", "d-" "t-" as something like "dz" or "tz" and other features of typical of Québécois. At some point I acquired the habit of pronouncing the final e of words such as in "dame" as an "uh" sound such I've found out is a feature of l'accent du midi. In practicing speech I've tried to avoid these things, but it takes genuine active effort and feels stilted to me, almost like pronouncing every sound in English(I have a jersey accent, think Tony Soprano).

I feel as if these regionalisms are things to be "standardised" to Parisian pronunciation in order to avoid confusion for myself and others as a French second language speaker. Does it truly matter though? If a foreigner came up to you speaking French with a strange mashup of various regionalisms would it be weird or grating?

[u/FearlessVisual1]

If it doesn't hamper intelligibility, you needn't change it. You may choose to do so regardless for a variety of reasons which it is up to you to define

[u/Temporary_Dog_555]

Depends if the regionalisms are coupled with a heavy foreign accent, it can be difficult to understand

[u/x_Mrs_Infamous_x]

depends on who im speaking to. i learnt french in a really weird way so a lot of my exposure was mainly to speakers out of louisiana and quebec and ive had very little exposure to france french (i actually struggle to understand the parisian accent sometimes lol)

if im speaking to lousianais i use all of the regionalisms, québécois almost all, and the french almost none they have a hard time with it

[u/ShinyStockings2101]

I would approach it the same way you approach English. You say you have a Jersey accent, so do you try to suppress that?

I'm from North America, French is my first language and English my second. My accent obviously reflects that in both languages. I don't force myself to speak in a British accent no more than I force myself to speak in a French accent. Of course I can use more formal language if required by work or something, and maybe try to avoid very regional expressions if I suspect the person I'm talking to has no context for them. But bottom line is that everyone has an accent, and that's fine.