How to reduce your accent!

[gogu]

I suppose this is a very big task and that you guys can not answer me easily.
Actually, I do take some courses to reduce my accent, but it seems not work me out effectively.
How to sound more like the native English speaker?

Do you guys have smart short-cut or tricks that can help me out?

Your suggestion will be highly appreciated, thx.

[trustM]

practice, practice, practice, and then some more practice

[mgmartini]

I am an American ESL teacher who works with students online to help reduce their accent. Let me know if you're interested in working with me. Take a look at my web page. Online Language Services

[Ihavestrongaccent]

I have been in US about six years and still had a very strong accent. Even though, I always spoke English with my friends around me but my asian accent never improved!!! Just today I did a recording of my own voice and I sounded so funny...like my accent was so thick. Could anyone suggest a good method for me to improve my accent?? Does it help listening to how people speak?? Or is it neccessary watch TV everyday and listen to the way people pronounce words??

[blouen]

I hope this would help you.

It's right to say that one should have to practice, practice, and practice if you wish to eliminate your strong native accent. This might take some time, of course but most importantly, I think, is to know how and what to practice with.

Since we are not native English speakers, we need time to hear some people with the type of accent we want to follow. Either you wish to have an American, British, or whatever accent you wish to imitate. Some may say that the best accent and most understandable is the neutral accent used by CNN newscasters. But regardless the type, we still need to practice.

What I did with this, is to first determine the type of accent that I would be imitating. I chose the American accent. And then I picked a tape recording with someone lecturing in English. I played that tape again, and again, and again, and again... This will familiarize you with his accent, "So that's how Americans speak." And then I copied ALL that he was saying and tried to say it with him. I was really detailed about his, copying every sounds, words, everything... everything!!! I make sure I would sound like the speaker all the time. Of course, I couldn't copy his voice and accent completely but my accent was neutralized.
And here goes the tip... Practice, practice, and practice... Do this everyday, every time possible...

I work in an on-line tutorial company...teaching English to Asians.

One of my students told me that he had an American teacher in school... and that he(American) sounds just like I do. "I flew to seventh heaven that day."

All the best!!!

[MartinGX]

Originally Posted by blouen

I hope this would help you.

It's right to say that one should have to practice, practice, and practice if you wish to eliminate your strong native accent. This might take some time, of course but most importantly, I think, is to know how and what to practice with.

Since we are not native English speakers, we need time to hear some people with the type of accent we want to follow. Either you wish to have an American, British, or whatever accent you wish to imitate. Some may say that the best accent and most understandable is the neutral accent used by CNN newscasters. But regardless the type, we still need to practice.

What I did with this, is to first determine the type of accent that I would be imitating. I chose the American accent. And then I picked a tape recording with someone lecturing in English. I played that tape again, and again, and again, and again... This will familiarize you with his accent, "So that's how Americans speak." And then I copied ALL that he was saying and tried to say it with him. I was really detailed about his, copying every sounds, words, everything... everything!!! I make sure I would sound like the speaker all the time. Of course, I couldn't copy his voice and accent completely but my accent was neutralized.
And here goes the tip... Practice, practice, and practice... Do this everyday, every time possible...

I work in an on-line tutorial company...teaching English to Asians.

One of my students told me that he had an American teacher in school... and that he(American) sounds just like I do. "I flew to seventh heaven that day."

All the best!!!

Hi,

Thanks for your 2 cents. I would like to reduce my strong accent as well. It's so nice to hear your successful story. May I know if you focused on every single article / reporting of the selected newscaster? Or you just focused on 1 article / reporting and kept practising?

Thanks

best,
Martin

[blouen]

Originally Posted by MartinGX

Hi,

Thanks for your 2 cents. I would like to reduce my strong accent as well. It's so nice to hear your successful story. May I know if you focused on every single article / reporting of the selected newscaster? Or you just focused on 1 article / reporting and kept practising?

Thanks

best,
Martin

I listened to a tape recording. It was a teaching about religion. I listened to it again and again, copied the speaker's words, then recite it together with him.


So to answer your question: it was just one topic at first. but of course, as I watch some English movies, I sometimes steal new expressions from their script and also their accent. This goes casually though and not one of my stuffy studies.


Hope this helps!

[MartinGX]

Originally Posted by blouen

I listened to a tape recording. It was a teaching about religion. I listened to it again and again, copied the speaker's words, then recite it together with him.


So to answer your question: it was just one topic at first. but of course, as I watch some English movies, I sometimes steal new expressions from their script and also their accent. This goes casually though and not one of my stuffy studies.


Hope this helps!

Hi Blouen,

Thanks a lot for your sharing. In fact, I browsed through CNN's web and found most available video / reporting composed of conversation between the newcasters and the people being interviewed.

I think your approach of recording a single person's lecture is better. However, I don't have access to resources like this. May I ask if you can tell me where I can get continous speech / recording of native Americans.

I am very determined to neutralize my accent.

Many thanks

best,
Martin

[blouen]

Well, talking about recorded lectures, have you tried searching the bookstores for audio books? I got one recently about "leadership" and it was being read so well. His enunciation is very clear and easy to follow, and you can get it only for a song(cheap). Just find a topic of your liking.

Good luck!

[I'm With Stupid]

I think that science lectures are probably the best place to find someone speaking continuously about a particular subject. The usually go on for about 2 hours, and include both lecturing, and a question and answer session at the end.

If I could recommend an accent, it would be Christopher Hitchens. That's a video from the Atheist Alliance International by the way, so if you're not an atheist, or questions of religion don't interest you, you may find it heavy going. But he does have an awesome accent.