Today, I am going to tell you three different
ways that you can reduce your English accent.
Today's lesson is all about pronunciation, and I am going
to talk to you about three different ways that you can
reduce your English accent.
Now, I want to say something very important right here at the beginning.
And that is it's okay to have an accent.
When you are learning another language, it is perfectly
normal to have an accent, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it.
It is fine.
The primary goal when you are learning a language
and speaking and communicating with others is that
other people understand what you're saying.
It doesn't matter if you have an accent.
However, I understand if people out there would like to reduce their accent.
Maybe they are a little more self-conscious.
Or they're a little reluctant to speak and have a
conversation with others because of their accent.
I've also been told that maybe if you're going for a job interview,
learners have said that they might be a little worried
that the person interviewing them might judge them
because of their accent if it's really thick.
So those are reasons why you might want to reduce your English accent.
And if that is the case, then this lesson is for you.
All of the tips that I am about to tell you are very
simple and straightforward.
If you keep these in mind when you are learning and
practicing your English skills, it will help you over the long-term.
And you'll be able to reduce your accent.
And become a little more proficient in English.
So the first way to reduce your accent is
to listen to the accent that you wish to imitate.
So if you would like to speak and sound more like
an American, then you should listen to an American accent.
You can listen to movies, TV, music, and constantly try to hear that accent.
The same goes if you would like to more like a British speaker.
If you want to sound like an Australian speaker or a South African speaker.
Find the accent that you wish to imitate and expose yourself to it.
Listen to that accent because listening is a very important part of pronunciation.
Because when you're listening, you're not only hearing
the pronunciation, you're hearing the rhythm and the flow of speech.
You're hearing the intonation and the emphasis of certain words.
So listening is the first step because we need to listen before we can speak.
And once you listen to the way an accent sounds,
then you can try to speak and imitate the same pronunciation.
How are you?
I'm good.
Are you happy?
Are you happy birdie?
And this is something that actors and actresses do
all the time when they would like to use a certain accent.
I've heard you've claimed that you can do an accent any town in the world.
Minsk.
In Russia...Minsk. Minsk is very tight. Tight Russia.
Hamburg, Germany.
Hamburg. Ya, naturlich.
So in Germany...
Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo.
Yeah Fargo, it's not like you think it is.
It's not because...it's not like, it's not like the show.
Did you do voices?
Yes.
Always.
You'd imitate people?
Everyone.
Give me a little Apu.
What would you like to talk about Larry?
May I say, it's an honor, true honor to sit across from...
And Moe you gave us.
Moe you had a little bit there. Don't get greedy Larry.
All right. How about Chief Wiggum?
How about him?
You don't have any...you don't have any legal problems that I should know about do you Larry?
No, there are several different resources that you can
use to find different sentences and words that are being
said in American English or British English or Australian English.
We did a video lesson on different pronunciation
resources that you can check out.
And these are some great online resources that are free.
That you can use to practice and improve your pronunciation.
The next tip that I have for you and it's basically the next
step in order to reduce your accent is to record yourself.
And actually practice your pronunciation.
So first you listen to the accent, and then you need to try to practice it.
And if you record yourself and listen to yourself,
then you'll be able to identify areas of pronunciation
that you need to improve.
And find out what you need to do in order to reduce your accent.
Because maybe you are having difficulty with a certain
sound or maybe you are having trouble with word stress.
If you're able to record yourself saying different words
or sentences, and then compare that with the way a
native English speaker says it, you'll be able to identify
the areas of pronunciation you need to work on.
And you can record yourself using a phone.
You can record yourself with the computer using an online voice recorder.
There are many different ways that you can record
your own pronunciation and then listen to that so that
you can understand...Okay, "What do I need to work on in order to reduce my accent?"
Another great way to identify some of the pronunciation
issues that you might have is to do some research and
find out what other pronunciation issues exist from speakers of your language.
Many times, speakers from the same language will face similar pronunciation issues.
For example, I lived and taught in Korea and one thing
that gave many Koreans trouble with English pronunciation is the R and L sound.
And this was something that people had trouble not
only pronouncing, but also listening for.
So you can do some research and find out and look up
maybe..."What are some of the pronunciation issues
that many Spanish speakers have or Arabic speakers?
Not all of it will be the same, but you might find one or
two things that you can identify with.
That you feel that you need to work on.
And this will be a good starting point.
And all of this ties right in with the last tip
that I have for you and that is to become a student of pronunciation.
And in order to become a student of pronunciation
you just need to study it and learn more about it.
Learn more about the individual sounds in English.
Learn more about the combinations that different
letters make and the sounds that they make.
For example, the -tion at the end of the word has the /shun/ sound.
The PH will have the F sound.
The WR at the beginning of the word has the R sound and W is a silent letter.
So if you are able to become a student of pronunciation,
then you'll be able to reduce your accent because you're going to learn more about it.
And when you speak, you are going to be saying the correct pronunciation.
And then it'll just become a part of your overall fluency.
And you won't even have to think about it anymore.
There are also many different resources that you can use to improve your pronunciation.
Like books.
There are pronunciation books that you can use.
You can also use the Internet and just look up different
online, pronunciation resources, and you will find
a variety of sites that will help you practice and improve your pronunciation.
And give you all sorts of information and tips that will help you reduce your accent.
So I hope that you found some of these tips useful.
And that you can use them in order to reduce your accent.
If you did find them helpful, please give this video a thumbs up.
And in the comments below, why don't you tell us about
some sounds or words that you've had difficulty pronouncing.
And perhaps tell us what you did in order to improve your pronunciation.
So write to us in the comments.
We love hearing from you guys.
And, as always, thanks for watching
and we'll see you next time.