What is a good way to get rid of an accent when speaking or at least minimize it?

Answer 1

Listen carefully to the type of accent you want to use (on tape or CD is probably best, as you can listen to parts as often as you need to), and practise. Try shorter sentences with different vowel types, as that's the main part of speech affected by accent, then build up to longer sentences. When you're more confident with these aspects, try working on speech inflections and the overall rising and falling pitch patterns and rhythms when you're more confident. Think of it as music, and listen to it as carefully as you would to your favourite CD.

Answer 2

I am a linguist, and I can assure you that I, and all the people in my lab, would very much like to know the answer to that question. We do experiments all the time to understand what causes foreign accent. In fact, most people who learn a new language speak it with an accent. So I'm not sure that getting rid of an accent is a realistic goal. When I teach pronunciation to my ESL students, I try to teach them things that can help them be more understandable. So if it turns out that you still have an accent after working on your speaking, you will be no different from almost everyone else. Hopefully that will take some of the pressure off.

Surely one thing you can do is to listen, listen, listen to examples of the language you want to use. If your brain doesn't have any information about the sounds of the language you are learning, it doesn't have anything to build from. Also, you can tape record yourself speaking and listen to it. Carefully. After you listen to yourself, try to record yourself saying the same thing in a more understandable way, and then compare that recording to the original recording. By building your perceptual skills in this way, it will become easier for you to analyze and correct your own pronunciation.

If you are willing to learn a little bit about linguistics you can learn to read the IPA chart and then read up about the sounds that are used in the language you are learning. However, it's not always about individual sounds; it's often about rhythm and intonation (sometimes called the "music" of speech, too). In fact, in English, this rhythm is more important than individual sounds for overall understandability. So don't spend all of your time focusing on individual sounds; do phrases and sentences, too.

One really good activity is to mimic a speaker of the language you are trying to learn speaking in an accent in your native language. For example, my native language is English, and I am currently learning German, so one thing I can do is imitate a German speaker who is speaking English with an accent. Then, by listening carefully to their accent, I will know some of the differences in my language and their language.

If you happen to be a learner of English, an excellent self-study pronunciation course is Pronunciation for Success, which is sold at www.eslvideos.com. If you are learning another language, listening and copying the things you listen to can help you a lot. But don't worry about it too much -- if the message is getting across, you're probably fine.

Answer 3

you can't speak without an accent. You can however go for a nutral accent, but that would only be nuetral in some situations eg a US nuetral accent will not be the same as a UK one.

The vowels are where you most hear an accent so listen to how you say them and listen to how someone with an accent you want to emulate says them.

Persoanally I don't mind any accent as long as the english is good.

Answer 4

An accent is like a colour. Everything (excluding the transparent) has a colour. You can paint over it, but then it's just another colour. Similarly, you can change your accent, but you will only be changing it to another accent. What I suspect you are driving at is that you have a regional accent, and you would like to change it for a less regional accent, in which case this depends on several things:

- Age. If you are very young, it *may* be easier.
- Associates: if you are around people a lot who have an accent you prefer, then you can work on modelling your accent on theirs. Listen very carefully to the vowels, and work on those first. If you are not around those sorts of people, then paid elocution lessons may be the only viable option.
- Dedication: Accents can be incredibly difficult to override, and can take an awful lot of constant self-monitoring, especially of vowels. Even if you succeed, when you get angry or upset you will probably revert entirely back to your roots.

Answer 5

One good way to lose an accent is to move somewhere with another accent, and pick that up with time!! (You will have to be patient though!) I used to sound scouse as I am from Liverpool, but no longer do, as I have moved to another region of the country now.

Answer 6

Get yourself a dictaphone, and listen to your own voice.
Try to reproduce the accent you would like to get, if you have problems, ask a speaker with that accent to describe exactly what they are doing with their tongue and lips when pronouncing the problematic sound.
If the problem is more one of intonation than pronounciation of certain sounds, all you can do is practise until it sounds right.
It might take a while, but you can do it, if you really put your mind to it.

Answer 7

accents are accents - they are neither good nor bad. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a snob. But if it really bugs you, hang out with people who speak differently to you - If you live in the USA, spend time in England, If you live in Manchester, move to London.
After a while, you'll hear yourself "swapping" accents and will eventually setlle down to something vaguely resembling the mythical "BBC English", but you'll still be able to revert to Cockney, ESSA, whatever.

Answer 8

In life, we are told never try to be like anyone else but try to be yourself. Many find this hard because they do not know who they are. Well you are lucky because you already have something that defines you. You should never try to get rid of your accent. It is a symbol of your past , your culture, your people, where you are from-basically its you. It represents you in all these ways and more. Your forefathers were proud to speak it and proud to hand it down to you so you could have a sense of who you are. To give it up is to give up your ancestry, your history and your rightful place of heritage. To give it up is to give up you...

Answer 9

Don't get rid of your accent. Feel proud of what you are and where you come from. I think it's nice.

Answer 10

As someone who has had to learn a second language, you just have to listen and practice really.There are tutors who teach you proper shape of the mouth when forming letters and pronouncing.
But mostly, just listen, imitate, practice.