How do I improve my accent or even to speak without one.?

Question

I just lost my job because my boss thinks my african accent is not suitable for the job.whenever i send my cv out i get a lot of calls but never get the job because of my accent.they just say am sorry,your accent will be a problem.

please help

Answer 1

watch the news. repeat back what they say as closely as you can. Get a tape recorder and record your voice and play it back alongside them.

Answer 2

The most neutral American accent is a midwestern accent (note, however, that there is no such thing as 'no accent', it is just that the midwestern accent is essentially the 'idealized' and 'neutral' accent). Coming from the west coast, I believed I had no accent, only to discover that I had a hard-to-understand (at least as far as the Kentuckians I now live around are concerned) mixture of Northern and Southern California accent, and to be honest, I've lived here a number of years and still can't understand half of the things a good portion of the populace are saying here.

Over time, jokingly, I exaggerated the accent (usually by watching 'redneck' shows like Blue Collar TV, and mimicking Jeff Foxworthy), and found that my vowels are too long and too 'crisp' sounding ('right' was 'riieeght' becomes 'rat', 'window' was 'win-dough' becomes 'wind-er', 'you' was 'e-yoo' becomes 'yuh', etc), and so to make myself understandable, I speak in this somewhat exaggerated tone around native Kentuckians.

Having an African accent, watch major network news like ABC, Fox News, or CNN (and exaggerate the words) for a more neutral accent. Not knowing exactly what you sound like (I'm really generalizing here), an "oo" combination would sound more like an "uh" ('good' was 'g-ooh-d' becomes 'g-uh-d'), 'r's need to be sharper and more prounounced ('morning' was 'moe-ning' becomes 'moR-ning', 'stars' was 'stahs' becomes 'staRs'), and a long 'i' needs to change from an 'I-E' sound to like the word 'aye'.

Also, do some studies on accent and regional language, to find out specific nuances that you might overlook. I hope you find some of this useful.

Answer 3

Practice speaking, copying someone with the accent you wish. (Radio/TV speakers often have desirable accents). Be careful how you speak--try to form the words "correctly."