How to clear up my Filipina accent?

Question

I want to speak like the Americans.
I am ashame of being Filipina and our accent is bad.

Sorry to my other Filipina people.

Answer 1

Wow!! You are a filipino and u hate ur own accent!!!

yeah agree!!! filipinos have very weird accent that is hard to understand!!!

watch American shows alot! Dont watch filipino shows because they speak horrible english and they think they speak very well!!

sorry filipino person.. i think u agree with me.. tat is why u hate filipino accent/

Answer 2

I'm a Filipina and I don't have a Filipino accent. I grew up in the Philippines and attended a private school in Quezon City wherein when my sister and I were attending school there, we weren't allowed to speak in Tagalog even during recess time. We also speak mostly English at home. My sister have a slight filipino accent but she's okay with it and accuses me of having chinese accent, as if.
The best way to speak English without the Filipino accent is to listen how the Americans speak, you don't have to imitate them. Listen the pronounciation. It is very important. Check the dictionary, there is a guide there wherein you can correct the pronounciation. Learn this trick, and you'll be Filipino accent free in no time.
Example: Filipino pronounce apple as ah-pol, try to pronounce it as e-pol.
Try not to put too much emphasis on "A" when pronouncing words with that letter, it's a dead giveaway.
Anyway, each country have their own accent and it adds something special to how they say thing. Just be proud that you know the language, pronounce it properly and then work on your accent. :)

Answer 3

Shame on you! How dare you say that! Oh well, I figured out you might have a very hard accent that's why you hated your own accent or it could be that your vocabulary is poor too. There are better things to do to enhance your speech and vocabulary rather than disowning your roots.

As a Filipino working in a call center (obviously working for Americans), it didn't bother me at all whether I sound my own accent. I don't need to speak the way they speak or sound like one. Sure there are some Americans who find our accent very hard to understand, but mind you there are also some Americans who appreciate our language and in fact love our accent.

Whether you study their culture, watch American shows or movies, go to a school to develop your speech and all that, at the end of the day - - you will still sound a Filipino w/ a native tongue .

You might have forgotten some of the famous lines of our greatest hero, Jose Rizal, "Ang Di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.." & "ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa malansang isda.."

Answer 4

And your country is very ashame on you.
No matter how you tried so hard to sound and act like an American but it will never make you far from being a Filipino. In some ways it will always show. Your looks would be a big example. If you are ashame where you came from then those people who are around you and not your race is also ashamed on you. Just a piece of cake for you to ponder.

Answer 5

Sorry to say that, but you will probably keep it the rest of your life unless you are very young. Actually the Filipino accent is relatively easy to understand and I like to hear it. The 2 things you should watch out for, is that Filipinos pronounce the "I" a little bit longer than necessary. The "R" of Filipinos is a bit softer than in American English. If you have access to BBC, watch the business program. It is run by a Filipino with very little accent.

Maybe you were thinking of something else and not accent? could it be grammar? My wife for example keeps him and her all confused and says things like his husband or him being a daughter.....

Answer 6

it's so sad to know that there are people especially a filipina like you who thinks this way. i am ashamed of you and i hope you never existed too. you will be forever a filipina even when you are six feet under so dont apologize to filipinas because what you said is unforgivable.

Answer 7

oh my! that is just sooo sad. girl, our accent is not that bad compared to other nationalities. you are not alone and if you want to speak a little bit of slang then practice it everyday so that your tongue will get use to it. but girl, there's no way i can sympathize with you for being ashamed of your being a filipina and your accent. you are lucky enough that you have the knowledge to speak english. you're not "kano" so stop pretending like one.

Answer 8

First off never be ashamed of who you are, or where you are from.
Second is to truly listen to the way we pronounce things.
Third is to try to speak to Americans more often. Practice your pronunciation as well as your enunciation.
Read, it actually will help you to understand our speech patterns.
Lastly, don't worry about your accent, as long as you use the correct words and pronunciation your accent won't matter.

Answer 9

don't lose the accent. its a part of u and who u are. i, myself was born in the PI, lived there until about 4 and then raised in the US. I first spoke tagalog then when my family moved here, my mom spoke to me only in english. i didnt really notice it when i was young but as i grew older i wish she had taught me both languages. for me, its just that void of not knowing that part of my culture.

be proud of who u are and where u came from. being able to speak 2 languages is a feat in itself...regardless if u think the accent is bad or not.

Answer 10

i dont think that our accent is any worse than any other nation whose first language is not english.

but to answer your question, i suggest that you move out of the country and migrate to the US and make sure that you live in a neighborhood where there are a lots of americans who speak with the standard american accent that you so love. maybe after 3 or 4 years, you'll be able to speak like them, depends on your learning process...

Baka naman ikaw lang ang pangit ang accent. sa call center ako nagtratrabaho and i know hindi ko talaga totally grasp ang american accent pero ok naman sa mga american customers na kausap ko. they love it pa nga e. wag ka na kasing AMBISOSYA...

At gusto ko lang malaman mo na dahil sa mga taong katulad mo na 'ashame' of their own race, pati ibang mga foreigners mababa ang tingin satin. At last advice, wag mo na ituloy ang pag-uunlearn mo ng filipina accent. hindi mo rin magagawa dahil sa mentalidad mong yan, halatang BOBO ka. yun lang. bow.

Answer 11

I think you should be more ashamed of being ashamed to be a Filipina.