I can't get rid of my accent! help!?

Question

I'm 15 years old and spanish is my first language, and i came to the US a few years ago, I go to school and do normal activities. The only problem that I have is that even though my English is very good, and English is the only class in which I get good grades I cannot get rid of my (thick) accent and I feel it is like a disability to me because people cannot understand me at all. It's so uncomfortable, even though some people seem to like it I just hate it. So, my question is: how can I get rid of it fast?

Accents are sexy, but not when people can't understand you.

My school doesnt have any therapies or nothing like it.

Oh, i am really proud of it, I just want to be able to communicate because I want to be a lawyer and I can't be one if people can't understand me.

Answer 1

First, slow down -- both ways. Speak a little more slowly. Accents come out much more strongly when we rush. And, take time to work on getting rid of that accent. Any good thing takes time. Work on it.

To start with, listen carefully to the English around you. Analyze it a bit. Just listen. Where does the word bend or break? On a consonant? On a vowel? In between letters? Where does the word bend?

In Spanish, all sounds get equal time value when spoken. In English, long vowel sounds get a slightly longer time on your tongue. Honest! That's why "beach" and "sheet" are often misunderstood when pronounced by native Spanish speakers. If you say the long "ee" sound but give it the same length of time on your tongue as a short "i" sound, to us native English speakers, it'll sound like a short "i" sound. Any long vowel sound needs to be pronounced a little more slowly.

Also, in Spanish, the most important sounds in the word are the vowels. That's only sometimes true in English. Listen again, and try to hear whether the consonants or the vowels are given more importance in any given word. In Spanish, when you're done with the vowels, you're done with the word. That's not always true in English. The Dog Whisperer, a guy on TV who trains dogs and has a Spanish accent on his English, calls himself "The Dog Whisper" instead of "Whisperer." He's done with the word too soon and doesn't finish it. The dogs don't care, of course -- and his training methods are great, so it doesn't matter -- but he does have a strong accent.

Those are just a few tips to get you started with overcoming your accent. Remember what it sounds like, too, so you can go back to it when you want to.

Answer 2

in order to become for fluent in a language the best solution is to totally immerse yourself in that language. Go to another part of the country where you have no family and where you won't be able to speak Spanish. I'm Mexican and I have the opposite problem- i have a slight English accent in my Spanish. I plan on studying abroad to Mexico in order to make sure that I can speak Spanish fluently. And of course you can become a lawyer even if your accent is a bit thick. Don't let anything stop you from doing what you want to do. Buena Suerte!

Answer 3

I love accents. I myself have an accent, and those on TV at least upto a dozen and a half years ago were mostly MidSoutherner's accent.
Practice tongue twisters with a tape recorder. You won't like it first and likely you'll be the harshest judge, but you can practice in private. Don't try to rid all of it. You won't. Accept it and enjoy it cause it's your heritage and be proud of it. It gives you a distinct personality and distinguishes you from others. And that's a good thing, especially when you're out there.
As long as people can understand you, you're doing fine.

Answer 4

mm english is my second language too and i came here a little over a year ago and i did stress out a lot about my accent, still do sometimes. id say it will get better with time? i notice that my accent changes depending on who i talk to lol if im nervous it gets bad, if im relaxed and enjoying the time, its not bad at all. every once in a while i even like having an accent. but probably the best advice is take ur time.

Answer 5

There is really almost no way to entirely "rid" yourself of an accent, certainly there is no fast or quick way to do so.

Your first step needs to be one of self-acceptance. Your accent is part of the flavor of who you are as a person. If your particular "spice" is too strong, though, there are things you can do to correct the problem.

You need at least one person to work with you on this, preferably a language instructor or speech coach. Since you obviously have a good grammatical hold on English, work on your pronounciation. Make a list of words you have difficulty "saying", and practice them. Practice, practice, practice! Speak the words into a tape recorder, and play it back to yourself. See what you can do to correct the sound of your words. That is where the speech coach (or even a good friend can help with this), comes in: they can tell you how to make a more "understandable" sound.

Be prepared to practice for at least 1/2 to 1 hour a day doing this. Imagine you are trying to perfect your technique on a musical instrument, for example. It just takes time!

You are not alone in this. For a famous reference, look at Arnold Schwartzenegger (present governor of California). He grew up in Austria; his native language is GERMAN, not English. When he started to make movies, nobody could understand him: his accent was too thick! He approached speaking English for the camera in the same way I have described above: with the same discipline he used in body-building. He would sit down with a coach (or in front of a mirror) and say "The fine wine grows on the vine," or similiar phrases, FOR HOURS. It worked for him!

Answer 6

Your accent is probably related to listening and imitating skills. Whereas you probably won't be able to get rid of it completely, you might be able to improve your accent in English by listening to CDs and then trying to reproduce the sounds as closely as possible.

Get a CD player and a cassette tape recorder. Insert a CD with English phrases being spoken by a native speaker. Turn on the cassette player on "Record" and record the CD (native speaker) then yourself repeating the word or phrase. After you have finished, listen to the cassette tape of yourself and the native speaker and critique yourself on which sounds and words you said accurately and the ones you need to improve upon. If you keep working at it, you will get better at reproducing English sounds. Have an English speaker listen to your tapes as well and notate the ones that he/she thinks you are having trouble with. Keep practicing the sounds over and over and you should get better!

Best of luck to you. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Just allow yerself be drawn in, (and virtually HYPNOTISED) through the New York accessory at any time when ya talk to the locals and begin to imitate the way in which they pronounce unique phrases, and the intonation that they use of their accessory, and ya must obtain a New York twang quickly ample, however it's going to handiest be a twang at your age, I'm afraid, cöck- you have got left it too past due to obtain the entire accessory. I've received the binary reverse of your predicament- I moved from my local London, (England), as much as Lincoln, (ALSO in England), WELL over 2 years in the past now, and for the list, I'M tryin' desperately NOT to lose MY accessory! Let's wish we will BOTH be victorious in our quests, eh? Peace and love! Be fortunate! :)

Answer 8

You accent is part of who you are. Accents can be very appealing. Don't act ashamed of it. English is my first language and I sound like a redneck when I try to speak spanish. I can't roll my r's. It's all part of your character. As you get older, people will respect that. If people are shallow and don't like it, move on. Tons of people love it.

Answer 9

i took psychology a few years ago and according to my book to not have an accent in a certain language a child must be adapted to that language before 6-7. i dunno how tru that is but in my families case its actually rite because im the youngest and the only one that doesnt show signs of an accent while my sibling who moved at like 12-17 do have accent problems.

Answer 10

You or your parents can most likely request that the school put you in speech therapy classes. Just go in and tell them honestly that you feel it's holding you back and why. I had a friend in high school that did that to lose her accent.