How can I fake an American Accent?

Question

I'm an english girl who just recently got the part of 'Ms Darbus' in my amateur dramatics groups' february production of High School Musical. Has anyone got any tips on how to get my accent to right so that I sound like I'm from Alberquerque. American accent would do really.

Answer 1

most English people have a rounder approach to vowels than Americans do. You keep the space in your mouth open more, where we compress it, literally producing a flattened sound. Most noticably the Ah and Oh vowels ( how do you pronounce dance? How do we pronounce it? etc)
Also, depending on which region you come from, you may have a non-rhodic R, it's more of an ah sound, wheras we Americans tend to curl our tongues towards the back for that bitten-on "rrr" sound. ( Linguists call this a retroflex r)
Watching ( or rather listening) to American TV and radio will help you become comfortable with these sounds. You'll want to use a tape recorder ( yes, one of those old fashioned things) to help you. You need to practice these changes until they become more cmfortable in your mouth. Even though it's basically the same language, the shape of your mouth inside is going to be used differently. Practising and listening to yourself honestly, critically, and without punishing yourself will go a long way. (If you choose to use a more modern recording device, please do so)
When we learn different languages for the stage, we generally have a chance to explore the use of our vocal equipment that we do not experience in everyday life, so be prepared for some suprises on how you think your voice works.
Best wishes from someone who has gone around the other way.

Answer 2

There are dialects in the USA, but the California accent should suffice. I don't mean surfer talk, btw. Just about any movie should do. My personal belief is that the media is slowly removing our dialects. In New Mexico one will also find many Mexican and American Indian accents but "Ms Darbus" doesn't sound like either of those. In truth I haven't been there in 20 years, or lived there in 30 yrs. Be lazy when you speak and perhaps lower the tonals. Really can become Rilly. I'm no expert, but that is how it sounds to me. Have fun and try a Southern accent. Great practice. MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES!!! Now I need to know how to pull of a Scottish accent.

Answer 3

There are many American accents that can vary within each state. Northerner, MidWest, South, the Valley girl California, Maine.

Forget the Valley gilr type accent. Shorten most of your vowels in words and pronounce certain words with a different stress.

Watch American TV programs.

Answer 4

Watch any American TV programs you can and mimic the people. The US has many different accents. People in the North speak one way and in the South another and in the West yet another way. It varies. Most of the the television personalities have a more neutral manner of speech.

You can watch American news on line, as well as other programs.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Does your role have any questions in it?
That is very important, because we Yanks ask questions with different spoken intonation from you Brits.
For instance, let's try the question "Where are you going?"
Sing that to the notes E A A E G (all notes between middle C and high C).
That should sound British.
Now sing it to the notes A E E E G.
That should sound American.

In the British movie about a six-foot rabbit named Mr. Nibbles, a girl says, "I want to swear . . ."
The other girl says, "Like my father does?" on A A E E G.
An American would say it on E E A A A.

Send me any questions in your role and I'll set them to music for you.

Answer 6

Start by talking about 1/3rd slower than you normally would, if you are from Albuquerque you are never in a rush about anything.

Answer 7

Get a voice coach.

Answer 8

Use the words like, totally, dude, cool, and Yall

Answer 9

Hold your nose while you're speaking....

Answer 10

Say "like" and "totally" in between every word.