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Accent reduction

post #1 of 13
1/2/09 at 2:44pm
Thread Starter 
Does someone have any experience with accent reduction? I don't have a really strong accent and sometimes it takes people a few hours to notice, but especially when I'm speaking really fast it still comes out. I've been studying English for years so I have no problem with word choice or intonation, what is left is just the technical pronunciation of certain sounds that was so different in Russian that I see won't really improve 100% without actually working on it.

Can someone recommend where to find a good professional for this? Will an acting coach do, or should I look for a professional (ah what are they called again?) Any other advice?

Thx
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post #2 of 13
1/2/09 at 2:54pm
Voice coach maybe. Only repetition can make everything feel and sound natural works. Repetition on my own is how I shook my Rhode Island accent, but occasionally it surfaces in certain words, if I'm drunk or if I'm angry.
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post #3 of 13
1/2/09 at 2:58pm
There's a Rhode Island accent?
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post #4 of 13
1/2/09 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 
Yea it is true but it's almost as some words with R like "party" I can't really pronounce the right way even if I repeat them over and over. I think it is something only a person who really know linguistics can fix.
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post #5 of 13
1/2/09 at 3:10pm
Try http://speakeasyenglish.com/
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post #6 of 13
1/2/09 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Connemara View Post
There's a Rhode Island accent?

Yes there is, though mine was never that pronouced because my mother is British and would slap the shit out of me if I mispronounced a word (kidding ). There are quite a few different accents too. Some are like nails on a chalkboard to me now.

Here's a small primer: http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=43

See also: Family Guy; Brotherhood.

Quote:
Yea it is true but it's almost as some words with R like "party" I can't really pronounce the right way even if I repeat them over and over. I think it is something only a person who really know linguistics can fix.

Speech Therapist! That's what you want.
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post #7 of 13
1/2/09 at 3:26pm
I just stick with my minnesota accent. It's not heavy fargo shit though, its more of a few words that I pronounce a little differently.
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post #8 of 13
1/2/09 at 7:22pm
Here's a simple tip: emphasize more on the vogals and less on the consonants. A good example would be radio people that speak words that take longer to speak and on the other hand if you speak by giving it more to the consonants it's much faster and it may induce poor accent
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post #9 of 13
1/2/09 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeWoah View Post
See also: Family Guy; Brotherhood.

You sound like Stewie? Kewl!
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post #10 of 13
1/3/09 at 4:19am
When my dad immegrated here (US), he said he paid a lot of attention to how he pronounced words. He'd find a word that he didn't pronounce very well and said it until the accent was gone. Now, he talks just fine. Most people don't think he has an accent at all. There's only a handfull that thinks his accent is pretty thick. I did a similar thing when I took a class of Manderin. Well I didn't practice it over and over again. I just did it on the spot, and the teacher said my accent was very good. I also focused a lot on how the lips and tongue should move.
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post #11 of 13
1/3/09 at 9:14am
I dont know why u want to get rid of ur accent. I have an eastern european accent and in the 8 years ive lived in the UK its gotten very weak. People think im spanish or italian. Its something exotic that u have and none of the other natives do, i think of it as an advantage and u shouldn't be wasting ur time trying to loose it. If anything it goes away after time so enjoy it while it lasts. If u DO want to get rid of it quicker, my tip is to speak to natives all the time, surround urself with ppl who speak the language in the way u want to sound.
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post #12 of 13
1/3/09 at 3:28pm
Several books on the market. One which teaches BBC (Received Pronunciation) English is Get Rid of Your Accent. Comes with 2 CDs and exercises. You might not want a Br.E accent , however. Another one, more for the self-study student market, is Pronunciation In Use (Elem., Intermed., Advanced levels). Again comes with 4 or 5 CDs. Pub.: Cambridge.
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post #13 of 13
1/3/09 at 4:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by oxide View Post
I dont know why u want to get rid of ur accent. I have an eastern european accent and in the 8 years ive lived in the UK its gotten very weak. People think im spanish or italian. Its something exotic that u have and none of the other natives do, i think of it as an advantage and u shouldn't be wasting ur time trying to loose it. If anything it goes away after time so enjoy it while it lasts.

If u DO want to get rid of it quicker, my tip is to speak to natives all the time, surround urself with ppl who speak the language in the way u want to sound.

I'm studying to be a lawyer, so this is something that's really important.

Quote:
Several books on the market. One which teaches BBC (Received Pronunciation) English is Get Rid of Your Accent. Comes with 2 CDs and exercises. You might not want a Br.E accent , however.
Another one, more for the self-study student market, is Pronunciation In Use (Elem., Intermed., Advanced levels). Again comes with 4 or 5 CDs. Pub.: Cambridge.

Thanks, I might check them out but at this point I doubt any self help would really do anything.
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