Do you love to hear different accents and wish you could use an accent yourself? Here are some simple things you can do to use an authentic-sounding accent.
1Pick an accent you want to mimic. If you know a second language, for example, French, it is easy to speak English with a French accent.Ad
2Listen to people who have this accent. You could do this by finding a community of these people and spend time with them, taking a foreign language class, or visiting the country to which the accent is native.
3While listening, pick out certain sounds that are repeated frequently. Most languages repeat the same basic sounds over and over. Pay especial attention to vowel sounds.
4Watch the shape of the speaker's mouth. The shape of your mouth changes the way your words sound.
5Imitate the shape of the speaker's mouth and try to say a few basic words. These might be words that this group of people say often, for example: Hello. Eventually you can move on to more complex words, but it may be easier to master this accent if you stick to one and two syllable words.
6Make a list of words that people with this accent say often. Use these words while you are imitating their accent. It will lend a degree of authenticity to your accent.
7Practice! Imitate this accent often. Talking to yourself might help(but not in public. People might think you're crazy!).
8Build up your confidence, or you won't want to use your accent in public.
9Try using your new accent. You may want to do this somewhere where few people know you, so that your sudden change of accent doesn't bring laughter. You also may want to practice on strangers just in case you slip out of accent by accident.
10Use your new accent!Ad
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- It can be fun to use your accent while talking to a friend in line for a restaurant or something. Then, when it is your turn to be served, turn to the waiter and drop the accent completely. Looks of shock and suspicion ensue. :)
- Also, when you read books it's often helpful to repeat the words to yourself in the accent you want to learn. You'll find your mind can do a pretty convincing accent all its own, as you subconsciously pick these things up and remember them. It'll be as much help as listening to the accent, and you can do it anytime.
- If you can't join a group of people with the accent you want to learn, and can't travel, you can watch TV or find a website with audio clips of people with certain accents. Remember, though, TV is not the same as real life, and your accent might sound fake.
- If it's possible, listen to music in the language you are trying to imitate the accent of. Those who learn language from music tend to have remarkably better accents than those who learn only in the classroom.
- It is important to be confident in yourself. Don't worry about 'sounding funny'. That's kind of the point.
- If you decide to learn another language, it is usually very easy to start speaking English with that accent.
- Some people may find that you faking their accent is offensive. Don't use your fake accent around people who actually have that accent.
- People with real accents may be able to spot your fake one. You may not want to use your accent around these people.