Achieve Accent Neutralization
"Accent neutralization" in speech training refers to the effort to get rid of one's mother tongue influence (MTI). More succinctly, it's the attempt to lose an accent. This kind of training is often used in a business setting where interaction with overseas customers is common. If you are interested in speaking English in a way that doesn't connect you with any particular part of the world, read the following tips.
Steps
- Get familiar with the sounds of English. Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet, which was created by the late British phonetician A. C. Gimson.
- The IPA is essentially composed of the symbols used in dictionaries intended for foreign students. It has 20 vowel sounds--plus glides--and 24 consonants. Although they don’t exhaust all of the genuine English sounds a native speaker may use, they do offer the chance to recognize the difference between fundamental pairs of sounds, those that are commonly mispronounced by speakers of other tongues.
- Examples of such pairs include “day” and “they” or “bark” and “back”. Once you start noticing these subtle differences, you will begin to avoid telltale mispronunciations.
- Keep in mind that in English there is no single way to pronounce a particular letter. Unlike the various Romance languages, the sound an English letter makes depends on its context -- the syllable it's in, the intonation used, and the sounds immediately before and after.
- Make practice a habit. Once you get acquainted with English phonemes (sounds) you need to train your voice and your ear. Learn how to listen. Use English as often as possible. A good idea is to remove subtitles from movies. Practice making sounds, and teach your ear to identify those critical pairs mentioned above.
- Attend "live" performances. Your town may have an English-studies group that presents theatrical plays. These are opportunities to mingle with English speakers. Moreover, if you have the chance to chat with tourists or visiting business associates, seize the opportunity to train your English accent. Ask them for comments on your accent.
- Sing! Find lyrics to your favorite songs, and have fun with it. Be aware of your accent. If you're self-conscious about singing, do it in private!
- Enroll in a solid ESL school. An English As A Second Language class is a great place to listen to other students, recognizing any mispronunciations that arise. This is a good place to learn proper grammar, too.
