Fake a Convincing American Accent

You may want to fake an American accent for a part in a play, to imitate your favorite stars, or to joke around with your friends. However, if American English isn't your native dialect, it can be difficult sounding convincing. Learn to articulate difficult sounds in English, like /th/ and /r/ sounds. Impersonate the American accent by choosing a regional dialect and listening to native speakers in that dialect. Improve your accent further with an accent coach or enunciation drills.

Steps

Articulating the Basic Sounds

  1. Adopt a relaxed oral position. Your face should be mostly at rest when speaking American English. This includes your lips, your jaw, and your tongue. Your tongue, however, should rest in the middle of your mouth behind your front two teeth.
    • To verify using proper oral posture, sigh. On the exhale, make an /ə/ (love) sound. This is proper American oral posture.
    • Words with a similar vowel to the /ə/ sound for the oral posture verification technique include glove, dove, and shove.[1]
  2. Pronounce vowel sounds laterally. Generally speaking, American vowels are more laterally (side-to-side) wide than they are tall. Rounded vowels, like the /u:/ in boot, the /ɔ:/ in bought, and the /ou/ in boat, are exceptions to this rule.
    • Most American vowels are made from the front or central part of your mouth. Only /u:/ (boot), /ɔ:/ (bought), and /ou/ (boat) occur in the back of the mouth.
    • Practice saying common vowels with a wide, lateral shape to your mouth, like the /æ/ in cat, the /i/ in sit, the /ə/ in sofa, and the /i:/ in treat.[2]
  3. Master the /th/ sound. This sound can be especially difficult if it isn't in your native language or dialect. Stick your tongue forward in your mouth so it is behind your top front teeth. Exhale air while your tongue is in this position to make the /th/ sound.[3]
    • There are two versions of the /th/ sound. One is unvoiced, which means your throat doesn't vibrate when making it, as in think. The other is voiced and vibrates your throat, like this.
    • Most /th/ words are unvoiced. Some common voiced /th/ words include the, this, that, these, then, they, and there.
    • While mastering this sound, it's common to accidentally spit or become tongue tied. It may take some time before your mouth is comfortable making this sound.
  4. Vocalize /r/ sounds. To make the /r/ sound, raise your tongue so it approaches, but does not touch, the upward ridge behind your front teeth. Pull back the tip of your tongue slightly so that it bunches and raises a little at its middle. The front of the tongue should be in the front of your mouth, placed relatively low.[4]
    • When making this sound, the corners of your lips should contract slightly, pushing your lips slightly away from your face.
    • If you speak an R-less dialect of English where you elongate vowels in place of making an American /r/ sound, or if you speak a language without this sound, it can take considerable time and effort to train your mouth to get this right.[5]
  5. Isolate and practice similar sounds you have difficulty with. This is especially important if you're a non-native speaker of English. For example, you may have difficulty articulating the difference between /ə/ (love) and /u/ (good). Practice any sounds that give you trouble.[1]
    • You can practice difficult sounds by noting words that trip you up and making a list of similar sounding words. Say these words side-by-side.

Impersonating an American Accent

  1. Choose which regional dialect you'll be faking. Southern American English is distinct from Yooper dialect, which is spoken in the upper peninsula of Michigan. For you to pull off a convincing accent, you're going to have to choose one specific dialect and stick with it. Common dialects include:
    • General American (used in mainstream media, similar to many Midwestern dialects)[6]
    • African American Vernacular English (sometimes called "ebonics")
    • Eastern New England
    • Southern
    • New York
    • Northern
    • Western[7]
  2. Familiarize yourself with terms in the dialect. Certain dialects have features that are absent in others. For example, the phrase "you all" is spoken as normal in General American, but contracts to "y'all" (one word) in Southern dialect. When your dialect is decided, find terms like these with a keyword search for "slang in [dialect]."
    • Learning slang terms in dialects of American English can also improve your listening skill. Many slang terms, like the "you all" variant of Pittsburghese ("yinz"), are difficult to follow without explanation.
  3. Listen to native speakers of the dialect. The more you hear the target dialect, the more natural it will become for you. Listen to music made by natives in the target dialect. If you live outside of America, try to make friends who use this dialect through cultural exchanges and meetups.[8]
    • Ask a friend, colleague, or acquaintance who speaks this dialect if you can record them. Make a recording on your phone, and listen carefully to the speaker's pronunciation.
  4. Practice imitating the dialect on your own. Play a recording of the dialect you're imitating. Try to mimic it exactly. Replay the recording after speaking to check your pronunciation. Have others listen to you and make suggestions.[9]
    • Practicing speaking in a new way can cause a kind of exhaustion, sometimes referred to as "language fatigue." Using facial muscles you're not used to can be tiring. Take plenty of breaks.[10]

Improving Your American Accent Further

  1. Get an accent coach. A speech specialist, like a Speech Language Pathologist (sometimes called a speech therapist), can examine your articulation and make specific suggestions for improvement. What's more, these individuals often have a wealth of exercises they can recommend to improve your accent.[9]
    • Some acting coaches offer courses in impersonating accents. Many times these classes are offered at community colleges and theatres.
  2. Practice enunciation drills. Enunciation is the practice of speaking clearly. Doing enunciation drills in your target dialect is a great way to improve your pronunciation in it. Some drills you might try include:
    • Practicing /r/ by saying, "Red lorry, yellow lorry," several times in a row. Start at a slow speed and generally increase it until you can say this rapidly without making an error.
    • Drilling the /th/ sound by saying, "They thankfully think this thing is the best thing that they can throw the three times they need to throw a thing."[11]
    • Looking up popular tongue twisters online for sounds you struggle with. Practice these until you can say them without getting tongue tied.
    • Training your mouth to make the /r/ sound by stretching out the sounds in the word "eureka." Say this several times in a row.[12]
  3. Use slang with caution. Slang can make your American English sound more natural. Using the wrong slang word at the wrong time can be rude or betray the fact that you're not a native English speaker. Hold off on using slang until you're sure what it means and you're comfortable using it.[8]

Tips

  • Region-specific terms can sometimes be confusing. For example, when it comes to soft drinks, in northeastern Pennsylvania people drink "soda," in Michigan they drink "pop," and in some parts of the South these kinds of drinks are referred to as "cokes," even if the brand is Pepsi.
  • Talking about accents requires a knowledge of sound. Spelling isn't always an accurate indicator of a word's sound. To read sounds more clearly, you may want to learn the Learn IPA Symbols Easily (IPA).

Warnings

  • Using slang common to your dialect (like saying "loo" for the restroom) can tip people off that you're not a native speaker of American English.
  • Be wary of accents portrayed in media. Some actors do a poor job with accents. Avoid imitating non-native speakers of your target accent to prevent learning incorrectly.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejwTOrieqyM
  2. ↑ http://ocw.uci.edu/upload/files/vowels.pdf
  3. ↑ https://www2.leeward.hawaii.edu/hurley/Ling102web/mod3_speaking/3mod3.5.2_place.htm
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq_yIbrD01c
  5. ↑ http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/therapy/rtherapy.html
  6. ↑ Van Riper, William R. (2014), "General American: An Ambiguity", in Allen, Harold B.; Linn, Michael D., Dialect and Language Variation.
  7. ↑ Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 2003.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2013/10/02/how-to-sound-more-like-an-american/16816
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7509572.stm
  10. ↑ http://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture/pub/1.6.1-_Common_Reactions.htm
  11. ↑ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2016/english-tongue-twisters-voiced-and-unvoiced-th/
  12. ↑ http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2011/10/my-tricks-to-teaching-the-r-sound/
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