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If I Learn English, What Dialect Should I Choose?
Today, knowing and understanding the English language is a necessity in order to communicate throughout many countries, especially in the United States. Learning standard American English may take a lot of practice and time, but in the end, you will be rewarded with many more opportunities in your professional and personal life. Understanding English will [...]
Common English Phrases – American Idioms – Part 2
Why We Teach Idioms… Many of our clients at Accent Pros have advanced degrees and have excellent command of the English language. Even so, they sometimes don’t understand the slang language or idioms used by native American speakers. Based on popular demand, here are some additional common idioms to consider this week. Misunderstanding or misusing [...]
Can Comprehension of Accented Speech Decrease with Age?
An Unexplored Avenue Much research has been completed in the field of aging and the ability of the body to adapt both physically and mentally as its various systems decline, but only recently have researchers begun to address the question of whether or not older adults have a more difficult time understanding accented speech compared [...]
Listening is an Important Step to Correct English Pronunciation
When it comes to learning completely new pronunciation during speech, it is important to be an auditory learner. This simply means you will learn something new through listening, and you will depend on hearing and repeating as your primary way of learning. When improving your American English pronunciation, you must first be able to hear [...]
The Geico Gecko takes on the Chicago Accent
Geico has launched a commercial series entitled “The Gecko’s Journey,” in which their mascot travels around the U.S. After nearly getting trampled during his New York City Brooklyn bridge commercial shoot last month, the gecko decided to recuperate from this traumatic experience by spending a couple of weeks in Chicago, taking in a game from [...]
Do Students have More Difficulty Learning from a Teacher with a Foreign Accent?
Learning to speak a different language or accent is bound to be a difficult task from the start. It is such a challenge because individuals are naturally accustomed to the sounds and language they learned as children. If you are a foreign speaker who decides to learn English from someone who speaks the same native [...]
Common American Idioms for Standard English Phrases
Accent Pros is happy to announce a new segment in the accent reduction blog called – Common American Idioms. Here we will explore common American English phrases, descriptions, and use them in an example to help you understand the full breadth of the saying. After enjoying the idioms, treat yourself to a free accent reduction tutorial available in [...]
How Will Accent Reduction Classes Affect My Dating Life?
If you are an individual who speaks with a foreign accent, you may notice the way you speak sometimes negatively affects your daily social life. Although foreign accents are unique in their own ways and provide listeners with a background of the speaker, they may still cause difficulties when communicating with others. Trouble Understanding Each [...]
The Great Vowel Shift
What was the Great Vowel Shift? The great vowel shift refers to a period roughly from the twelfth century to the eighteenth century in England when all of the long vowels in English were raised–with the most substantial development coming in the 15th and 16th centuries–creating a drastic shift away from the pronunciation methods found [...]
How to Pronounce Common English Phrases
If you are an individual who is looking to improve your English or are currently learning the English language, it will benefit you to make sure you are studying English pronunciation. Pronunciation is the primary aspect noticed by those you communicate with; therefore it is important to be able to articulate the correct sounds of [...]
How To Use American Accent Tutorials
Books, lectures, and other learning materials are helpful resources when it comes to providing basic information on a specific topic. If you are looking to learn more about the sounds of the Standard American accent, you may find it most beneficial to first try out an American accent tutorial. Not only will a tutorial provide [...]
American Accents – Comparison and Contrast to British Accent
Linguists divide the U.S. Map into four distinct American accent regions, each with a corresponding American dialect: the inland north, midland, or northern region, the south, and the west, according to respective vowel shift patterns–the Northern cities shift, the Southern shift, and the western low back merger. Some linguists have advocated for an interpretation of [...]
Accents and Dialects in Miami, Florida
To these Miami natives, they themselves do not have an accent, but to many outsiders, they do have particular pronunciation patterns. These outsiders who hear the Miami accent sometimes say it sounds similar to a Spanish or Cuban accent, however, it is really neither of the two. According to Norene Bini, a dialogue and dialect [...]
Learn to Speak American English
The American English language is a necessary tool of communication if you are either an individual living in the United States or someone who often interacts with American English speakers on a daily basis, whether it is for work or pleasure. English – The Global Business Language The English language has become the universal mode [...]
How Americans Got Their Accents
The American accent began to develop quickly after America won the Revolutionary war against the British. Until that time, both parties spoke with a rhotic British accent similar to the modern day American Accent. Difference Between Rhotic and Non-Rhotic Rhotic accents pronounce the hard /r/ sound at the end of words such as “car”, and all [...]
Coping with Accent Discrimination in the Corporate World
Corporate executives, living in or traveling to the U.S. on a regular basis to forge relationships with clients, will find accent reduction classes beneficial. The classes will allow them to be understood by the widest possible audience and lessen the chance an important piece of information will be misinterpreted. How Can Accent Reduction Classes Help? [...]
Accent Reduction for Corporate Career Building
Why Would Accent Reduction Enrich the Careers of Corporate Executives? Accent reduction training is becoming more common among people across the world who want or need to improve their standard American accent. There are a number of different reasons an individual may want to reduce his or her foreign accent. One reason that has been [...]
Fun with English: The Pronunciation Manual and Book Videos
Featured earlier today on the Ellen DeGeneres show were two insightful ways to pronounce words in the American English language. The Pronunciation Book is a series of English pronunciation videos of single words correctly spoken. The other, The Pronunciation Manual, is a spoof on the Pronunciation Book videos. Here is a video of Ellen’s feature on the topic: What is the Pronunciation [...]
Why are Some Dialects and Accents More Accepted than Others?
Within the English language, there are hundreds of different dialects and accents utilized throughout the country. The variety of accents spoken around the United States most likely came from individuals who were raised in a different country, were taught to speak in a different language, and later moved here and learned English as a second [...]
What is the Origin of Language?
There is no universal consensus on a specific origin date language was brought into the world. Although there is evidence that suggests humans existed hundreds of thousands of years ago, there are still debates regarding the specific origin of language. There have also been a number of different theories developed regarding language origins, but the [...]
What Kind of Dialects are Spoken in the U.S.?
There are several different American accents that are used across the nation and there are even more dialects. Some people believe accents and dialects have the same meaning, but they are actually quite different. Accents are strictly related to the pronunciation of sounds in speech, and dialect involves not only pronunciation, but vocabulary and grammar [...]
Difference Between an American Accent and Dialect
At times, people may find it difficult to distinguish between accents versus dialects. These two terms, while similar in ways, are actually quite different. In order to be able to comprehend why they shouldn’t be used interchangeably, it is necessary to examine each term individually. An accent is a form of pronunciation that is distinctive [...]
Why Do Americans Make Fun of Foreign Accents?
There isn’t an individual reason as to why Americans “make fun” of other accents. It is not so much that they mock other accents with the intentions of hurting the peoples’ feelings; rather they could simply be attempting to sound like them. When Americans have been so accustomed to speaking with a standard American accent, [...]
Top ten reasons to speak American English with an American Accent
Why would someone want to change their accent when speaking American English? Improves your intelligibility Improves your intelligibility with your elders Promotes friendships Expands dating potential Provides a perception that you are well educated or a polished professional Builds trust and credibility for you with new acquaintances Reduces prejudice for you with some Americans Advances [...]
Can I learn to speak with an American accent as an adult?
One should not believe the myth that after the age of twelve people are incapable of learning a new language. Children before the age of twelve appear to have an easier time learning new languages because the language centers in their brain are more attune to the rhythm and pronunciations found in a language. Children learn by repeating the words aloud as the first step in learning a new language, whereas an adult would be more inclined to try and read unfamiliar words before speaking them. Children are less self conscious about making mistakes. Adults who are learning a new language know that they could be easily stereotyped by someone they are interacting with should they make a mistake, so in order to avoid this possible embarrassment they communicate in their native language. For adults, learning a new language may be viewed as a necessary hurdle rather than a true learning experience for pleasure. Adults can learn a new language if they are willing to make the extra effort.
What does it mean to “speak American”?
There is a general American English Accent which can be found across the United States. As more people from specific regions have begun to migrate across the country in search of jobs and other opportunities, the accents that used to distinguish certain areas are slowly disappearing. Even Americans who grew up in the United States and speak only American English sometimes choose to work individually or with a speech-language pathologist to change their accent. Although this fact may seem surprising, the reality is true. A Northern Midwest American Accent is widely considered standard American English and is most often spoken by scholars and other well educated individuals including national television and radio commentators and hosts.
Will I change my identity if I lose my natural accent while speaking American English?
Reducing your natural accent has the potential to feel forced initially; therefore, individuals should change their accent at their own pace. A speech-language pathologist can help with this process. Regardless of how quickly you make the decision to change your accent, you must be comfortable with the changes above all else. This comfort level usually develops slowly, as some people acknowledge that changing their accent makes them feel like they are losing a part of their identity.
Can I learn to speak with a Standard American Accent?
Even though it may seem difficult at times, you have the ability to change your accent. One of the most important factors in accent reduction is gaining the ability to use an American Accent during typical everyday conversations and stressful situations. The first step towards that goal is to learn the differences between your current speech patterns, including accent, and standard American accent. After learning those differences, many individuals work to improve their accent by completing self-study or by working with a specially trained professional, typically a speech-language pathologist, to coach them through the process. Please do not hesitate to use the resources for a free accent reduction quiz and tutorial linked to this website at accentpros.com.
Do Americans who only speak English have an accent?
There are many different accents used by Americans who only speak one language, which is typically American English. The various accents can be heard regionally throughout the South, North, East, West, Northeast, Midwest, and upper Midwest across the United States. All of the various accents are considered forms of American speech. A speaker utilizing a Midwestern American accent would be considered to have an accent if he encountered a person who speaks with a Southern American English accent. Although Americans utilize a variety of different accents when speaking English, an upper Midwestern accent is considered to be standard American English and is widely regarded as the preferred accent utilized by scholars, news broadcasters, and other educated professionals across the entire United States. Upper Midwestern American English is commonly spoken in northern Illinois, northern Indiana, northern Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas.
How do you talk with an American Accent?
If you would like to talk with an American accent, you’ve come to the right place. Try one of our free accent reduction tutorials or you can contact us directly to discuss our accent reduction services.
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