5 Accent Reduction Tips to Improve English Pronunciation
English can be a very difficult language to master, especially when it comes to pronunciation and intonation. Words frequently aren鈥檛 pronounced the way you鈥檇 think based on spelling, with the same letters sounding very differently depending on the word 鈥� like the 鈥済h鈥� at the ends of 鈥渢hrough鈥� and 鈥渢ough.鈥� What鈥檚 more, English contains many sounds that aren鈥檛 common in other languages, meaning that your muscles simply aren鈥檛 used to forming the shape you鈥檒l need to produce the sound.聽
This can make mastering your English accent difficult, but not impossible! Follow these tips and with patience and practice, you鈥檒l see a marked improvement in your accent.聽
Tip #1 Slow Down
It鈥檚 tempting to try to speak as quickly as you do in your native language, but this can cause a lot of misunderstanding as well as train your mouth to pronounce sounds improperly. Start by speaking slowly. Once your accent has improved, you can speed up if you like.聽
Tip #2: Consistency is Key聽
Just as you wouldn鈥檛 expect to master a new sport by only practicing once in a while, you won鈥檛 be able to improve your accent if you only practice sporadically. Try to practice at least 5 days a week for a minimum of 15. Make sure to repeat the same words and phrases multiple times to train your muscles properly. Be patient with yourself and keep at it until you are happy with how you sound.聽
Tip #3: Record Yourself Regularly聽
Recording yourself serves two purposes. First, you can play back the recording, hear how your pronunciation would sound to another person, and make adjustments as you practice. Second, it can be a great tool for motivation. If you鈥檙e ever feeling like you haven鈥檛 improved since you began practicing, go back to an earlier recording and check for yourself - most likely you will be pleasantly surprised with how much you have improved!聽
Tip #4: Don鈥檛 Shy Away From the Hard Ones
The sounds 鈥渢h鈥�, 鈥渞鈥�, 鈥渧鈥� and 鈥渨,鈥� 鈥渓鈥� and the many pronunciations of the vowel 鈥渙鈥� tend to be especially tricky for non-native speakers. Make sure to include these sounds in your practice every single time.聽聽聽
Tip #5: Listen to Native Speakers As Much as Possible
Use radio, and audiobooks to expose yourself to the ways native speakers pronounce and intonate. Your brain will automatically and subconsciously absorb these sounds, which, thanks to your brains鈥� natural language acquisition processes, will make them easier for your mouth to reproduce.聽