Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Accent Reduction

Do you want to take accent reduction or accent modification classes but are not sure what it's all about? Read on.

In this article we will discuss:

An accent is essentially the way a particular individual or group pronounces words when they speak. Different people's accents differ in voice, pronunciation, how their vowels and consonants sound, stress and prosody. Sometimes, even grammar, semantics and vocabulary are part of an accent.

We all have an accent that is particular to where we are from and the community within which we grew up. Pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or national accent is the process by which a speaker substitutes a sound from their native language for a sound from English. This “transference” occurs mainly for two reasons.

Improve your pronunciation and reduce accent

The first reason is that the speaker is not aware that a specific sound exists in English. Hence, they use the closest sound from their native language instead.

For example, many students are unaware of the sound /I/ as in the word “chip” or “big.” As a result, when saying the word “chip,” they substitute a similar sound which exists in their native language. Usually, they choose /i/ as in the word “see" or "meet”.

So a word like “chip” ends up sounding like “cheap” and there it is, an accent -- not to mention some confusion in mid-conversation.

The second reason a speaker substitutes the wrong sound is that he or she may simply find it too difficult to pronounce the correct sound.

For example, many students are aware of the sound /th/ as in "think" or "that," however the articulation of the sound is just too difficult or feels unnatural. The result is that /th/ is pronounced like /s/, /z/ or /d/.

The word “that” may sound like “zat” or “dat”. The student chooses /z/ or /d/ because it’s easier and “close enough.”

Another element of an accent is incorrect intonation. English has a melody. You have to become aware of the intonation patterns of the language. Don’t worry. They are simple patterns and you don’t have to have musical training or a musical ear to learn them. Anybody can do it. It doesn’t involve specific pitches – just knowing when and how to raise your pitch and to lower it.

Finally, some people have accents because they put the stress in the wrong places of words and sentences. For example, instead of saying convince, they might say: convince. This can be very confusing for a listener. But there are simple rules to guide you when you’re not sure.

Once you learn the rules, it gets easier and the stress patterns start to become second nature. Other aspects of an accent include not connecting sounds and vocal quality such as nasality. These can all be corrected with the proper training exercises.

At Better Speech, we offer online speech therapy services convenient for you and tailored to your child's individual needs. Our services are affordable and effective - get Better Speech now.

About the Author

Cheri Gipson

I am a speech-language pathologist who specializes in language skills and pronunciation. I obtained my Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Western Illinois University and I have worked in the field of speech pathology for over 20 years. One of the things I enjoy most is helping people learn.

In my spare time, I enjoy writing tips on how to improve online teaching for both the larger language schools and also as a private ESL teacher. Teaching is my passion, and I love seeing students make progress. Every day is a new adventure, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help people learn and grow!