Tips for neutralizing your accent

Accents are neither good, nor bad; just different. So do not worry about your accent so much, but worry about others understanding you. The best thing to do is move toward Accent Neutralization Training, or sometimes also called Accent Modification Training. This will simply smooth your accent just calm enough for other of all diverse accents---and ears---to be able to take in what you are saying more easily. 

Imagine we are all on a boat on the ocean. If the water is choppy and radical it is difficult to see where the boat is going; we may feel confused or lost. But if the water is calmer and smoother (not perfect, but smoother) then all of us can see where the boat is going and we can float along happily. This is how our spoken English should be. It is perfectly fine to have movement and ripples in our language, meaning to have different accents; but what we want is for others to feel calm and  be able to understand us without too much difficulty.  This is where accent neutralization can help. 

Look at the two pictures below and decide which boat would you rather be on. 
  1. Pretend you are an all-English-speaker. Take some time to think of yourself as an actor, pretending to be an American. Your mind is an amazing tool when you use it properly. So close your eyes and imaging you speaking to the your favorite celebrity. They are understanding you just fine, cause you are awesome and speaking with confidence. Then open your eyes and practice in the mirror. (As they say, fake it till you make it.) 
  2. Practice stretching your lips, jaw and tongue. I know that sounds strange, but English speakers move their lips all over the place. Open your mouth as wide as it can go. Then pucker up, then open wide, then pucker up, then open wide. (It is best to use a mirror for this warm up.) We do this to get the muscles in your face warmed up. Also for fun, over-emphasize words when you practice speaking. Don't worry about this later, it's only for private practicing. When you are with someone else you will speak normal. Here is a great video for some warm-up exercises: 
    1. www.youtube.com/watch?v=O86VWsXt-M4
    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Vlk1CZBbQ 
  3. Use really strong R's when you speak. American accent has very strong R-sounds. Just practice growling like a vicious dog: "RRRRRRRRRR" "Carrrrrrrr" "tarrrrrrrr" 
  4. ​Try speaking just a bit slower than normal. Make it so your listener can her your vowel sounds. Once you gain confidence in your English skills, you can then speak faster and learn to blend sounds. (The reasons that native English speakers blend sounds is because we are confident and take short cuts. You will do this too once you practice enough, so do not worrrrrrrrry about that.)
  5. Test yourself. Try speaking into a speech-to-text program on your phone or computer. Record a paragraph or just a few lines from a book. Then compare your speech with the text that appears. How close are you? Do you notice any sounds that are repeated errors, like all of your "B" words start with "P"? This is fun and makes for great practice. 

My choices for working on accents

So you may wondering which accent should you study? The answer is; whichever you like the best. I have been told that General American accent is the most neutral, so if you are looking for middle ground, that might be a good one to choose. ​

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***Special note about choosing a private tutor: Accent training can make anyone feel very vulnerable; you have to feel comfortable with whomever you choose. When choosing someone to help with your accent, look at their profiles and choose those that have experience with accent training. Do a sample class with them and see if you work well with their training methods. 

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#1   Private Tutoring with Cambly tutors (especially with Yasmine-Marsha Marie .....hahahaha) 
https://www.cambly.com/en/student/tutors/5f06778c41c3688b5f714009#schedule



#2   Private Tutoring with tutors found on "Fivver"
https://www.fiverr.com/?utm_source=3789&utm_medium=cx_affiliate&utm_campaign=143466&cxd_token=3789_2686858_|afp0:v03040001094088ab9ebbf4444cb4a5eb32d521465d87-4a38d10ec36e4e7dbc0658814636f2a7|afp1:6288_1596818242_b57984b36337680ef51a8743e1035cc3&show_join=true
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#3   Rachel's English Academy 
https://www.rachelsenglishacademy.com/



#4   Effortless English
​https://effortlessenglishclub.com/pronunciation-course



#5   Sounds American - YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-MSYk9R94F3TMuKAnQ7dDg



​#6   To Phonetics - A pronunciation resource--just type in any word and hear it pronounced!
https://tophonetics.com/


Accents are like spices;
they put variety in the world around us.
Too much is overwhelming. 
Too little is.......... BORING!
Never think you need to eradicate your accent!!!!
Just find a balance that everyone can enjoy.