Accent Reduction ?

[punk]

Hey,
Have any one tried or know of any place for accent reduction for immigrants ?

 

[Jasper23]

I keep seeing their ads ... I think it is something like AccentScience or Speech Science. Best to google it

 

[k3ndy]

Just use 'eh' at the end of every sentence. Also, 'Cat' sounds like 'ket'. About is pronounced 'Aboot'

 

[Jalex23]

You don't need to go to a place to reduce the accent. Pay attention to movies and to radio. Think on how they pronounce words, try to imitate.

Record yourself and speak, play it back, hear what you have to polish, do it until perfect, rinse, repeat....

Just use 'eh' at the end of every sentence. Also, 'Cat' sounds like 'ket'. About is pronounced 'Aboot'

And Toronto is Toronno...

 

[newtone]

Try making friends with people who are atleast 2nd generation Canadians, and hang around with them 24/7. I am assuming you havent come to Canada to only stick with your own kind

 

[AlexRox]

Hey,
Have any one tried or know of any place for accent reduction for immigrants ?

There are accent reduction classes that you might want to consider.

 

[k3ndy]

Try making friends with people who are atleast 2nd generation Canadians, and hang around with them 24/7. I am assuming you havent come to Canada to only stick with your own kind

It's sad but true. I came here for university and would hear so many international students mention that their English is not really good and they don't know how to practise. However, guess what... they only hang out with people from their own countries and speak in their native language.

Obviously, no practice = no progress

 

[emamabd]

interesting thread

 

[Lammawitch]

You don't need to go to a place to reduce the accent. Pay attention to movies and to radio. Think on how they pronounce words, try to imitate.

Record yourself and speak, play it back, hear what you have to polish, do it until perfect, rinse, repeat....

+100 This can be done even before you arrive. I used to teach EFL/ESL, and recommended this to my students all the time (it also increases comprehension of colloquial language which you may not have learned in English classes).

Also get out and about and talk to as many people as possible . It's scary at first when you think you might not be understood, but interacting as much as you can, even if you make mistakes, is really important.

Good luck!

 

[punk]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions but I believe you need proper training to eliminate the accent completely specially if you want to be in a business where communication is the key.

 

[Lammawitch]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions but I believe you need proper training to eliminate the accent completely specially if you want to be in a business where communication is the key.

I'll beg to disagree. I have an accent in both official languages. I've never tried to eliminate either of them, just to speak clearly, and assimilate country specific colloquialisms/intonations. It's never been a hindrance in the jobs I do (where communication has always been key).

 

[polara69]

I'll beg to disagree. I have an accent in both official languages. I've never tried to eliminate either of them, just to speak clearly, and assimilate country specific colloquialisms/intonations. It's never been a hindrance in the jobs I do (where communication has always been key).

same here.. A leopard cannot change its spots. Diversity, isn't Canada all about that??

 

[newtone]

same here.. A leopard cannot change its spots. Diversity, isn't Canada all about that??

You cant compare the two. Leopard spots are due to nature, you cannot change that. Accent is something you nurture, you can change it. So this is not a fair comparison

 

[Lammawitch]

You cant compare the two. Leopard spots are due to nature, you cannot change that. Accent is something you nurture, you can change it. So this is not a fair comparison

Possibly, but I understand what Polara69 meant.

 

[newtone]

Possibly, but I understand what Polara69 meant.

I understand what polara meant too but like I said its not a fair comparison