{"id":556,"date":"2019-03-11T04:28:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T04:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/104.248.148.68\/?p=556"},"modified":"2019-08-02T04:47:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-02T04:47:55","slug":"accent-acquisition-how-do-you-acquire-a-new-accent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amyhume.com.au\/blog\/accent-acquisition-how-do-you-acquire-a-new-accent\/","title":{"rendered":"Accent Acquisition: How do you acquire a new accent?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In my recent article I wrote about how acquiring a new accent can achieve more effective communication. This is because when some accents are heard in different contexts, they can be challenging for a listener to understand.<\/p>\n

Although accents are not a true indication of education, intelligence or authority, some people do wish to change the way they speak in order to be perceived in a different, or more accurate, way. I work with clients to help them\u00a0acquire a new accent<\/em>\u00a0that will better serve them in an Australian context, rather than ‘modify’ their existing accent or diminish it in any way.<\/p>\n

What makes some accents difficult to understand?<\/h3>\n

We all find some accents more difficult to understand than others, and it\u2019s due to three elements: speed, the way certain vowels and consonants are pronounced, and the intonation pattern (you can read more about these in my recent article).<\/p>\n

How do you learn to pronounce key vowel and consonant sounds?<\/h3>\n

The pronunciation of certain vowels and consonants can be challenging to work on. Every language is made up of different sounds, and there are sounds in certain languages that don’t exist in others. This means if a speaker has learnt English as a second language, they have not only learnt a new language, they are continually challenged to use their tongue, lips and soft palate in a different way than what is required in their first language.<\/p>\n

A voice coach can give you the tools and training you need to acquire a new accent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first stage is to learn how a sound is formed, and how to physically make the sound.<\/p>\n

A common sound to learn is the \u2018w\u2019 sound, for people with accents in which the \u2018w\u2019 either doesn\u2019t exist or is pronounced as the \u2018v\u2019 sound.<\/p>\n

Another, for people with accents from Asian countries, is the \u2018r\u2019 and \u2018l\u2019 sounds which often don\u2019t appear in Asian languages.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, it\u2019s all well and good to use that sound in isolation, but you need to learn to use it in practical ways. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re learning the \u2018th\u2019 sound. You would work with your voice coach on:<\/p>\n