Accent Quotes

How to pronounce the word " Accent " ? What's the meaning for it?
ac'cent
Pronunciation ----- ak/sent;

My meaning ---- It is the way you speak a language in particular style
1. prominence of a syllable in terms of differential loudness, pitch, length, or a combination of these.
2. degree of prominence of a syllable within a word or of a word within a phrase: primary accent; secondary accent.
3. a mark indicating stress, vowel quality, pitch, distinction in meaning, or that an ordinarily silent vowel is to be pronounced.
4. a. regularly recurring stress in verse.
5. a mode of pronunciation characteristic of or distinctive to the speech of a particular person, group, or locality: a southern accent.
6. such a mode of pronunciation recognized as being of foreign origin: She still speaks with an accent.
7. a. a stress or emphasis given to certain musical notes. b. a mark indicating this. c. stress or emphasis regularly recurring as a feature of rhythm.
8. Often, accents.a. the tones, inflections, choice of words, etc., that identify a particular individual or express a particular emotion.
9. special attention or emphasis: an accent on accuracy.
10. a contrasting detail.
11. a distinctive quality or feature.
12. a. a symbol used to distinguish similar mathematical quantities that differ in value, as in b', b ", b ? (called b prime, b second or b double prime, b third or b triple prime, respectively). b. a symbol used to indicate a particular unit of measure, as feet (') or inches (") , minutes (') or seconds (") c. a symbol used to indicate the order of a derivative of a function in calculus, as f' (called f prime ) is the first derivative of a function f.
13. accents, words; language; speech: He spoke in accents bold.
14. to pronounce with prominence (a syllable within a word or a word within a phrase) : Accent the first syllable.
15. to mark with a written accent or accents.
16. to give emphasis or prominence to; accentuate.

When an individual feels that his or her accent interferes with overall communication in a social or work setting, that person may seek Accent Modification, more commonly known as Accent reduction.

The best way to develop a regional accent is to spend time in that region.You can't learn an accent, you absorb it. Accent Modification is a method used to change an accent in order to achieve Neutral accent.

Everyone speaks with an accent. You may speak English with an accent from a different region in the United States. You may speak English with an accent because English is not your first language. You may speak French with an English accent. In our world today, people move from state to state and from country to country. One thing that we take with us no matter where we move is our accent.

Many people learn to speak a second or third language. But even so, they may have trouble communicating because they still have an accent from their first language. This is usually because they learned the later language as an adult. They may undergo special training or classes to focus only on pronouncing the new language more like a native. This is accent reduction for the purpose of better communication.

A second reason for accent reduction is when you move to a different area within your own country. Certain accents can make things difficult. In the U.S. people of one region sometimes have prejudices against people from other areas. If you move and carry an accent, you may face prejudice because of that.

So you will be at disadvantage in looking for a job or in going for promotions.

Accents reflect the unique characteristics and background of a person. Many people take great pride in their accents. However, some people may have difficulty communicating because of their accent.These difficulties include the following:

1.People not understanding you .
2.Avoiding social interaction with those who may not understand you.
3.Frustration from having to repeat yourself all the time.
4.People focusing on your accent more than on what you are trying to say.
5.These types of communication problems may have negative effects on job performance, educational advancement, and everyday life activities. It may also negatively affect your self-esteem if you are having trouble communicating because of an accent. For all of these reasons, some people want to modify or change their accent.

Dream, Desire and Dominate . Get someone with whom you feel comfortable to help you practice. Ask your friend to pronounce a word carefully and then try to mimic it. Accept any corrections that your friend might have and then try again until you pronounce correctly it in the accent you are wanting to acquire. There is no right way to pronounce English words, just pronunciations specific to different regions and social groups. This might sound silly, but you should watch the movie "My Fair Lady" to see how the characters deal with the problem of accent.

Anyways, like others have said earlier, a lot of people enjoy a slight accent because it makes you seem exotic. An accent can be very helpful in many circumstances, so you might want to think hard before you make a strong attempt to remove it.

Is there a way to get rid of my accent?
Yes. If you live somewhere for a long time, you would develop another accent.
Never just keep your mouth closed. The best way is to listen to your voice recorded every time and try to lose this accent, if that's what you really wanted to do... try also to pay attention on yourself when speaking so not to sound hick
try watching the news, and emulating the way the anchors and newscasters speak. Yeah, GA can sound pretty hick. On the other hand, you don't want to lose it all, because there is a sort of sexiness to it, too. So, try to learn how to enunciate like a newscaster. If you don't succeed on your own, diction classes, and maybe some acting/speech classes can help, too.
In addition to working on your accent with an English teacher or speech pathologist you should listen as much as possible to English: films and radio are good media for this.
What you could do would be to spend time speaking to foreigners; just like you said, you will likely improve your pronunciation a lot this way. However, in order to 'perfect' one's accent, it would be good to see a teacher or instructor who could point out on more subtle pronunciation mistakes you make.
You might need an accent reduction course. Learn the sounds, learn how to connect words, learn to use a decent intonation, etc. It depends on the variety you want to learn though.
Well, the solution is to listen enough to English (listening English songs & trying to sing them, watching English videos, movies or emissions) then you've to speak English like them.

Yes, with lots of hard work, practice, and the help of a qualified speech-language pathologist (SLP), you can learn how to change your speech pronunciation. Changing your accent is also known as "accent modification" or "accent reduction. An SLP can provide services to speakers who want to modify or reduce their accent. People who receive these types of services include the following: Non-native English speakers.
1.Speakers who want to reduce a regional accent.
2.Business and medical professionals who want to improve their communication skills because of a foreign or regional accent
3.Actors who need to learn a new accent for a role or performance What can I expect from a speech-language pathologist? You should first receive a thorough evaluation of your individual speech pattern. The SLP will evaluate your:
1.Sound pronunciation (consonants and vowels)
2.Stress, rhythm, and intonation of speech
3.You may be asked to read words, sentences, and paragraphs.
4. The SLP will also listen to your speech in conversation. After all of this information has been collected, the SLP will determine what can be done to modify your accent and improve your overall communication. A set of goals based on your individual needs should be developed. Training sessions may be individual or in small groups.

Accent Reduction Techniques :
It depends on which language influences your accent and which accent you wish to acquire. You need to find a specialist. Someone who knows why you speak the way you do, and how to speak the way you want to. It entails sending your throat, tongue and jaw to gymnasium. Your accent might be one that is associated with people from a particular place (for example, with being from New York, London, or Delhi).Your accent might give the impression that you spoke some other language before the one you are speaking at the moment (you might speak French with an English accent, or English with a Korean accent). It's impossible to speak without conveying some information through your accent.

How actors change their accent?
One way is called "immersion" where you surround yourself with the people you want to imitate. That's how Hugh Laurie did his American accent for "Stuart Little," "House," etc. Some have a knack for imitating accents
1. Robin Williams has a real knack for impersonations
2. Val Kilmer has a knack for accents (watch "The Saint" and "Tombstone")
3. Sometimes they listen to natives from a certain area, and sometimes they also hire coaches to train them.
4. It is just practice... you have to put yourself in a new way of communicating and feel that you ARE that character.
5. They hire dialect coaches, spend time conversing with people who naturally have that accent, and then just practice, practice, practice! 6. Usually they hire a speech instructor of that language to help them. I'll tell you one actress that's excellent at doing this technique, never stops to amaze me in the movies she's done, and that is Meryl Streep. WOW! These are the best methods - try spend time in the area with the accent and talk to people, listen to them speak and imitate it or hire a dialect coach.
7. they do research, they listen to audio tapes of different accents and practice in front of the mirror while recording their voice .

Hugh Laurie: Has An English Accent, but on his tv show he uses an american accent. Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter Films+ Twilight) He has an English Accent, but in Twilight uses an american one. Daniel Radliffe also does an american accent along with Alan Rickman Thandie Newton (she played in Crash and Beloved) speaks with an English accent in real life, but in her movies she sounds American. Emma Thompson, Rachel Weisz, Keira Knightley are others who perform well on accents.

A person's accent depends on many factors; however, accents are usually grouped in the following way:
Regional Accents: for example, people who are from Texas often sound different than people who are from New York.
Foreign Accents: for example, someone who was raised speaking English will sound different than someone who was raised speaking Spanish and learned English as an adult.

Accents are natural part of spoken languages. It is important to realize that no accent is better than another. It should also be stressed that accents are not a speech or language disorder. The term 'accent' describes the combination of pitch, stresses and rhythm of someone's speech, as well as how they pronounce all their vowels and consonants.An accent is the way you speak.An accent can often reveal a person's cultural background and should be considered only as a difference in how one pronounces words within a shared community.

Everyone has an accent.An accent is a way of pronouncing a language. It is difficult to speak without an accent. Your accent results from how, where, and when you learned the language you are speaking and it gives impressions about you to other people. We can control the way we speak, and do, both consciously and unconsciously. Most people vary their accent depending on with whom they are speaking with. We change our accents, often without noticing, as we have new life experiences.

Linguists don't like to think of any accent as being 'good' or 'bad' - they're all different, but equally valid. It's perfectly normal for people to identify their favorite accents by the one that set their teeth on edge. I don't believe accents should be a verified strata for judging people.Language changes over time. We get new words, even with grammatical changes, and accents change over time.

Accent is the distinctive manner of oral expression. This is the term used to describe the way people pronounce words. An Accent can be stated as a characteristic pronunciation, especially: One determined by the regional or social background of the speaker. One determined by the phonetic habits of the speaker's native language carried over to his or her use of another language. A particular vocal quality that indicates some emotion or feeling: inflection, intonation, tone. Idioms: tone of voice. the emphasis placed upon a syllable in pronunciation.

The rhythmically significant stress in the articulation of words, giving some syllables more relative prominence than others. In words of two or more syllables, one syllable is almost invariably stressed more strongly than the other syllables. In words of one syllable, the degree of stress normally depends on their grammatical function; nouns, verbs, and adjectives are usually given more stress than articles or prepositions.

In order to communicate, two conditions need to be met. Understanding and being understood. In order to understand the customer/client, we need to understand his accent. And for the customer/client to understand us, we need to speak with the accent as well.

Adapt your pronunciation to reflect that of those to whom you'll be speaking and you should be understood but the best way would be just to allow this to happen naturally so as to avoid an artificial accent.

If you look closely at what it is that different between various accents of English, you'll soon realize that it's mostly the vowels.Also if you go for a serious job interview, your accent counts a lot! Accents have always been important and judgmental in any country. It's a fact that people from one area of the country are irritated by some accents from other parts of the country.

I see language as a tool, not as an aspect of personality. I don't think it's unreasonable to have a variety of accents to use to suit different situations; it does help you fit in, and it can facilitate communication. This being so, changing one's accent for specific purposes makes as much sense as changing one's clothing or carrying a different box of tools. It is, however, rather difficult for most people to master multiple pronunciations, even of their native languages, and so perhaps for that reason it is uncommon to see people who adapt the accent to the situation.

Accent Reduction

Different Opinions and Suggestion

Literature, creative writing, etc. Your accent is part of you so think twice and be careful what you wish for! Sounding like everyone else is boring! An accent is both interesting and memorable. one thing that might help, listen to, and sing along with Olivia Newton John records or cds,,,,,,, she has a clear english accent,,,,,,,

immerse yourself in the language with native speakers.

You could take a class, get a voice coach, watch YouTube videos, buy a book, or just practice in front of a mirror.

One thing that you can try is listen to audio books and try to repeat the words as the orator in the audio. Pick up the sounds of the words and the accent, repeat as much as you can and keep on practicing until you pick up the accent as close as to the orator.

Just watch the television and focus on how they say things. To improve your accent, first you have to know how to pronounce a particular sound or a word, so you have to listen to the language (internet radio, sat. TV, etc.), second, muscles of your mouth have to accommodate to news sounds, so you have to speak or read aloud. And please note there is no easy and fast way to get rid of an accent. It's a quite demanding task.

Most community colleges have classes in accent reduction, often available in the evening. But do realize that the only way you can really reduce your accent is by practicing. And if you are afraid to talk to people or participate in class, you will be practicing less and less, and going backward instead of forward. What on earth are you afraid of? It is not the accent that makes you shy. It is your shyness that keeps your accent heavy.

Total immersion - watch TV, radio, and talk as much as you can, and ask people to rate your accent.

Strengthen your knowledge on that language, take accent reduction courses if it gives you more speaking confidence but be proud of who you are.

I think accents are wonderful. People are more likely to notice and remember you if you have an accent. If it is only a light one, then I wouldn't worry about being misunderstood. Be proud of who you are, where you come from and where you are going. There is nothing wrong with standing out a little in a crowd.

But if you insist on losing the accent, then the best way is to record the accent that you want to change to, and practice it one phrase at a time. Stick to one phrase until you happy with it. Then go to the next phrase. It is slow at first, but it speeds up fairly quickly.

The other alternative is to hire an accent reduction coach. They specialize in the difference of how sounds are spoken, and they can help you in that way.

I would advise you to study articulatory phonetics, which will explain to you how the speech organs work as you speak. Then study a phonological description of the language that makes use of some form of the alphabet of the International Phonetic Association. Once you do this, there are a lot of audio and video courses on accent reduction. You will find they will be more effective if you know how the vocal tract works.

What's wrong with people? When you move from your native country to a foreign country there's no need to loose your accent, that's very disrespectful. That's the accent and the language of your parents, your family, your ascendants and your country. There's no need to loose your accent, is enough to speak the language of the country you'll live in. People should be proud of their heritage. What if your friends make fun of you? Actually if they make fun of you because of your accent they are not your friends at all, you should get rid of them. A real friend appreciates you with or without your accent, your color, your nationality, your religion, your country, etc. A real friend respects your culture and traditions, respects your country and your family, respects you in every sense.

Avoid "street" slang. Model your speech after newscasters, television reporters, new anchors. Broadcast news reporters and anchors have non-regional educated accents.

Travel and listen to the way people from other areas talk and try to pick up their style a little bit. Study about words and phrases and pronunciation that they use too and pick that up.

My suggestion is keep your ears open, don't be embarrassed to ask people how to pronounce something that you are not sure about.

takes time. try speech therapy.

It's not the accent that makes you wine, it's your obnoxious tone of voice.

The only thing I can suggest is to speak slowly and softly and concentrate on every little sound you make.

It's very difficult to lose an accent, although possible with expensive speech lessons or a LOT of practice. Actors do it, after all.

Dream, Desire and Dominate .

The people you hear, the things you read, and your vocabulary also affect the way you speak!Talk to your friends on the phone or in person more. Read textbooks aloud to yourself as clearly as you can. There's no better way than to learn by ear and practice a bit.

The most important thing you can do to improve your accent is to understand it. Read about phonetics and phonology and analyse your own accent. Once you know what you do, you can modify it.

When you learned your native language, you had parents and friends you could repeat after, and such repetition was acceptable - even encouraged - since you were a baby. When you learn a 2nd or 3rd language, you don't have the same opportunity to repeat after people, as it is not socially acceptable for adults to do so. Hiring a voice coach gives you the opportunity to repeat without the social stigma of doing so in other settings.

But, if you really want to change it, I think a speech coach is the way to go.

It is hard to say how your accent will affect your social life. It all depends on how thick it is. If people have no problem understanding you, it won't be a problem.

Listen carefully to the type of accent you want to use (on tape or CD is probably best, as you can listen to parts as often as you need to), and practise. Try shorter sentences with different vowel types, as that's the main part of speech affected by accent, then build up to longer sentences. When you're more confident with these aspects, try working on speech inflections and the overall rising and falling pitch patterns and rhythms when you're more confident. Think of it as music, and listen to it as carefully as you would to your favourite CD.

There are teachers and coaches that teach people how to get rid of their accents.

You have to exercise your speech organs, like tongue, larynx, teeth, nose etc. pay attention to breath and how words are spelling according each breathing, it means you arent having keep pay attention to how native speakers speak.

There is no really easy way answer to this. To help dilute an accent, I recommend just practicing a lot. Speak in front of native speakers.

Listen to music.I've been told it really works.

Its nothing to be ashamed about or anything. Every single person who can talk has an accent. Most people just get used to the accent people around them talk with, resulting in a "normality".

the parody approach works well..

Well my best advice would be to be around native speakers as much as possible. While it might help practicing with others trying to learn the language, you'll never be able to pick up on the accent perfectly that way. While your around native speakers pay close attention, and then mimick them (just not to their face). Copy their pitch, rate of speech, and anything else you can pick up on. I would also recommend that you listen to music in that language. This way you will be able to listen to the native speakers and you can sing along, learn, and have fun all at the same time. You can also try watching movies/t.v. shows in that language.

Just simply confine in that and tell them how important it is to you, and that when you are in a group with the people you trust (or one-to-one) and ask them to support you.Either that, or try to find an elocution teacher.

The more you speak,the less the accent becomes.

There are many factors that contribute to retaining one's foreign accent: age when first began studying, natural ability, desire to retain one's identity or to be included in another group, etc. Chances are, you probably won't ever completely lose your accent, but you will be able to improve it a lot as you get more practice and exposure to the language. Especially if you make a conscious effort to improve your pronunciation.

The other way to reduce the accent is to improve grammar, because that's easily noticed when you have weak grammar.

Why would you want to "get rid" of something that makes you YOU, just because someone is teasing you? Should someone cut his hands off because he has dry skin? That's just ridiculous!
If your friends are hurting your feelings by teasing you, try talking to them about how much it bugs you. If they don't stop, get new friends who actually care about you and are worthy of the title "friend". Or, instead of working on your accent, work on gaining some self-confidence! Embrace what's YOU, and don't let some teenage pettiness or stupidity or stereotypes ruin your life.
Everyone has words they say differently - no matter who you are or where you're from or where you now live. Don't believe me? Go to a restaurant or somewhere with a steady stream of people. Count the number of people who say a word in a "non-English-Canadian" accent. You'll lose count.

Imitation is about the only thing that will work. My suggestion: watch the news every night and repeat what the newscasters say, the way they say it. Most newscasters are hired because of their neutral accent.

Losing an accent can be tough. One thing to try is to live in that country for a while. Another would be to listen to native speakers and try to repeat sound for sound what they are saying. A third option would be to hire a speech/accent tutor to help you.

I think accents sound cool because it spices up the language.

Be analytical. It's hard to be specific when I don't know what your native tongue is. All I can really say is to train your ear to listen analytically.

Well I'm not sure if you can ever get rid of it completely. But if you practice your pronunciation you can make your accent a lot less noticeable..

With a lot of diction coaching and practice you can probably train yourself away from it but it will take work. Many of the actors and actresses speak their lines in movies without an accent, but when they speak informally they have their accents.It is a challenge, but it is possible and don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.