American Accent Training: Quick Tip

You've been practicing your American accent, working on words, patterns, and changing pronunciation.  You are able to change how you say words when you practice, but when you go to speak with colleagues, friends and strangers, you still have an accent.

Sound familiar?  Changing your speech patterns can be challenging because in order to have conversations, we have to think about what we are saying, rather than how we are pronouncing words.  Here's a practice tip to help you get those new patterns into your everyday speech.

Think of something you say on a regular basis.  For example, do you order the same coffee drink at the drive-through, or greet the same person as you arrive at work each day?  Think about the words you use.  Do any of them have your target sounds?  For example, if you usually order a vanilla latte, are you using a good intial V sound on the word vanilla?  If you typically say "good morning" to the receptionist, are you able to used a voiced "d" at the end of the word good?  Select one small target to keep in mind, and try to use it each time you are in the setting.  Soon you will find you don't have to think so hard to use your correct pronunciation pattern, because it has become a habit.  Then you are ready to add a new target or a new setting.  It may seem like an insignificant step, but small changes are the way to get real results in in your real communication interactions.

Leave your ideas and successes in the comments below.