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How to speak like natives with a real English accent?



Although the title is "English pronunciation" those tips can be applied to any language.

You have difficulty pronouncing specific sounds in English? You think it is impossible to improve your accent? We can tell you, however, you can improve your pronunciation in a short time. With the pronunciation, small efforts can have a big impact. It's just a matter of will. The pronunciation has been an important topic within the Polyglot Club community and our goal is to provide you with advice to improve it.

Listen to videos or podcasts


Check out videos talking about the pronunciation topic or in your target language.
Listen to podcasts in your car or on the bus. It is advisable to listen to the same sounds each day until you master them.

Intonation


Concentrate on the music behind words. Paying attention to the music of a language is essential for good pronunciation. You must not be a musician or listen to English music (even if these two things could help), but you must look at the intonation of English.

If you had to sing it, what would it be like? It is important to understand that concept to learn the language properly. The practical implementation is more an attitude than a learning method because it requires to be constantly vigilant but it's definitely something to keep in mind.

Training: Read aloud every day


It is best to already have some notions of pronunciation because by reading with a mispronunciation or without a teacher to help you, you're just reinforcing your bad pronunciation. If your pronunciation level has not stabilized, we do not suggest you read more than 10 or 15 minutes, because it's hard to stay focused and you might make the same mistakes again (which strengthens them). Remember, pronunciation can be improved quickly by working in small doses several times a week.
You can also listen to an audio book while reading the text and imitating the narrator. For better efficiency, record yourself when you talk and compare with the audio book.

Record yourself talking


Record yourself reading with a tape recorder or a computer. At first it will be difficult to listen to your own voice. Relax, you'll get used to it quickly. Sometimes people hate their voice even in their own language. The combination of hearing your voice and hearing yourself speak another language will be uncomfortable at first. However it is necessary to move forward and be aware of your mispronounciation. You can record yourslef reading the same passage every day or every week. Record an English native speaker reading the same passage will help.

Imitation: Find models


You can imitate people who speak correctly and have been working hard to get there. This can be a teacher or a friend, but someone who has gone through this work and can tell you how. Even if they do not have perfect pronunciation, they can help you find methods and explain how they managed to improve their pronunciation.
Imitate people with an accent that you like. For example with British or American accent. English native speakers or those who are gifted will not necessarily know how to learn the pronunciation (although some of them know), but they are good role models. When you watch TV or movies, choose someone who has a voice similar to yours, the same way of speaking. If you do not know, ask your friends to advise you. You can even learn passages of movies you like and imitate the actors.

Experiment


Human beings have an innate ability to listen, differentiate and emulate the phonetic characteristics of any language. An original method is to imitate someone whose mother tongue is the one you learn and who speaks your language. Imitate that person speaking in the language you are learning. Here is an example to help you understand that concept: If you are French and are learning English, you will imitate an English speaking French and apply sounds and intonation when you are speaking English. If you can effectively imitate the English speaking French in a very exaggerated way this is going to activate the sounds and you can use them to speak English.
  • FAQ Author: patpat profile pictureJanuary 2015

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abueyad profile picture abueyadMarch 2015
Thanks for this article .
English