Strengthen Your American Accent Training in Class
American Accent Training classes is an excellent way to learn how to strengthen your accent through hands-on experience. Learn how to further your knowledge.
Accents provide locals with a sense of community.
If your accent stands out from the crowd, it can be easy to feel disconnected from that community.
It doesn’t matter if you’re at work or socializing, your accent may make you feel as though you don’t fit in.
If you dream of developing an American accent so you can talk with confidence, you’re in luck. We’re offering a guide on how to strengthen American accent training in the classroom.
Emulate Newscasters
Newscasters are the best people to learn American accent training.
Their job is to provide clear communications. That’s why you should play close attention to how they enunciate.
They are often the best TV figures to learn from for this reason, so parrot them to develop a strong accent.
You don’t have to wait for the news to start. Google American newscasters on YouTube.
This will allow you to stop and start the video to listen to the newscaster and emulate their accent.
It’s important to really listen to what they have to say, as there are many accents you can emulate.
This leads us onto our next point…
Pick an Accent to Emulate for American Accent Training
When starting American accent training, it’s important to pick the right accent.
Americans have different regional dialects that are a reflection of their geographical location. For instance, a New Yorker’s accent will vary greatly from a Texan’s, and a Texan’s will be different from a California’s.
There are too many accents to mention, so it’s important to pick the accent where you plan to live.
You can always adopt a General American accent, if it seems too difficult.
This means developing a neutral accent that will allow you to fit in anywhere in the USA.
If you plan to build a career in America, it’s wise to pick a GA accent, because many locals will adopt the accent at work.
Unless you have your heart set on developing a local dialect, it’s best to emulate a GA accent.
Use Glottal Stops
A glottal stop is a little difficult to explain.
It’s something you’re more likely to hear. It’s one of the biggest American English tongue twisters. That’s why you need to listen carefully for glottal stops during American accent training.
To do it, you have to attempt to stop the air flow in your throat to create a silencer effect.
You must try not to pronounce the ‘T’ sound all the time. Yet, there are some words where the ‘T’ will still apply.
The glottal stop is the silencer that replaces the T sound. It happens when the letter T is at the end of a word or syllable.
For instance, you would remove the T sound from the words:
- Fatten – pronounced fa’-on
- Fight – pronounced figh’
- Cat – pronounced ca’
- Fountain – pronounced fou’-in
There are many words where the T shouldn’t have a glottal stop.
For instance, you would pronounce the T in words such as:
- Butter
- Pity
- Batter
It’s also important that you don’t overdo it on the glottal stop. Or you’ll sound more British than American.
The only way to perfect the glottal stop is by listening to other Americans and repeating after them.
Do you want to perfect your American pronunciation skills? Find out more about our American accent training packages and prices.
