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How to remove the accent in Russian. How to get rid of an accent in English

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Where does an accent come from, and is it so difficult to get rid of? Yes, in reality it is not easy to completely switch to something else. All because every the sound of any language in the world has its own articulation characteristics that are not characteristic of the sounds of other languages. For example, take the English sound [ p], is it different from Russian [n]? Certainly! Everyone who has worked on their English pronunciation knows Peter! Which St. Petersburg? That very Peter, who picked a peck of pickled peppers! Patter about Peter Piper for practicing English [ p] - the most famous tongue twister in the world:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

The thing is that the sound [ p] in English is pronounced with aspiration (aspiration), it is plosive, that is, the lips produce a small pop when articulating it. If an Englishman reads this tongue twister holding a thin piece of paper near his lips, then after each [ p] the leaf will sway slightly. You can also check your correct pronunciation of this tongue twister using a piece of thin paper.

See how wonderfully this patter goes to the music and repeat.

As mentioned above, the differences between English and Russian pronunciation are not limited to the articulation features of only some sounds. All sounds are pronounced differently! Moreover, for each language there is an articulatory base unique to it. What it is? Imagine that you are about to say something, then some thought came into your head and you took a deep breath into your lungs to voice it. What happens to your lips and tongue in these seconds? It is unlikely that you have ever thought about this, meanwhile, at such moments you slightly open your mouth, your lips are relaxed, your tongue is also relaxed, it is flat, and its tip lightly touches your lower teeth. If someone whose native language is English is going to speak, his mouth also opens slightly, but his lips, unlike yours, are significantly tense and form something like a smile, while revealing his lower teeth. His tongue is not relaxed, like yours, but tense, somewhat collected and compressed, and also raised, so that its tip touches the alveoli (tubercles near the upper teeth). To clearly show how this happens, I inserted an interview with Keira Knightley into the article ( Keira Knightly). Please watch it. Pay attention to the movement of her lips, you can even turn off the sound - now it doesn’t matter to us what she says, but what matters is how she says it.

Thus, it is not enough to learn to pronounce each individual sound - To completely get rid of an accent, you need to force your speech organs to work differently! This is a very long and painstaking work on pronunciation. If you have started this work and your accent does change, you will definitely feel some discomfort caused by fatigue of certain facial muscles, throat or tongue. So for a Russian person, keeping his lips tense, creating a semblance of a smile, characteristic of the English language, is very unusual. If you start doing this and practice often, then after a while you will feel tired of the facial muscles, which in Russian are much less involved in speech and work mainly when we smile.

The articulatory base includes not only the movement of the speech organs during the pronunciation of each individual sound, but also, rhythm, intonation coloring specific language. So, characteristic of the Russian language is more monotonous in comparison with English. Therefore, when we hear Englishmen or Americans studying Russian speaking, we often get the impression that they are talking too enthusiastically and enthusiastically about the most trivial things, and this makes us smile. To them, on the contrary, when they hear our English, it may seem that we are too reserved or enslaved, perhaps even uninterested in the conversation.

I think many might have a question: “ If changing your accent is such painstaking work, is it even worth doing?” Definitely worth it! The fact is that some people manage to achieve phenomenal results simply by “playing the fool.” By such “fooling around” I mean imitating my favorite characters from movies, cartoons, news channel announcers BBC or your favorite showmen. When choosing objects to imitate, you can only be limited by your imagination and, perhaps, the complexity of the task itself. Obviously, you shouldn’t start by imitating announcers at the initial stage; it’s better to pay attention to phrases from commercials and songs, try to accurately convey the intonation of audio recordings in your textbook. Very often this turns out to be the most effective! If a language learner has a good ear for music and observation, the positive effect of such classes can come very quickly.

Moreover, the ability to imitate the sounds of a foreign language, understanding the peculiarities of their pronunciation, is necessary skill to improve your listening comprehension of foreign speech. If you read and correspond with interest, but oral speech remains not always clear to you, this is precisely a consequence of a lack of practical work on pronunciation and auditory perception.

Imitating the sounds of foreign languages, studying the melody of foreign speech is a fascinating activity! It can open up a new world to you, significantly expand the range of your perception, when you suddenly realize that there are many more sounds in human languages ​​than you previously thought.

Accents are very interesting, which is why they are a favorite theme of all actors and showmen. Look how Elon Gold ( Elon Gold) talks about how Americans perceive British accents, and is surprised that in some British accents the sound [ t] is pronounced very clearly, but in others it almost completely disappears. The comedian is also great at imitating a Russian accent! In the end, the Germans get a dose of irony.

And finally, I would like to please you with another entertaining video. This is a fragment from the series “Friends”, where one of the main characters, American Ross, tries to give a lecture with a British accent, believing that this will help him get a job at a British university.

Remember, pronunciation is an area where training and practice are closely related to the ability to practice for fun! Be creative, don’t be afraid to try and experiment, only in this case positive results will not keep you waiting.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

An accent is not a pathology

The term “accent” (from the Latin “accentus” stress) refers to the raising and lowering of the voice - tone, sound intensity or volume, placement of stress.

A dialectal accent is “a set of features that are not characteristic of a given literary language in the speech of a dialect speaker.

Accent associated with muscle functioning and kinesthetic memory (the most stable type of memory that the human body possesses).

At first sight accent It seems to be an ingrained, immovable problem, because a person has learned this or that way of speaking from birth. But meanwhile, accent- not a pathology, and certainly not a sentence, but just a conditioned reflex, a “habit”, and a habit can be changed. With effort and enough time, you can get rid of your accent, speech and tongue-tiedness.

First of all, make sure that your problem is really accent, and not incorrect sound pronunciation. How to check? Get advice from a speech therapist. The specialist will immediately determine the cause of your problem, suggest the most effective way to eliminate it, and advise what should be done.

If you pronounce sounds incorrectly, then accent work early. First, it is necessary to eliminate all violations of sound pronunciation in speech therapy classes. You will have to work on proper speech breathing, articulation gymnastics, (if necessary, a speech therapist will prescribe a massage) staging and automating sounds in speech.

Then you can begin to fight accent.

How to get rid of an accent?

  • minimize communication in the native language in order to develop a new conditioned reflex.
  • maximize speaking practice. Talk, listen, correct, imitate, listen to yourself. If you lack it, you lose the opportunity to quickly gain a new skill.
  • listen to audio recordings of the correct announcer's speech
  • speak slowly, this will allow you to control the correct sound pronunciation.
  • try to sing more, move to music, dance - this gives more benefits than you might think. Speech has a musical backbone, so specialists use rhythm therapy and music therapy to correct speech.
  • Record your speech on a voice recorder and listen to it for self-control.

You will improve your speech and create your unique speech image in rhetoric and stage speech courses.

Is it possible to correct an accent and poor diction?

- it is possible and necessary! There are plenty of examples among actors, famous speakers, and politicians who have conquered their dialect accent!

Remember that your speech is your business card!

Phone in St. Petersburg:

7 (812) 640-90-77

Daily from 10:00 to 21:00

Reviews:

“I have been pronouncing the sounds W and Z incorrectly for almost 50 years. I started studying with Irina Igorevna. After 8 lessons, the defects were completely gone, I say correctly and beautifully. Extremely pleased." Shchedrov Viktor

“I would like to express my gratitude to Elena Anatolyevna. I had problems pronouncing the sounds [r] and [r"], with her help we put them in place. It was not easy to introduce them into everyday speech, but it was worth it! In a month (7 visits) I achieved incredible results and I am proud with this! Thank you very much! " Mikhail, 17 years old


Speech therapist services for children and adults. 2008-2012 St. Petersburg

English teachers all over the world never tire of saying that there is no need to be ashamed of your accent. But this doesn’t mean you can’t improve yourself or try new things. If you've always wanted to talk like Lady Mary from Downton Abbey or like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, go for it!

Choose what accent you want to speak with

Do you prefer the classic sound of an English accent or the way they speak in Hollywood?

This will determine what programs you need to watch and what people you need to interact with. You can even choose the accent of a specific region if you wish.

Find your teacher

If you have decided on your preferences, it's time to find your master Yoda.

For American English these are:

  • Rachel's English- Rachel specializes in American pronunciation. The American English in Real Life playlist is a collection of conversations between Rachel and her friends in real life situations.
  • Private English Portal- Steve Ford lives in Canada. The main feature of his channel is pronunciation tips for representatives of different nationalities.
  • Business English Pod- a collection of lessons and podcasts for advanced users. The channel specializes in business English.

Work on bugs

Many of us were taught to speak incorrectly at school. Don't be afraid, noble teachers from YouTube will help you make your speech competent and natural.

American English:

Popular mistakes in pronunciation of words- In his videos, Alex tries to create the atmosphere of a live lesson. In this particular case, he examines the words that students most often mispronounce.

Learn local expressions

Oh, this English language! Not a minute of rest - study grammar, don’t forget about the rules of pronunciation, and also work on your accent. By the way, about the last one. What exactly should we understand by it?

Accent refers to a special way of speaking and sounding. There are actually two definitions of this term.

Firstly, accent refers to certain features of the native language that are typical for a certain group of the population belonging to one social group or living in a specific territory. For example, residents of Texas have their own accent, which differs from the manner of pronunciation of residents of California.

Secondly, there is the “foreign” accent. For example, a person speaks English, but uses some of the rules or sounds of Italian. If problems arise with pronunciation, a person simply replaces them with similar or similar sounds typical of their native language. Such speech sounds incorrect, funny, and sometimes even offensive to native speakers.

Variations and features of the English accent

The main types of English accent primarily include British and American. In cinema, this difference is very noticeable. For example, in a fragment of the ancient world period, the characters speak with a British accent, even if they are in a place where no English is spoken at all. The British accent is inextricably linked to classicism and theater (thank you, William Shakespeare). The American accent is often associated with modernity, youth and a fresh outlook on life.

In Boston, for example, the influence of Irish settlers has led to a distinctly Boston accent, although the modern one does not sound exactly like Irish. A common joke is that when a Bostonian says “I lost my car keys,” it sounds more like “I lost my khakis.”

In Hong Kong, exposure to Chinese and British culture has resulted in an accent that sounds almost British, although slightly different. The same thing happened with Australia and New Zealand.

The English with a clear Spanish accent sounds emotional and passionate. A Middle Eastern American accent sounds nice and friendly, while a Southern California accent sounds sassy and cool. Perhaps you know someone who speaks with a thick, ringing Southern accent, or a native speaker with a posh Cape Cod accent.

Russian accent in English

The melody of the Russian language is strikingly different from English. The Russian language is intonationally more uniform and smooth, while English is characterized by various types of intonation, which in ordinary conversation seem inappropriate or overly expressive to a Russian person.

English consonants are softer than Russian ones. Russian lacks some sounds found in English, such as the sounds [θ] and [ð]. Since these sounds are atypical for ours, we often replace them with the familiar [s] or [z]. It turns out sad and wrong.

In addition, a feature of the Russian English accent can be attributed to difficulties with the sounds [w] and [v] - Russian speakers often use [v] instead of [w] and vice versa.

Many English students wonder, “Do native speakers understand our accent?” Foreigners often note that English with a Russian or Ukrainian accent is quite easy to understand and generally sounds quite attractive. However, it is entirely possible for us to get rid of our accent through hard work and practice.

Why do we have an accent

As mentioned above, problems arise with certain sounds that do not exist in the native language. In fact, we have the ability to reproduce and perceive any sounds of human language. However, the older we get, the more difficult it is for us to learn sounds that are alien to our speech.

Secondly, it is not only individual sounds that make speech sound odd and odd, but also sound patterns that also vary dramatically across languages.

And finally, each language has a specific sentence structure. In Russian, for example, there is no need to use the linking verb to be: “The dish is really disgusting” (This dish is disgusting). Based on these signs, a native speaker immediately recognizes a foreigner.

How to get rid of an accent in English

It's time to look at some useful tips that will help you say goodbye to your English accent once and for all:

    Think about what kind of accent you like, and select the necessary material based on this.

  • Make a list of sounds (vowels and consonants), examples of stress or intonation patterns that cause the most difficulty and focus on these points. If you are interested in American English, read the article on reading rules.

    • Be prepared that you may have to retrain yourself to pronounce this or that sound. To make the process go faster, study the articulation process itself and practice in front of a mirror. Then you will be able to understand which position of the lips, tongue and ligaments is typical for a particular case.

    Practice as much as possible. Regular listening and live communication with a native speaker will help identify those areas in which the accent of the native language comes to the fore.

    Pay attention to intonation, study variations, patterns and rules, where it falls and where, on the contrary, it rises. If native speakers look at you with bewilderment, most likely you placed the emphasis incorrectly. When you learn new words and expand your vocabulary, do not forget to also clarify which syllables are unstressed and which are stressed.

Summary

We found out what this mysterious accent is, discussed its types and features, found out the reason for the difficulties that arise when learning a foreign language, and examined the principles of getting rid of an accent in English.

What accent do you like? And don't forget your car keys!

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English teachers all over the world never tire of saying that there is no need to be ashamed of your accent. We are in website We absolutely agree with this. But this doesn’t mean you can’t improve yourself or try new things. If you've always wanted to talk like Lady Mary from Downton Abbey or like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, go for it!

Choose what accent you want to speak with

Do you prefer the classic sound of an English accent or the way they speak in Hollywood?

This will determine what programs you need to watch and what people you need to interact with. You can even choose the accent of a specific region if you wish.

Find your teacher

If you have decided on your preferences, it's time to find your master Yoda.

  • Minoo Anglo Link- Manu gives British pronunciation lessons and prepares for international exams, such as IELTS General and IELTS Academic.
  • Speak English with Mister Duncan- Mr. Duncan is a cheerful middle-aged Englishman who created his own educational channel more than 8 years ago. In addition to the accent, he teaches a living language: idioms, colloquial words, common abbreviations.
  • BBC Learn English- channel of the largest British television and radio broadcasting network. where they teach English for all kinds of situations. Among the teachers, including Shakespeare himself.

For American English these are:

  • Rachel's English- Rachel specializes in American pronunciation. The American English in Real Life playlist is a collection of conversations between Rachel and her friends in real life situations.
  • Private English Portal- Steve Ford lives in Canada. The main feature of his channel is pronunciation tips for representatives of different nationalities.
  • Business English Pod- a collection of lessons and podcasts for advanced users. The channel specializes in business English.

Work on bugs

Many of us were taught to speak incorrectly at school. Don't be afraid, noble teachers from YouTube will help you make your speech competent and natural.

British English:

How do you pronounce "bow"? Like "low" or like 'cow'? Jill is a teacher with many years of experience. In this video, she breaks down the mistakes her students often make.

American English:

Popular mistakes in pronunciation of words- In his videos, Alex tries to create the atmosphere of a live lesson. In this particular case, he examines the words that students most often mispronounce.

Learn local expressions

Even if you have properly learned the grammar and honestly repeated the dialogues from the textbook, this is not enough to communicate with a native speaker. In the USA and Great Britain there are dialects, slang and set expressions, which are very difficult to understand without preparation.



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