Jomana Newbie Russian Federation Joined 6127 days ago 9 posts - 13 votes
| Message 1 of 12 17 October 2009 at 3:31pm | IP Logged |
Hi everybody
How can I improve my pronounciation without living in an English speaking Country? I want to get rid of my accent and sound like a native English speaker. Any help?
By the way I am 25 years old is it too late?
Thank you
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datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5585 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French
| Message 2 of 12 17 October 2009 at 4:11pm | IP Logged |
It is never too late my friend!!
There are several "courses" that let you improve your accent and pronunciation to sound like a native speaker, but my personal suggestion would be to watch TV in English, and copy the pronunciation word for word.
Sooner or later, the pronunciation will just "come to you" and you will be able to pronounce words on your own.
I've been doing this with Spanish, and I've fooled teachers into thinking I came from a Spanish speaking country :)
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Thaorius Diglot Groupie ArgentinaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5543 days ago 40 posts - 58 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishB2
| Message 3 of 12 17 October 2009 at 4:33pm | IP Logged |
I've done it with English, and I sound pretty much like the USA tourists; so yes, you can do it. I would aim for a British accent though.
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Levi Pentaglot Senior Member United States Joined 5567 days ago 2268 posts - 3328 votes Speaks: English*, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian
| Message 4 of 12 18 October 2009 at 1:44am | IP Logged |
Are there any sounds or words that are particularly difficult for you?
Edited by Levi on 18 October 2009 at 1:44am
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Thaorius Diglot Groupie ArgentinaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5543 days ago 40 posts - 58 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishB2
| Message 5 of 12 18 October 2009 at 3:53am | IP Logged |
Sounds, no. But then again, I'm pretty sure Spanish (my native language) has all the sounds used in English. Do however note, that I'm unable to produce anything close to a British accent right now.
As for words, yes. I had the problem of knowing how a word sounds but not how to write it, thus, I ended up with the written word, and a pronunciation for an "unknown" word stored in my mind. It all eventually sorts itself out as you get the hang on the accent though.
I would recommend you watch all your English spoken TV shows and movies with English subtitles, if any.
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Captain Haddock Diglot Senior Member Japan kanjicabinet.tumblr. Joined 6768 days ago 2282 posts - 2814 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, Korean, Ancient Greek
| Message 6 of 12 18 October 2009 at 7:25am | IP Logged |
Quote:
Sounds, no. But then again, I'm pretty sure Spanish (my native language) has all the sounds used in
English. |
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I'm pretty sure you're wrong there. Spanish is missing a lot of English vowels and diphthongs, as well as a few
consonants.
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Envinyatar Diglot Senior Member Guatemala Joined 5536 days ago 147 posts - 240 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English Studies: Modern Hebrew
| Message 7 of 12 18 October 2009 at 8:10am | IP Logged |
Same problem here. I have a Spanish accent but i have been told by two American girls that my accent is sexy! Should i aim to native pronunciation or enjoy my exotic and sexy status? =)
Edited by Envinyatar on 18 October 2009 at 8:11am
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Thaorius Diglot Groupie ArgentinaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5543 days ago 40 posts - 58 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishB2
| Message 8 of 12 18 October 2009 at 6:21pm | IP Logged |
@Captain Haddock: I'm going to trust your opinion on this one, as you are more likely to be right than I am; however, even if you are, at no point I had a problem with the pronunciation of any English word.
@Envinyatar: This is just me, but I would aim for a native pronunciation.
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