Oxford Language Club

In 2020, there were more than 44.6 million immigrants living in the US. That’s about 13.7% of the entire US population.

They each come with their own unique accent, depending on which country and region they come from. While some immigrants are able to reduce their accent over time, others struggle with accent reduction.

Fortunately, there is something you can do and it’s called accent training. If you’re looking for a solution on how to get rid of an accent, keep reading.

Accent reduction is based on intonation. It’s how rhythm, pitch, and melody are used to group word phrases together.

There are several ways to get rid of an accent so you sound a bit more like a native, or at least don’t feel as though you’re constantly having to repeat yourself.

HOW TO REDUCE AN ACCENT

1. Get your speech analysis done. When students come to us for the first time we record their speech and tell them which English sounds and speech patterns, such as intonation, liaisons, articulation, etc. they need to work on.

2. Work on your accent daily, 20-45 minutes a day. Regularity is the key. People have accents because their speech organs are not trained for English sounds. Accent reduction is similar to your gym sessions' principles.

3. Use the mirror to check your speech organs' positions. In our books and apps, we explain where to put your tongue, lips, and jaw for a particular English sound. If you have an accent your speech organs will automatically shape in a way you used to. Once you know how you should shape them, check in the mirror to make sure your jaw and lips placements are correct. Watch our video on YouTube and try to do it yourself.

4. Repeat the same word, phrase, sentence or verse at least 3 times with clear pronunciation. In our books, we teach RP (Received Pronunciation) RP is also sometimes called the Queen’s English, Oxford English or BBC English. The more you repeat, the quicker RP will become your second nature.

5. Record your speech regularly to check your progress.

GET INSPIRATION

Let's take a look at two videos with Javier Bardem below. Javier Bardem became the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar on Sunday by taking the best supporting actor award for his chilling portrait of a psychopathic killer in “No Country For Old Men.”

The first video is an Interview with Javier. Javier’s first language is Spanish. On this video we can hear how strong his Spanish accent is.

The second video is excerpt from the movie “No Country For Old Men”. Pay attention on how his accent is reduced and get inspired by this amazing actor!