Is it possible to get rid of your accent in a foreign language and speak like a native ?

foreign-accent-syndrome

foreign-accent-syndrome

Sure it is. And so? This is it?

Well, actually not yet. Wait. Let’s dive deeper into details. Accent and pronunciation are as important as spelling, grammar, speaking and listening skills in terms of language learning. Unfortunately, these two notions are often being confused or equated.

Why it is so important

There is a huge difference between accent and pronunciation. Pronunciation is an ability to pronounce sounds correctly, to articulate according to the phonetical system of a language to be understood by others. For example, any native speaker doesn’t really care what accent do your use when you speak his mother language.

The notion of accent is broader. Accent includes the pronunciation, but in this case we consider only geographical features depending on where the language is spoken. For instance, Americans, Canadians, Australians, British and Irish all speak English in a different way. They might not think of it, or by habit they might think that it’s them who pronounce correctly, but it doesn’t change the fact that they all speak with a different accent. Such assessments as “wright” or “wrong” are not applicable in this case. By the way, the same tendency is valid for other languages. The accents of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, the US and many other countries are implausibly diverse and very often they inevitably become a joking matter.

Who cares if imitating British accent, you mispronounce words and native speakers doesn’t’ understand you?

Sounds are intangible

If you start learning a language it's still important to distinguish accents. If you are equipped enough you can communicate and understand any native speaker even if you are not used to this particular accent.

Oftentimes, this so-called talent to imitate accents is being connected with a concept of “musical ear”, and it makes sense indeed. It transpires, that for people who have developed better their musical skills it’s way easier to imitate any sound, of course, within the range of human potential. It’s scientifically proven that till certain age any person can imitate any sound before they get used to a certain phonetical system of a language. The interesting fact is that we loose this ability as we grow up if we don’t develop it. Getting rid of the accent is psychological issue, not physical. For example, Russians are not used to nasal sounds of French, or typical for English th-sound, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not able to do it in the first place. Accent imitation is more about acting and overcoming psychological hindrances.

The diversity of opinions

“Whoever who tells you have an accent – doesn’t hear their own one”

The range of opinions about accents is wide indeed. It definitely depends on personal aims and aspirations.

I think, accent imitation is my second nature, I really love it. And considering various compliments from native speakers, I can make a conclusion that I’m pretty good at this. Your accent makes certain impression on people, and if you managed to get rid of your native accent speaking another languages – trust me, people will notice and appreciate your endeavors. Can you dispense with it? Sure, you can. But I’m firmly convinced that working on your accent skills is a worthy matter, because it’s an aesthetic part of a languages learning.

On the other hand, if one speaks clearly, grammatically correct and use decent vocabulary a slight accent will never be a problem. Most of foreigners would even consider it as cute and sexy.

Of course, speaking with a very strong accent and distorting words make understanding you next to impossible, but that’s not what I meant.

Everybody speaks with some accent, you just need to figure out which one do you prefer, and does it matter for you at all?

How?

If you are still reading and want to get rid of your accent to sound more authentic, I have a very wholesome piece of advice for you ­– just choose! Choose the way you want to sound, choose where do you want to travel, live or work and socialize with people. Choose the accent and and stick to it till you start speaking the same way(or close to it). Listen to podcasts, radio, watch shows, but stick to it. Later, when it will seem less vicarious you can try to imitate others and even to mix the accents , but if you are willing to move forward – just choose one. As a rule, they divide English accents in American and British in terms of pronunciation. It's not quite right, but It’s good for the onset.

My personal experience: I got off to a bad start with learning English. In my opinion, mainly the official school system is at fault. I remember how after 10 year of pointless English learning at school, I’ve come across the video on YouTube, where two girls ­– an American and a British one, pronounced the same words in English one by one. Later I watched loads of videos like this.

I was deeply startled.

Why for all these years of learning, nobody told me that there is a huge variety of accents? Why nobody didn’t even mention that the notion of “wrong” is very vague and depends on country, if not on region?! Why when I was studying translation my professor always was trying to correct the way I was pronouncing “can’t”? Was I supposed to choose the way she preferred it? It’s your right to choose how do you want to pronounce “can’t” or “for example”. It’s up to you, not to the teacher. I have put this behind me and changed my attitude for good. I got hooked on a Youtube channel of American youtuber from California, and I used to watch it every day. As a result, I started to copy his demeanor unconsciously, and later I discovered other YouTube channels and podcasts. Just watching undoubtedly is not enough. If you have serious intentions to improve your pronunciation, start repeating and repeat till the moment you start sounding close to a native speaker.

So can you get rid of an accent of your mother language and sound like a native speaker or close to it? Absolutely! And there is a great number of polyglots who do, and some of them I know personally. It is easier for some people and more difficult for others, but it’s not impossible. Think of actors, who learnt a new accent just for the role. It doesn’t happen overnight and implies a lot of work, concealing this would be disingenuous. But you can make it fun if you want.

You have to figure out why do you need it, and if for any reason you do ­­– go for it!

Just don’t dwell only on the pronunciation, try to keep the balance and remember – the communication is still first and foremost.

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