By Olga Smith, a leading expert in accent reduction since 2006
In this blog we tell you about 5 useful accent reduction tips that will help you save time and money:
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.
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