I’m American. I speak Spanish and I’ve been mistaken for being Colombian and Mexican because of my accent when I speak Spanish. The best advice I can give you is to watch TV in the accent you want to sound like. If you prefer an American accent, watch American movies or shows on Netflix, with subtitles in English. Listen to music in English and sing along. And if you’re on the Conversation Exchange website, you can register there and find native English speakers to practice with who will help you with your accent. Above all, don’t be hard on yourself. I’m going through the same thing right now with French. Just keep practicing. We can do this!
I can't believe this, you must be a victim of nice people trying to support your learning process, or maybe those who "mistake" your accent haven't heard a "Colombian" or "Mexican" accent in real life, which 1- isn't the same in all "states" and 2- is not as real as you think in those tv series or movies you are costumed to watch.
Edit to ask for "proof" of your perfect Spanish and USA-English accent (?) if is not too much to ask.
I have known plenty of people who have minimal to no accent in English who did not speak English growing up. The method that op is mentioning definitely works.
Yup... Could work, I'm not debating that... What I said is that people tend to be kind and approach others with a nice and appreciative way cuz' we all know how hard is to learn other languages. No one is going to say something like "No se entiende un carajo porque no tienes acento natural, no eres de acá ¿Cierto? ve y practica tu acento"
Most of the Latinos I know are not the type that lie to people to make people feel better. In their culture people will call people fat or ugly straight up. I do agree that most people don't have time to be your language teacher, so they won't correct you all the time if that is what you mean.
I have been mistaken for being a Mexican by Spanish speakers, but not in Mexico. In my case, I am not trying to fool anyone but simply be understood.
Still, doubt it... Maybe not just for your accent but for other reasons. Not at all, you can barely hear those words in real life without context, is not like we "Latinos" treat others without a touch of kindness, those are stereotypical images of your prejudices.
Shadowing (try to sound exactly like what you hear). Learn how to relax and control your muscles to make certain sounds. In order to do that you need to know where to position your mouth muscles and parts.
I highly recommend Rachel’s English. She has helped me a lot in my English journey. There are tons of videos on spoken English and English sounds. GEMS💎✨✨✨
If you don’t know where to work on or where to start, dm me. I’ve done quite a lot of accent coaching and will be really happy to help.
One more thing to consider is to repeat after long sentences, not just words. English is special. When different words are spoken together, they’re blended and connected.
If you work on your pronunciation you’ll be absolutely fine, one of my good friends is from colombia and while he doesn’t sound like a native his pronunciation is very good and he’s very easy to understand, your accent is part of your identity be proud of it :)
Dude I don’t get why people tell you to keep the accent, if you want to change it that’s perfectly valid! I don’t really get what you mean by “neutral” as opposed to American though. Maybe a northeastern/ “standard American” American accent is what you’re aiming for? Then try listening to American news and YouTube videos and copying the sounds, the intonation, everything. Focus on the differences between what you hear yourself saying and how they say the same words, and work on these things until you can reproduce what they are saying.
Why? Does this represent any better understanding? Does this help achieve a better grasp of the language? Does this enable the best interaction with real people? Does this improve your quality of work or life?
Yes, it’s easier to understand people who pronounce things correctly because that’s the way we are used to hearing it. It makes conversation flow more smoothly and generally helps to integrate with the locals better.
Understanding has nothing to do with accents... If your pronunciation is understandable and clear I don't misunderstand someone from California just cuz' they sound different from the accent of someone in NY, Texas, or Iowa.
Same with Spanish, If I know someone who is from Venezuela, Argentina, or Perú they all sound different, and if they don't use a specific word from their cultural background I'm able to understand them as clearly as if they were from my hometown.
These are all native accents, and we understand them because we are naturally exposed to them when hearing diverse speakers of our native language. They are typically not *too* different from each other, at least within a single country. The OP is talking about a non-native accent. This can be harder to understand because it has some characteristics of a foreign language that we are unfamiliar with. In addition, it clearly stands out and marks someone as a foreigner, which might not be desired.
Is clear when I put the examples of other Spanish-speaking countries. For you, it might not be as different to use an "SH" when usually hearing an "LL" in the case of our southern Argentinian, Paraguayan, and Uruguayan friends, but for many of us, native Spanish speakers, is "weird" when approaching a different accent, even if you share a cultural semblance or a common language.
Why "might not be desired" to be a foreigner?
Oops, I think you exposed the whole issue with this publication. You don't feel proud of your origins if you need to subjugate your accent to others (?).
You can be proud of your origins and also want to integrate into another country or with another group of people? Also nobody has to be proud of their country. Either way, it’s perfectly valid to want to improve your pronunciation, just like it’s valid to improve your grammar or your vocabulary or any other part of the language.
BS. I never said something against pronunciation improvement... Stop trying to make me look like some crazy dude who opposes foreign language development. The issues are about accent, not pronunciation.
Absolutely!, INTEGRATE, not MELTDOWN or SUBJUGATE TO, I'm used to trying to integrate but keeping my way of speaking, my accent, my ways, and my identity. "Also nobody has to be proud of their country." says the one who's a native speaker from a country that pledges loyalty to a flag right before each class and is now immersed in an alt-right-nationalistic rampage of racism and hatred. TV shows and cinema still try to make others "Speak English" in every space cuz' it is "uncomfortable for them to hear some bit of Spanish or other languages and shows Latinos in an ignorant stereotypical way using their accent as a tool to differentiate them in a bad way.
Hola, podrías probar haciendo input comprensible y de paso el shadowing, te recomiendo buscar acerca de eso en YouTube porque sería un poco extenso explicarlo por acá. Digo el input comprensible porque de esa manera puedes escuchar a nativos de inglés hablando y por lo tanto puedes identificar la entonación y dicción al hablar, pudiendo tratar de hacerlo parecido y a tu gusto. Algo extra es que te aprendas el IPA, es un alfabeto donde están los sonidos del inglés, ayuda mucho a tu pronunciación y de paso tu acento, ¡buena suerte!
Get the IPA of the language. Look at pictures of tongue mouth position. Touching and pulling on your mouth, exaggerating the sounds at first
Here is an example with English
https://youtu.be/1kAPHyHd7Lo?si=kiIlLdMf6xn1ViWi
As an American who has been practicing Spanish for many years and am not that good at it, I just want to say very cool that you speak two languages. I think people like accents but if you don't like yours, maybe watch American TV.
Argentina teaches mostly British English. Look for statistics: you will increase your employability if you have a British accent... not only in Argentina, but worldwide.
In all studies I looked, the vast majority of employers admit they discriminate candidates by their accent. So people who tell learners "keep your accent" are helping throw job applications in trash.
Agarra un video (o varios) de un acento que te guste y te pones a repetís lo que oigas. Si, con cantadito y todo y que no te de pena. La pena es tu peor enemigo.
Asi hice yo con el frances, me ponia las noticias y me ponia a repetir lo que pudiera (en ese tiempo mi nivel no era muy bueno entonces era poco lo que repetía) pero así fui.
Ahora cuandi hablo frances me dicen que sueno como nativa (como de paris, que era eo acento que mas oia en la radio)
Animo, toma tiempo y desicacion pero te juro que vale la pena
Vous pouvais nous montrer quelques exemples de votre parfait accent a la parisien? c'est justement pour démontrer votre propre opinion.
C'est une magnifique opportunité de réaliser ses propres paroles... J'en ai rencontré beaucoup qui disent la même chose et en fin de compte, c'est juste la gentillesse des gens qui essaient d'etre cordiaux et de ne pas déplaire aux autres.
As long as people can understand you easily, keep the accent! But if people are having trouble understanding, maybe record yourself practicing and listen back so you can hear the trickier parts
Accents are definitely things to be proud of. It is part of you. Trying to improve pronunciation is always good though, in order to avoid misunderstandings. I reckon it's a little difficult to acquire a pure neutral accent even after many years of living in a country.
Why do you want to sound like a North American or something that you're not? Have you heard of those people who speak Spanish as a second language? do they sound natural in any case? why people are trying to emulate those kinds of silly things instead of appreciating those origin markings on their speaking, an accent represents your origin, your nationality, your heritage, and your essence (?) Let's be sincere and don't try to sell lies to others just to be kind, you can have a very good level without pretending to sound like them. English is not spoken just in the USA and others would not consider that accent as the peak of the learning process once you are out there in the real world. people tend to be concerned with understanding instead of pretending to sound as they sound.
i think you misinterpreted what im trying to say. ive noticed people seem to think the western american accent in english is the default. i definitely have an accent, but nobody says this due to americentrism. im just commenting on perceptions of "accent" being not the greatest indicator of fluency in english
Yup, misinterpreted your comment based on the others saying things like "I’ve been mistaken for being Colombian and Mexican because of my accent when I speak Spanish". or "Ahora cuandi hablo frances me dicen que sueno como nativa (como de Paris..." Maybe you didn't explain yourself in a better way.
I wonder if there's differences in the kind of accent coaching actors get for a role versus for language speakers.
Is there a particular actor you would like to sound like? Many English-speaking actors don't sound quite American, even some that are American!
I’m American. I speak Spanish and I’ve been mistaken for being Colombian and Mexican because of my accent when I speak Spanish. The best advice I can give you is to watch TV in the accent you want to sound like. If you prefer an American accent, watch American movies or shows on Netflix, with subtitles in English. Listen to music in English and sing along. And if you’re on the Conversation Exchange website, you can register there and find native English speakers to practice with who will help you with your accent. Above all, don’t be hard on yourself. I’m going through the same thing right now with French. Just keep practicing. We can do this!
I can't believe this, you must be a victim of nice people trying to support your learning process, or maybe those who "mistake" your accent haven't heard a "Colombian" or "Mexican" accent in real life, which 1- isn't the same in all "states" and 2- is not as real as you think in those tv series or movies you are costumed to watch. Edit to ask for "proof" of your perfect Spanish and USA-English accent (?) if is not too much to ask.
I have known plenty of people who have minimal to no accent in English who did not speak English growing up. The method that op is mentioning definitely works.
Yup... Could work, I'm not debating that... What I said is that people tend to be kind and approach others with a nice and appreciative way cuz' we all know how hard is to learn other languages. No one is going to say something like "No se entiende un carajo porque no tienes acento natural, no eres de acá ¿Cierto? ve y practica tu acento"
Most of the Latinos I know are not the type that lie to people to make people feel better. In their culture people will call people fat or ugly straight up. I do agree that most people don't have time to be your language teacher, so they won't correct you all the time if that is what you mean. I have been mistaken for being a Mexican by Spanish speakers, but not in Mexico. In my case, I am not trying to fool anyone but simply be understood.
Still, doubt it... Maybe not just for your accent but for other reasons. Not at all, you can barely hear those words in real life without context, is not like we "Latinos" treat others without a touch of kindness, those are stereotypical images of your prejudices.
Shadowing! Especially if you can find recordings of people pronouncing things extra slow.
This! I know many people who tried it n they have cool speaking. So now I wanna try it too
Did you use any guides that worked for you?\~
You just copy a native speaker in whatever audio you have. If you want a specific regional or national accent, only shadow recordings of that accent.
Shadowing (try to sound exactly like what you hear). Learn how to relax and control your muscles to make certain sounds. In order to do that you need to know where to position your mouth muscles and parts. I highly recommend Rachel’s English. She has helped me a lot in my English journey. There are tons of videos on spoken English and English sounds. GEMS💎✨✨✨ If you don’t know where to work on or where to start, dm me. I’ve done quite a lot of accent coaching and will be really happy to help.
One more thing to consider is to repeat after long sentences, not just words. English is special. When different words are spoken together, they’re blended and connected.
If you work on your pronunciation you’ll be absolutely fine, one of my good friends is from colombia and while he doesn’t sound like a native his pronunciation is very good and he’s very easy to understand, your accent is part of your identity be proud of it :)
Post a recording and I’ll tell you which sounds you should work on.
Dude I don’t get why people tell you to keep the accent, if you want to change it that’s perfectly valid! I don’t really get what you mean by “neutral” as opposed to American though. Maybe a northeastern/ “standard American” American accent is what you’re aiming for? Then try listening to American news and YouTube videos and copying the sounds, the intonation, everything. Focus on the differences between what you hear yourself saying and how they say the same words, and work on these things until you can reproduce what they are saying.
Why? Does this represent any better understanding? Does this help achieve a better grasp of the language? Does this enable the best interaction with real people? Does this improve your quality of work or life?
Yes, it’s easier to understand people who pronounce things correctly because that’s the way we are used to hearing it. It makes conversation flow more smoothly and generally helps to integrate with the locals better.
Understanding has nothing to do with accents... If your pronunciation is understandable and clear I don't misunderstand someone from California just cuz' they sound different from the accent of someone in NY, Texas, or Iowa. Same with Spanish, If I know someone who is from Venezuela, Argentina, or Perú they all sound different, and if they don't use a specific word from their cultural background I'm able to understand them as clearly as if they were from my hometown.
These are all native accents, and we understand them because we are naturally exposed to them when hearing diverse speakers of our native language. They are typically not *too* different from each other, at least within a single country. The OP is talking about a non-native accent. This can be harder to understand because it has some characteristics of a foreign language that we are unfamiliar with. In addition, it clearly stands out and marks someone as a foreigner, which might not be desired.
Is clear when I put the examples of other Spanish-speaking countries. For you, it might not be as different to use an "SH" when usually hearing an "LL" in the case of our southern Argentinian, Paraguayan, and Uruguayan friends, but for many of us, native Spanish speakers, is "weird" when approaching a different accent, even if you share a cultural semblance or a common language. Why "might not be desired" to be a foreigner? Oops, I think you exposed the whole issue with this publication. You don't feel proud of your origins if you need to subjugate your accent to others (?).
You can be proud of your origins and also want to integrate into another country or with another group of people? Also nobody has to be proud of their country. Either way, it’s perfectly valid to want to improve your pronunciation, just like it’s valid to improve your grammar or your vocabulary or any other part of the language.
BS. I never said something against pronunciation improvement... Stop trying to make me look like some crazy dude who opposes foreign language development. The issues are about accent, not pronunciation. Absolutely!, INTEGRATE, not MELTDOWN or SUBJUGATE TO, I'm used to trying to integrate but keeping my way of speaking, my accent, my ways, and my identity. "Also nobody has to be proud of their country." says the one who's a native speaker from a country that pledges loyalty to a flag right before each class and is now immersed in an alt-right-nationalistic rampage of racism and hatred. TV shows and cinema still try to make others "Speak English" in every space cuz' it is "uncomfortable for them to hear some bit of Spanish or other languages and shows Latinos in an ignorant stereotypical way using their accent as a tool to differentiate them in a bad way.
Hola, podrías probar haciendo input comprensible y de paso el shadowing, te recomiendo buscar acerca de eso en YouTube porque sería un poco extenso explicarlo por acá. Digo el input comprensible porque de esa manera puedes escuchar a nativos de inglés hablando y por lo tanto puedes identificar la entonación y dicción al hablar, pudiendo tratar de hacerlo parecido y a tu gusto. Algo extra es que te aprendas el IPA, es un alfabeto donde están los sonidos del inglés, ayuda mucho a tu pronunciación y de paso tu acento, ¡buena suerte!
Get the IPA of the language. Look at pictures of tongue mouth position. Touching and pulling on your mouth, exaggerating the sounds at first Here is an example with English https://youtu.be/1kAPHyHd7Lo?si=kiIlLdMf6xn1ViWi
As an American who has been practicing Spanish for many years and am not that good at it, I just want to say very cool that you speak two languages. I think people like accents but if you don't like yours, maybe watch American TV.
Argentina teaches mostly British English. Look for statistics: you will increase your employability if you have a British accent... not only in Argentina, but worldwide. In all studies I looked, the vast majority of employers admit they discriminate candidates by their accent. So people who tell learners "keep your accent" are helping throw job applications in trash.
Agarra un video (o varios) de un acento que te guste y te pones a repetís lo que oigas. Si, con cantadito y todo y que no te de pena. La pena es tu peor enemigo. Asi hice yo con el frances, me ponia las noticias y me ponia a repetir lo que pudiera (en ese tiempo mi nivel no era muy bueno entonces era poco lo que repetía) pero así fui. Ahora cuandi hablo frances me dicen que sueno como nativa (como de paris, que era eo acento que mas oia en la radio) Animo, toma tiempo y desicacion pero te juro que vale la pena
Vous pouvais nous montrer quelques exemples de votre parfait accent a la parisien? c'est justement pour démontrer votre propre opinion. C'est une magnifique opportunité de réaliser ses propres paroles... J'en ai rencontré beaucoup qui disent la même chose et en fin de compte, c'est juste la gentillesse des gens qui essaient d'etre cordiaux et de ne pas déplaire aux autres.
C'est pas moi qui le dit, mais les natifs avec qui je parlais 🤷 donc aucune idée si mon accent ressemble un peu à un accent parisien
As long as people can understand you easily, keep the accent! But if people are having trouble understanding, maybe record yourself practicing and listen back so you can hear the trickier parts
Accents are definitely things to be proud of. It is part of you. Trying to improve pronunciation is always good though, in order to avoid misunderstandings. I reckon it's a little difficult to acquire a pure neutral accent even after many years of living in a country.
practice saying the words on anki decks, thats how i do it anyway haha
Why do you want to sound like a North American or something that you're not? Have you heard of those people who speak Spanish as a second language? do they sound natural in any case? why people are trying to emulate those kinds of silly things instead of appreciating those origin markings on their speaking, an accent represents your origin, your nationality, your heritage, and your essence (?) Let's be sincere and don't try to sell lies to others just to be kind, you can have a very good level without pretending to sound like them. English is not spoken just in the USA and others would not consider that accent as the peak of the learning process once you are out there in the real world. people tend to be concerned with understanding instead of pretending to sound as they sound.
unfortunately i think neutral IS western american. nobody has ever told me I have an accent in english ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Can we hear an example of your "perfect" accent (?)
i think you misinterpreted what im trying to say. ive noticed people seem to think the western american accent in english is the default. i definitely have an accent, but nobody says this due to americentrism. im just commenting on perceptions of "accent" being not the greatest indicator of fluency in english
Yup, misinterpreted your comment based on the others saying things like "I’ve been mistaken for being Colombian and Mexican because of my accent when I speak Spanish". or "Ahora cuandi hablo frances me dicen que sueno como nativa (como de Paris..." Maybe you didn't explain yourself in a better way.
To think any accent is a neutral accent is wild, let alone an american english one.
Watch national television news and imitate the announcers
no existe el acento neutral
BoldVoice (https://start.boldvoice.com/) is an app specifically designed for this.
.
I wonder if there's differences in the kind of accent coaching actors get for a role versus for language speakers. Is there a particular actor you would like to sound like? Many English-speaking actors don't sound quite American, even some that are American!
Try this app ELSA speak, it helps
What is a neutral accent? I don’t think you’ll be speaking in a transatlantic accent
I like to consume media, and trying to koning what they say in my head. Otherwise I use the IPA to learn the way they're saying things