Speaking Like an America 

Every foreign person I teach English says the same thing.

“I want to speak English like an American.”

Speaking like an American can mean many things. Vocabulary, pronunciation, slang … attitude.

When pressed, most say “pronunciation.” They want to lose their original accent.

“Why?” I asked.

One said to me: “Speaking English correctly makes me more American.”

So I tell them the bad news: You have an accent. You will have an accent forever. It is very, very hard to lose your accent.

But that’s okay. Don’t worry. An accent makes you who you are. Keep your identity. You don’t need to change to be more American.

Whether you are from Asia, Europe, Africa, or the Americas, from a small town or a big city, you were raised speaking the language of your parents (hence the expression “mother tongue”).

From a young age, your tongue and lips and mouth developed muscles to make sounds that fit your language. Small children copy the sounds that their parents or siblings make. Later, you learn to pronounce more complex words in school, or watching TV.

This process is a good thing, except...

When you are learning a new language. Then these skills can be a hardship.

English has sounds not found in other languages, or are pronounced differently. Japanese have trouble differentiating between R and L sounds. Spanish speakers have trouble with B and V. Chinese people often pronounce TH like a Z or S. (TH is the sound most foreigners struggle with.)

Then there are the vowels. Diphthongs — when two vowels are together, such as “boat” or “dream” — are especially troublesome. English has 12 vowel sounds (five long and seven short), plus eight diphthongs; Russian, for example, has only five vowel sounds.

English has many grammatical idiosyncrasies. We have contractions, like “don’t” or “we’re,” which can sound like other words and confuse someone learning English.

A word can have different pronunciations depending on the context. The word “PRES-ent” is a noun, meaning a gift you give or receive. To “pre-SENT” is a verb that means to introduce a public speaker or give a performance.

On top of everything, Americans pronounce some words differently depending on the region.

Speak with a New Yorker, and ask him if he wants a coffee. He’ll say, “Yeah, I want a cauw-fee.” Ask the same question of a Bostonian, and they are likely to reply: “Kah-fee would be great!”

That’s the hardest thing for my students to fully grasp. All Americans have an accent.

Whether they were born here, arrived forty years ago, or arrived two weeks ago, all Americans speak with an accent of some kind.

In fact, American is a melting pot of accents. The task of learning to speak English “correctly” is daunting. There is no standard American English. Not really.

The closest thing to a standard American English pronunciation is what you hear spoken on TV and radio news broadcasts.

Watch the news tonight, and you will see what I mean.

Many of these American native speakers have to take accent reduction training, sometimes for months or years, to remove their regional accent to sound more neutral, or non-specific. It’s not easy to retrain the way you speak.

But unless you plan on becoming a news anchor, speaking perfectly in a non-specific accent is not important.

If you are learning English, or just want to improve your speaking, you do not have to “lose” your accent. You just need to pronounce English more clearly.

Many great techniques exist to help you to improve your pronunciation. Some involve listening to tapes, working with teachers, or practicing words and sounds in front of a mirror. All of these help.

But one technique can help you right now. Today. Immediately. And it is not that hard. The secret: Speak more slowly, and with more volume.

Many people try to hide their language mistakes by speaking softly, hoping no one will notice. Or they mimic the people in their office and speak quickly, often blurring words together.

What happens?

People may not understand you. They ask you to repeat yourself. Or worse, they will ignore you. Neither option helps you.

So, slow down a little. Just a little. And speak a little louder. Just a little. Maybe ten percent for each.

If you speak more slowly, each word will be more distinct and clear. And make sure you pause, briefly, between sentences.

When Americans hear you, they do not understand everything that you say. Sometimes the listener takes them a few seconds to catch up. If you speak very quickly, they will have too many words to focus on. They will get overwhelmed, and lose patience.

This is not your fault. However, if you want to be understood, you need to make some small accommodations to them.

In addition, if you speak with more volume, people can hear you better. The less you have to repeat yourself, the more likely you will be understood.

You will still make mistakes. No problem. At least the other person will hear all the words you said correctly and understand most of it. Which is better than none.

This change will feel awkward and unnatural at first. In a conversation, you may forget to speak slowly, or get nervous, and return to your normal way of talking. That’s fine.

Practice speaking slower and louder as often as you can. Try to make it a habit.

Soon you will find that this simple change can have a positive effect on your confidence.

The better you are understood, the better you (and other people) will feel about what you have to say.