PERSONAL ETIQUETTE: Speaking With a Neutral Accent

The way you speak i.e. your voice modulation and accent affect the way people respond to you, what they think of you and also your job prospects. Here are ten tips to help you reduce a regional accent:

1) Study the mouth movements of native speakers and try to mimic them.
While watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

2) Slow down your speech, until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English.
Native speakers will have a hard time understanding you if you speak too fast with the wrong modulation and rhythm. Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow dialogue – it is more important that everything you say is understood.

3) Listen to the "music" of English.
Don't use the music of your native tongue when you are speaking English. Each language has its own way of "singing".

4) Use your dictionary.
Familiarize yourself with the phonetic symbols used for different words in the dictionary and look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say. This method helps in neutralizing an accent tremendously.

5) Make a list of commonly used words that are difficult to pronounce.
Ask a native speaker to pronounce them for you, record these words, listen to them and practice saying them.

6) Buy books on tape.
Listen and read at the same time. Record clips of your own voice reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the speaker from the book on tape.

7) Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to "s" and "ed" endings.

8) Read aloud in English for fifteen to twenty minutes everyday.
This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English. Research has shown that it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

9) Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid having to listen to themselves speaking. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes that you are making.

10) Be patient.
You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.