A Quest for Native Accent Reduction

Process Part 1

You will be working independently, for the next three weeks, to explore these websites that offer information and activities guaranteed to help reduce a person�s native accent. Choose three suggestions/activities that you think have the best chance of achieving this goal. Choose suggestions that you would feel comfortable about practicing each day. 

http://englishtrainer.blogspot.com/2007/02/accent-neutralization.html Read the article �Accent Neutralization�

http://englishtrainer.blogspot.com/search/label/accentRead �Learning a New Accent is Really a Case of Rewiring Your Brain�

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ttDTszXG4M&feature=relatedAccent Reduction video, many other videos about speaking English are available at this site.

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/10-steps-to-becoming-fluent-in-a-language-in-6-months/       Numbers 2 and 6 apply to learning accents.

http://elllo.org/ A listening site.  Choose topics that have American flags in front of them to listen to.  Listen several times and on the third time try to exactly repeat what the speaker is saying.  For interest you might listen to topics with Australian and British flags in front of them to compare the difference in accents among native English speakers.

http://comptonpeslonline.com/phonetic_symbols_table.shtml  Listen to and practice the sounds of English vowels and consonants in isolation and as part of groups.  Make a list of the sounds you have the most difficulty with and practice those sounds.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html  For more practice with forming the sounds of English.

 Process Part 2

To begin your work, you will make a recording of yourself reading the following list of questions and then a short paragraph.  As you progress through your work, you will chart the websites and exercises you are using.  At the end of the three weeks you will record yourself reading the paragraph again. 

 
To Start,

 Make a recording of yourself answering the following seven questions. 

There are a number of free voice recorders available on the Internet.  Websites are linked below as well.

 
1. Where were you born? 
2. What is your native language?
3. What other languages besides English and your native language do you know?
4. How old are you?
5. How old were you when you first began to study English?
6. How did you learn English? (academically or naturalistically)
7. How long have you lived in an English-speaking country? Which country?

Then,

The elicitation paragraph - 
Go to this web site http://accent.gmu.edu/pdfs/elicitation.pdf and take a minute to silently read the paragraph.  When ready, record yourself reading the paragraph.  This will be your audio record of your starting point.

During, 

 Using the daily log keep a record of the accent reduction activities you practice during the three week training period.  See the attached example of the Daily Log.  Record which activities you practice each day and the approximate length of time you practiced.  An attachment for the daily log appears at the end of this page.

Finally, 

At the end of your three week training exercise, Congratulations! Let�s see how you�ve done.  Make another recording of yourself reading the original elicitation paragraph found at http://accent.gmu.edu/pdfs/elicitation.pdf.  Compare the first recording to the second recording.  Do you think your accent has diminished? 

E-mail:

the original recording and the final recording, as well as a copy of your practice log to me at [email protected] and I will evaluate your progress.