How can i lose my southern accent

Some people find Southern American English beautiful. Others love how it reminds them of their heritage. Whether you like it, love it, or hate it, you probably want to control it.

You may also prefer to save the topic for a relaxed discussion once you have gotten to know a person instead of it being the first thing anybody asks you about as soon as you open your mouth.

Surely you would prefer to tailor the impression you make on people so that it reflects the best aspects of your personality or skill set. No one likes to be reduced to a generalization. So, h ow can I reduce or get control of my Southern accent?

In Southeast Texas for example, people can usually tell if someone is from the next town over just by the way they talk. Each micro-culture throughout the South has its own unique identity and manner of expression. But the main characteristics that peg them as Southerners usually boil down to a handful of things. The drawl is common across the region. Many Southerners though have this distinctive feature in which the vowel sounds are elongated. In some cases, they even stretch the vowel so much that it sounds like two or three sounds.

Even in Standard American English, we have diphthongs, where two mouth positions are used to make one vowel. The cost is too high. You see, when we lose our accents, we lose one of the best parts of our Southern heritage. Audrey McDonald Atkins is the author of They Call Me Orange Juice, a collection of essays about growing up and living in the south, and the creator of Folkways Nowadays , a popular blog about southern culture and whatever else comes into her mind.

Born and raised in Citronelle, Ala. Previous Next. View Larger Image. What do you do? What are accents, anyway? There are multiple answers to this question. The first thing to consider, especially for speakers who are from the U.

These accents are often holdovers from the way that immigrant groups who founded the areas spoke. Their descendants grew up speaking the same way, and so the accent stuck.

Another kind of accent is the accent of the English-language learner. English-language learners who grew up speaking a different language will speak English with an accent particular to the area where they grew up. Find a friend with a more neutral American accent and ask him or her for help. Plan to meet them in a comfortable place where you can talk about a variety of topics, like a coffee shop or on a shopping trip, and explain your plan to practice speaking with less of an accent.

Decide, with your friend, how you will practice. You might ask your friend if he or she notices any words that seem particularly accented, and you can practice repeating those words back to your friend in a more neutral accent. You might also simply have a conversation, as usual, with your friend will occasionally stopping you to point out accented speech or southern colloquialisms. You can then discuss and try new ways of saying the same things. Practice using your new accent with strangers.

Try speaking to baristas in coffee shops, servers in restaurants, store clerks, and flight attendants, since you may not see these particular service personnel again and you can avoid later embarrassment if you feel uncomfortable. Method 2. Take an online dialect quiz.

These quizzes are not only interesting, they can show you a number of regionally-specific terms for everyday objects or activities.

Knowing these highly specific terms will help you to avoid them, and, thus, avoid sounding particularly "southern. Listen to radio stations and news programs that use a more neutral American accent. While music DJs on the radio are trained speakers, they often use the regional dialect associated with their audience.

Instead, listen to programs that are broadcast nationally, as those hosts practice speaking in a more neutral, and conversational, dialect. Watch informational television shows. They speak clearly and with engaging enunciation, and are a good model of standard American English dialects. Documentary television channels with voice overs, like the History Channel, NatGeo, and Animal Planet, are also good options, as the narrators are often trained actors.

Engage in conversations with friends or co-workers. Ask a friend with a neutral accent to read aloud to you. Choose texts that relate to the area of your life that a modified accent will be of benefit, such as your career. Listen to an audiobook. Audio book narrators are often trained actors who know how to speak clearly and in standard American accents, as well as other dialects. Listening to them as they read a book can be both enjoyable and informative, especially if the text includes multiple dialects and accents.

Several texts on accent modification are available as audiobooks, and include practice exercises to do while listening.

Method 3. Determine if you need to seek professional training. SLPs work with clients on speaking rate, rhythm, intonation, public speaking, conversation, and accented sounds. Research professional accent or dialect modification options in your area. Some resources offer individual training, while others have group lessons. Individual sessions are an option if you want to build more confidence before you practice with others, or if you need a more flexible training schedule.

Contact your chosen professional or speech-language organization.