An accent is a way of pronouncing words or groups of words in any language with style and confidence. It varies greatly on the region or country in which a speaker resides and grew up. Learn to speak in different accents it is difficult and frustrating at first, but can be achieved through constant practice and application. It will usually take years to perfectly deliver and master different types of pronunciations. Here is a starter guide to help everyone enjoy the benefits of learning different accents.

There are many linguistic aspects that must be considered in learning accents. The use of intonation, lexical set, voice quality, rhotic and non-rhotic accents are a few, to name a few.

An intonation is a variation of voice or sound quality that is used to stress and emphasize phrases or sentences. It describes the way the sentence or idea is clearly conveyed across various emotional and other contextual ranges. A good example of voice intonation is by using imperative sentences or by asking a question. This will cause the intonation to have a higher pitch scale at the end of the sentence compared to a normal pitch commonly used in declarative sentences.

Lexical sets are defined as a set or group of words that share a common sound characteristic at the end. The key to learning accents is listening. It is much easier to practice words with lexical sets if someone with a British or Russian accent or any other accent had pronounced a word. This will serve as a good foundation for practicing phonetic words with lexical sets that can be found in books and online.

It can also help to listen to different speakers with a wide range of accents. Try to differentiate the quality of your voice and identify if it is breathy, vibrating, nasal or dry. This way you have a clear idea of ​​how to control the voice quality while transmitting conversations with accents.

All accents in English can be subdivided into two sets: rhotic and non-rhotic. Rhotic speakers pronounce the letter “R” which is written in all positions. On the other hand, non-rhotic speakers pronounce the “R” only if it is followed by a vowel in the sentence. Try to emulate and effectively pronounce the words used when speaking with a different accent, as this can lead to confusion for the listener and can lead to misunderstandings.

Continuous practice, reading and listening are needed to acquire an accent skill. A linguist or speech-language pathologist will greatly improve the delivery of a speech with accent and pronunciation. They will help correct pronunciation errors for optimal learning and help people develop effective communication skills using different accents with confidence.