For English foreign learners, the skill to talk in English using a native-like accent is quite difficult to master. Some people say that it needs years of practice to obtain the skill.
Well, if you are keen on polishing your English-speaking accent to sound more native, you have to know the tricks behind it. Check out these tips on how to learn a native English accent!
6 Tips to Learn Native-like English Accent
It is common for foreign English learners to wonder about “how to improve my accent like native English”. There are some benefits for someone who speaks English with a native-like accent.
Some of the benefits are boosting your confidence, being better understood by native speakers, and even better job opportunities! For that reason, wanting to learn how to speak English with a native accent is understandable.
To help your learning experience, check out these useful tips on how to get a native English accent!
1. Choose One Accent
The English language has many kinds of accents. The two most infamous accents are British and American. Before learning to speak English like a native, it would be good for you to pick one accent to focus on.
This trick is useful since you can shift your focus only to one kind of accent. Hence, the learning experience will be more centered.
However, if you think you can learn more than one accent at once, giving those accents a shot is no problem.
2. Familiarize Your Ears with Native Accents
The key to a good start in learning how to speak English like a native is to expose yourself to the native speakers themselves. Should you have no access to an in-person native partner, there are numerous free, accessible resources on the internet.
Look up videos or podcasts with native speakers to make yourself familiar with the way they talk. Repeat this step daily to enhance the familiarity of the accent.
3. Imitate Native Speakers
Listening to the way native speakers talk is not enough—you need to speak it out loud! In other words, you have to practice your accent by imitating how native speakers talk.
One good start is watching a video, studying lip movements and pronunciation, and imitating it repeatedly. You can also record your voice to keep track of your accent improvement.
If you’re facing a hard time grasping the speech, you can always choose videos with subtitles to be able to imitate the speech word by word. This way, it will be easier to learn the accent.
4. Pay Attention to the Flow
One thing about the way native English speaker talks is the flow. Certain accents might have different flows in their speech. However, native speakers hardly talk word by word—they use connected speech most of the time.
For instance, rather than saying “fried egg” separately, native speakers tend to say it by linking the two sounds—hence “friedegg”. Also, the flow of the stress and intonation are other important elements in acquiring native-like flow.
5. Use Slang and Idiom
Do you want to spice up your English accent to sound more native? Using slang and idiom helps. Usually, different types of English have their slang and idioms. When you’re using them correctly, you will sound more native.
However, you have to read the room before using certain slang or idioms to avoid misused words and awkward situations.
6. Do a Lot of Practices
On top of everything, regular practice plays a very important role in shaping your accent. Therefore, make sure to practice your accent out loud and keep track of your improvement day by day.
If you are interested in polishing your accent, joining an English-speaking course might help. In Fun English Course, we offer an English Conversation program where you can improve your accent and speaking skills in general. Contact us here!