How to manage your accent when speaking English
Channel: myenglishonline
Date: 2019-11-15

Hi, I’m Nastashya Wall from English Online. First things first, let me say that having an accent is not bad. We all have different accents in Manitoba and it’s amazing! What I mean when I say “manage your accent” is handling your accent when it gets in the way of being understood. For example, if the people around you keep asking you to repeat what you said, you may not be speaking as clearly as you think. Here are 3 tips to help you speak clearly despite having an accent:

1. Speak slowly – Sometimes, when we’re not sure of our English, we tend to speak really fast hoping that others won’t notice our mistakes. Don’t worry about mistakes! Just be relaxed and speak slowly. This can help you say the words clearly. But don’t speak too slowly, you’re not a robot! 
2. Enunciate – This means pronouncing words better and with more emphasis. Take time pronouncing especially the most important words in your sentence clearly. Some people may not understand the rest of the words but it will be enough to guess what you mean.
3. Record yourself speaking – Sometimes we don’t know that we can’t be understood because we don’t really listen to ourselves talking. The best way to hear how you speak is to record yourself. Get a few sample sentences from a book or even a dialogue from a movie. Record your voice then listen to the recording and check what you can do to improve. You can even ask your friends or teacher to listen to your recording and give you pointers.

Remember that you don’t have to sound exactly like a native Canadian to be understood. Keep your accent! It’s part of who you are. See you next time!

Credits:
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