To determine whether your mouth is in the right position, sigh. You should naturally make an “Uh” sound (As in “Love”) as you exhale. American English is spoken with “Neutral” mouth movements, and doesn’t include many harsh sounds or difficult oral techniques.
If you’re unsure how to break a word down into smaller syllables, listen to audio examples on YouTube or Dictionary. com. One of the defining attributes of standard American English is how distinctly each word is pronounced.
Most vowels will be formed from the front of your mouth (As in “Cheese” or “Fuel”). There are only a few outliers, including compound vowels in words like “Out” and “Always. ”[4] X Research source Watch the way Americans’ mouths move when they say common English vowel sounds and try to recreate these positions yourself.
Unlike British, Australian, and other forms of English, American English is most often spoken with a hard “R” (With the exception being Northern dialects). [6] X Research source An “R” sound provides the emphasis in every word of a sentence like “There are four birds. ”
There are two different “Th” sounds in American English—the soft “Th” as in “Think” and “Health” and the harder “Th” used in words like “This” and “Mother. ”[8] X Research source Pay attention to the way native speakers sound out various “Th” words to get an idea of how each pronunciation is used.
Make an effort to master 3-5 words from your list per day. Remember, the only way to get better at anything is dedicated practice.
If you have American friends, don’t be shy about asking them for help. They may be able to offer you useful tips and exercises for refining your accent. Pay attention to their other mannerisms, as well, like their facial expressions and what they do with their hands while they’re talking. [11] X Research source
Think of your daily viewing as homework. You’ll be learning and entertaining yourself at the same time—it’s a win-win!
Music will also expose you to other devices that are unique to American-style English, such as rhyme, similes, and metaphors. Use programs like iTunes or Spotify to stream songs so you can listen on the go. The catalogs of iconic American recording artists like Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Elvis Presley are a good place to start. [14] X Research source
In a word like “Car,” you might not hear the final “R” at all. It may be helpful to look at languages and dialects like Irish, Italian, and Polish to understand how Northern American English evolved.
Midwestern accents are recognizable for their nasal quality, as well as the way they “Shift” certain vowels (the “O” in “Open” sounds more like “Ooh,” while the one in “Opposite” will sound more like a sharp “Ah”). [17] X Research source To get the right intonation on your vowel sounds, draw your lips back just slightly like you’re smiling.
For a more authentic delivery, let your “o” sounds trail off a little (“Ow-uh”). While not totally accurate, the stereotypical surfer and “Valley girl” accents commonly used in movies can give you a good idea of the unique spin Southern Californians put on the language.
Faking a Southern accent is all about getting the lilt down. In Southern English, a single-syllable word like “Wind” might come out as two or even three syllables (“Wee-yun-duh”). [20] X Research source Southerners often leave the final “G” off of present tense verbs, so words like “Reading” become “Readin’. ”
Add some of the most common slang terms used in American English to your repertoire, like “Chill,” “Sweet,” and “What’s up?” Incorporate slang into conversation sparingly to keep it from sounding forced. Using the wrong slang (Or using the right slang at the wrong time) can give you away, and may even be considered rude. Hold off on working slang into ordinary conversation until you’re comfortable with its meaning and application.
