What Techniques Are Used in Accent Reduction Training?

by Judy Ravin | | 

For individuals who speak English as a second language, Accent reduction training is increasingly seen as a necessary step to becoming a powerful communicator. Professionals who interact with English speaking clients, colleagues, and/or patients, realize that improved communication translates to better employment opportunities. As a result, accent reduction training is often the winning ticket to a person’s ability to land their ideal job. In this blog post, we’ll explore the most effective accent reduction training techniques so you can find the program that’s best for you.

It’s All About Phonetic Training

Phonemes are sounds. But they’re not just any sounds, they’re the sounds that give meaning to a word. Phonetic training is the cornerstone of accent reduction. In essence, people learn how to pronounce the distinct sounds of any given language. By mastering these sounds, the learner takes their communication to a whole new level of clarity and impact.

Accent Reduction Training: It’s Only as Good as The Methodology

In the 26 years I’ve been conducting accent reduction training, I can attest that results -both excellent and not as excellent- are 100% dependent on the training methodology. Some instructors focus on “listen and repeat”, others focus on “record and playback”. At Accents International, we’ve found the most effective approach is “look and feel”. This may seem counterintuitive. How can a sound “feel” or “look” like something? Using the Ravin Method® of rapid language acquisition, we’ve proven that accent reduction learners quickly identify when they’re pronouncing a word correctly by what it literally looks like and feels like. For example, to accurately produce the “V” (a sound that tends to be challenging for Spanish speakers), the upper teeth rest on the lower lip. A learner can identify correct sound production by “seeing” and “feeling” the teeth resting on the lip. You can imagine how this methodology is far more effective than a Mary Poppins ‘repeat after me’ training approach.

The best accent reduction training methodologies focus on:

1. Vowel and consonant sounds: When identifying and correcting mispronunciations of specific sounds, learning and practicing “minimal pairs” are essential. Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme, such as “hat” and “hot”. This training technique is particularly useful for improving the learner’s ability to hear and produce subtle differences in pronunciation. Practicing minimal pairs helps in distinguishing and producing sounds that do not exist in the learner’s native language.
2. Syllable stress: Teaching rhythm and syllable stress to ensure accuracy. Let’s look at the following words, the “conduct” and to “conduct”. When the first syllable of the word “the conduct” is pronounced (the conduct), the word means ‘behavior’. When the second syllable of the word “conduct” is pronounced (to conduct), the word means “to lead”. A change in syllable stress can radically alter the meaning of a word. In this case, the meaning isn’t even related!
3. Speech patterns: Understanding pronunciation patterns in everyday speech. This refers to ways people speak that have become standardized over time. For example, words that end with the spelling ‘ate’ are pronounced two different ways, depending on the grammar. When a word is used as a noun or adjective (take, for example, the word ‘deliberate’) the spelling ‘ate’ is pronounced ‘it’. When the same word is pronounced as a verb (to deliberate), the spelling ‘ate’ is pronounced ‘ate’. Try saying the following two sentences: “The CEO was intentional and deliberate. She deliberated for many hours how to best explain the situation.” Learning to recognize and reproduce speech patterns greatly improves your comprehensibility and “flow”.
4. Intonation Practice: Intonation refers to pitch – the rise and fall of your voice. Proper intonation conveys intention and emotion. Acquiring standard intonation patterns helps the learner sound natural and draws their listener in.
5. Articulation – Developing Muscle Memory: Proper articulation requires precise movements of the speech apparatus – the teeth, tongue, lips, and jaw. Practice exercises that focus on the correct placement of the speaker’s articulators ensure sounds are produced accurately and with precision.
6. Active Listening: Accent Reduction Training involves learning how to decipher sounds (called ‘sound discrimination’) of native speakers. Research in cognitive linguistics shows that adults acquire new pronunciation patterns when listening to language and reading the corresponding written text at the same time. The best way to do this is to watch TV or films using closed captioning.
7. Feedback and Correction. This is where live feedback by an expert accent reduction coach comes in. As effective as voice recognition and automated feedback may be, there is simply no replacement for a live coach. Working with a professional accent reduction trainer who provides personalized feedback is categorically more accurate.
8. Recording and Playback. This can be effective. Here’s a piece of sound advice (no pun intended): before you listen to yourself on a recording, be aware that your recorded voice will sound very different than your “real-time” voice. When you hear yourself speak in real-time, your voice is coming through a combination of air vibrations and bone vibrations within your skull. A recording of your voice only captures the air vibrations. This makes your voice sound higher and less deep than the sound perception you’re used to.

Conclusion

Accent reduction training is a type of coaching designed to help people enhance their language skills and be more easily understood in a second language, typically English. The goal is to help non-native speakers be as effective as possible. At Accents International, the objective is to speak with clarity and impact while maintaining each person’s unique cultural identity. The goal isn’t that we all sound the same. The goal is that we’re all understood with ease. Because everyone deserves to be heard.

Thank you for visiting Accents International, your partner in Accent Reduction Training and Powerful Communication.