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Accent Reduction Lessons
I'm going to a class on the 1st to remove my American accent. I am going to a college that teaches people how to work with their speech disorders. I'm paying very little so students can teach me (after a few years of schooling) with the teacher's overview.
That being so, I have been given the opportunity to learn nearly any accent I want. The teacher herself is upper-class British and sounds lovely - but it's much too prudish for me.
I live in Australia and as it would be nice to sound Aussie, I find the accent doesn't suit me - besides - I'm already foreign so I might as well sound it (just not American). My boyfriend's mum is lower-class British and sounds SO cute, but I'm afraid that'll scare away higher-paying customers.
What's a good, classy accent you think I could get trained in to replace my American one? Or should I just go with a nice Aussie accent? It would probably sound the most realistic.
I'm going to practice my 'r's immediately. It's, apparantly, my worst accent impediment. My 'r's are way too hard.
My accent will probably increase my income at least three fold.
And if anyone wants to know - I'm doing this because I cannot take the pressure, insults, backlash, abuse (physical, verbal, emotional AND sexual) that I have gotten simply because I'm American. I thought I could handle it - really I did - but I just honestly don't have the strength for it anymore. I've cried too many times. So no flames, please.
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Do you really think that makes a difference? Why would anyone care that you are an american? Thats really amazing...i didnt know that folks had issues with americans there.
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I agree with AkashaM. Why not sound different? The girls with various accents do really well here in America, especially the British ones, and sometimes a custy can't tell the difference between British and Aussie. I know I sometimes have a hard time with it over the loud music.
I think that any time you can set yourself apart from all the others and you have something different to offer, you have an edge that no one else has.
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I would go with something South American or Islandy (that sounds awful lol).
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Hmm, Im sorry people are giving you so much shit!
Well I have an accent and I can tell you that you will constantly be answering questions about it if you opt for anything other than Australian. Im English and I constantly have to answer questions about England / Britain / Europe even because people are always curious and want to know where I come from and what it's like there and talk about cricket and stuff, lol. Plus all the other ex pats want to reminis about home (-:
I say just have some help with the Aussie thing. People are much more open to hybrid accents that sound part Australian but not fully.
The Aussie accent will probably wear off on you anyway. Yes it will feel odd for a while but bits of it will slowly catch on. Even though I sound like I just stepped off the boat to alot of Aussies - to British people I sound really Australian. My accent chops and changes (-:
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...if you want to change your accent that is your business and I understand why. My vote would be to just go with the australian...unless you know a lot about britain. Because from what the previous post a few above was saying, it sounds like you'd have to answer a lot of questions, so if you don't know the answers that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe in america accents are good but it sounds like in australia that is not true with an american accent. Good luck!
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/:O This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. Dont get me wrong, I've never been to the country before... but I do voice chat with a whole herd of Aussies in an online card game league I'm in, and they LOVE my accent... I love theirs too.... hehehee... How odd. Do they really give you shit for being American or do you just want to change it?
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Not something I've really thought about before.. stick with what you've got unless its causing some major problems
Good Luck with it anyway hun
Think I will stick to my own dodgy accent lol :)
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Okay seriously, I just said IT'S CAUSING MAJOR PROBLEMS. Why change? Why not stick with what I got? BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING NATIONALIST (not racist, it's not ever my race) BECAUSE I'M AMERICAN. English girls may get questions but they don't get "You dirty American slut/bastart/yank-piece-of-shit".
I don't care about answering questions.
Girls with accents do well in America because AMERICA DOESN'T HATE THE BRITISH/AUSSIES/KIWIS/ETC.
THEY HATE AMERICANS.
Not all of them, but that's how it works. I'm not trying to change just because I'm sick of answering questions.
I'm trying to change because people TREAT ME WORSE the -second- I say a word with an 'r' in it. They call me names. They HIT me. They SEXUALLY ASSAULT me. What do they say when they do this shit? That I'm AMERICAN and DESERVE it because I'm NOTHING and NOBODY and they're ONLY DOING THEIR COUNTRY A SERVICE BY HURTING ME.
Yes, Melbourne and Syndey are MUCH better. Brisbane is -known- for being a bogan two-horse city - but this is where I live.
I think I'll just go with Australian.
Edit: And my boyfriend and I have already discussed me going back to America and him coming with me. It's a major decision, us moving, and we're seriously discussing it. I can't take the abuse anymore.
Edit again: man this came out much more harsh than I intended. Sorry.
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wow! they hit you? darling, come down to melbourne or something.....don't put up with that. i've never been to brisbane but when the men come down for the footy or something, i generally have a hard time with them. Australians do NOT hate americans AT ALL. maybe it's a local thing up there or something.
i am astralian but i have been raised to speak well but was also raised by my mother who was born in sri lanka but taught english by germans and and as a result, i have an accent which no-one can place. a lot of patrons think it's canadian, some say new zealand, some english. of the ones who think it's american or canadian, i have never been abused or anything, in fact, most find it intriguing and usually take me for a dance while trying to figure it out ( i play it up to my advantage)
i apologise for my pathetic country if you have been victimised. come down to the lower states where the customers aren't bush pigs.
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I've been hit, yes. But don't get me wrong.. It's not everyone. Just enough to make it hurt too much to take anymore. It's not just customers either. Everyone from Melbourne are usually really nice to me. My current best friend is. Maybe I will move there. :)
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seriously I have lived in Brisbane and Gold Coast all of my life and other brissy girls will agree - NO ONE WOULD HIT YOU OR ASSULT YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR ACCENT - SERIOUSLY THAT IS BS
You have made brisbane sound like such a horrible place and not to go there - well your wrong :-)
I am not racist nor am I nationalist (my boyfriend is filipina) and I have never met any one be racists or rude to him. Maybe it is your attitude towards Brisbane that is Nationalist or Racists - which ever you choose to be.
Seriosly I have never known anyone to ABUSE SOME ONE BECUASE OF THEIR ACCENT - NO MATTER WHERE IN AUSTRALIA YOU ARE.
People would be more inquisitve about your accent then to want to bash you over it. If you got hit at all, then maybe you were talking to someone about a 'personal' or 'touchy' topic - simple avoid politic and religious discussions.
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^^^^ Wow. WHo are you to tell her it doesnt happen to her? /:O Just because you've never seen it happen doesnt mean that it never does. Damn. Chill out.
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^^
Although I doubt it has happened that she has been ASSULTED for solely having an american accent - people in Brisbane dont just bash you because of what accent you have
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Yes they do. I also did not say everyone did it or that the attacks were frequent.. But I have been assaulted. It happened at the casino. Want the police report?
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I'd like to add I was only physically assaulted once. It's the verbal assault that's become too much to handle.
I also love Australia. There are many posts where I say so. But my accent gives away the fact I'm American. It's not the accent itself. It's the fact that you can TELL what I am because of it. I really want to stay. I love it here. This is only one problem that I am working to get rid of
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Same guy. He made an American comment a couple times mentioning my accent. Come to think of it, he may have just thought I was foreign and thus more vulnerable to attack. I didn't think of that til now.
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I'm sorry that happened to you. That was completely wrong. But I have to say, if I was from another country, I would have a negative view of America also, strictly from a political standpoint.
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As for learning a new accent, go with Australian. The only problem here is that there is definately variations of the Australian accent. EVERY time I work interstate (even during my most recent trip), people will ask me where I am from etc due to my accent..... and I'm born/bred Australian :laughing:
I'm guessing the 6 months I spent in Florida back in 1993 still haunts me to this day even tho' I tried to keep my accent whilst over there...??? Plus some people have said to me Queenslanders do sound different to someone from NSW or VICTORIA for instance.
Whilst Melbourne and Sydney seems to be more accepting due to the multi-cultural feel of both cities (and the pure fact that they are the two biggest/internation in Australia)... it doesn't mean to say that you won't have some problems if you moved there as well. It's a humanity thing in the end, sad to say. No matter what, you will come up against prejudice. *sigh*
I choose Australian.
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i'm sorry you have to deal with that. people are so stank!! >:( i met this irish guy and he had a thick accent. i loved it so much i just wanted to suck his tongue out. he, strangely, loved my american accent. he said in ireland it has the same exotic effect as a british accent does in america. he was so gorgeous too. i have to stop in ireland sometime...and sweden. it sucks they don't love your accent...i hate ignorant people who doN'T take the time to enjoy various cultures. really you have to get tired of the same old dialect...to here someone foreign is like a fresh breath of air to me...VIVA TODO EL MUNDO ;D
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Omg! Maybe you should just invest in a cattle prod to deal with those a-holes! That is unreal! I personally looove british accents. If I could pick any accent, it would be British. I think it would suit you, too.
I want a new accent!! Well, I want one that I can turn on and off. Otherwise I'll be at school or the grocery store and ppl will ask me where I came from and I'd be like... Um, here... I took classes. Hehe. :)
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GCG, I told the lady 'Just don't give me a bogan accent!!'. Last thing I need to do is to look sexy by saying something like, "Fair dinkum, mate, let's get pissed an 'ave a rippah!" Ooooh, sooo hot. :P Hahaha.
I've noticed there's no definitive Aussie accent. It's very... muddled. There's some key words and accent pieces but nothing exact. So it's going to be hard to learn a decently acceptable Aussie accent, but I'm going to work on it.
I don't talk in public much anymore, I've gotten shy. I hate it. I feel embarassed to say anything because someone will ask where I'm from and then I'll get the 20 questions on how I feel about the war, who I voted for, even once if I was a spy to gain Aussie military information (what?).
I just want to be able to talk again without feeling self-concious.
In my opinion, it's just like getting teased for having a stutter or a lisp. I have a speech impediment. That's all. And I'm working to fix it.
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Due to my 6 months in America back in 1993, I can relate to a certain extent. My "aussie" accent stood out big time :laughing: however I liked the attention at the time. It had the opposite effect on me and still does whenever I'm in the US. It's not a big thing over in the UK as heaps of aussies go to the UK for better work opportunities.
Due to how our accent is muddled (good observation - i couldn't agree more) you will always have that "american" part of the accent..... because even people who were born here yet raised in a multi language household will have the aussie accent yet also a bit of their 'cultural' accent (chinese, etc) still in it.
Unfortunately, the 20 questions is definately something that will always be with you whilst you are in this country. We can be an inquisitive people/country at times.
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I totally know what you mean, lillith. I mean, I've never been verbally assaulted for my American accent, since I live in the US, but my money has gotten a lot better since I started faking an irish accent. I'm redheaded and freckled, so it was the obvious choice - Also, I refuse to give myself skin cancer by tanning, and don't self tan just on the principal - so I have a good excuse.
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Could you just say you're Canadian?
I have an American cousin, and she always says she's Canadian when she's abroad...