This might be helpful to any immigrant worker for that matter , such as tech workers. Be a Roman in Rome they said. I believe anyone immigrating to a different nation should try to assimilate, imbibe the best of the new culture you experience, while also sharing your own & preserving your roots. Language is a huge part of it ! I read with interest an article on CNBC reporting how a report showed foreign accents reduce job opportunities. Another article examined if recommending modifying or reducing your accent racist. I will write more later on why I advocate American accenting training in the medical world for foreign healthcare workers in the USA. And for some, it may not just be the accent that needs tweaking to be better understood but also some basic English errors that might pass off as normal in your home country.
I attempt here to give you a logical structure to help become fluent in American English and accent training. Note that the American ear is very tuned to understanding a word based on the rhythm of the word. The goal here is not to ‘sound American’, but rather to be understood easier by your American patients & their family, your coworkers and clinical staff.
- Learn the music or rhythm of a word: In other words learn the intonation or emphasis within a word. For example, it’s MikDONalds and not MACdonalds 🍟. Likewise see how Comfortable is pronounced (Clicking 🔈 icon will say the word)
- Learn the music or rhythm of a sentence: This YouTube video explains well
- Learn to vary your rate of speech, especially showing down for emphasis. this part should be easy once you pay attention to the music of each word & sentence
- On the flip side, if speaking faster, learn the American way of speaking faster yet smooth – ‘Going to’ is often pronouced “Gonna”
- Correct mispronunciations of letters: V v/s W is a classic mistake , H is pronounced as “A-ch“
- Correct mispronunciations of words : A common one I encounter with IMGs is saying “Potasshium” instead of ‘potassium‘ , Another example is ” Wednesday is pronounced “Wenz-day” not Wed-nesday,
- Learn de-emphasizing some letters: Example C usually has a little bit of ‘H’ in it to soften : Cat is more like Khat , T is often silent if it follows an “N”- example “Internet”
- Learn the unique quirks of the American pronunciations: Example “Vehicle” , “Bury” , “Squirrel” , “Mirror” , “Salmon”, and “Laboratory”
- Learn the American replacement of common words: Example American v/s British English, American v/s Indian English , American v/s Nigerian English
- Not an accent tip – but learn common American phrases/idioms often used by effective communicators and of course the slang. Some examples Here, Here and Here. A comprehensive list of idioms here and slang here. I have a slang doormat on my front porch 😁
💡 Additional Tips:
- Good speakers make News anchors, listening to American news channels and noticing how you would say the same thing differently will teach you a few things
- Ask local Americans in your residency or workplace to help you correct your accent. Unless you ask, they may consider it impolite to correct you.
- And a final tip, find a good YouTube channel to learn the basics & nuances of American pronunciations – Here’s an example
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