An accent is a way of pronouncing words that belongs to a particular person. We always catch the accent when communicating with a foreigner. And, in turn, foreigners also hear that you speak with an accent in English. When communicating with native speakers, two scenarios are possible: a foreigner smiles sweetly at you and says that you have a rather interesting accent. If your pronunciation does not cut his ear and, most importantly, does not distort the meaning of what was said, everything is not so bad. Many may even consider your accent to be quite cute. But if you see a grimace of pain and misunderstanding on the face of your foreign interlocutor, try not to torment his hearing and analyze the situation. Is it possible to improve your pronunciation and get rid of the accent?
Different accents in English
It is worth noting that since English is the language of international communication, people all over the world speak it - and each with some kind of accent. Do you want to make sure of this?
By accent, you can determine from which country or region you come from. Moreover, if you decide to get rid of the Russian accent in English speech, you need to determine which pronunciation you want to learn. After all, in addition to the traditional British version of the English language, there is an American version (with differences in pronunciation in each state), an Australian version, etc. The American version is different from British English, so it’s better to choose which pronunciation style you want to master, otherwise you risk completely getting confused.
How to get rid of the accent?
In order to make it easier for you to decide on ways to get rid of an accent, we offer some of the most common pronunciation difficulties. English words with options for their solution.
1. Incorrect pronunciation of sounds that are not in the native language
Difficulties arise, first of all, when pronouncing sounds that are not in the Russian language. For example:
- interdental sounds [ð, θ]: [ θin] thin - thin, [ðei] they - they
- labial sound [ w ]: [ wi: ] we - we, [ wai ] why - why
- nasal sound [ŋ]: [sɔŋ] song - song
- sound [ə:]: [ə: li] early - early
Solution:
It's simple: to learn how to pronounce sounds - you need to pronounce sounds. Listen to the pronunciation of these sounds in films, try to repeat the words. If you find a patient native speaker and get him to talk to you, great. Spend at least 10-20 minutes a day listening to English-language audio materials, and most importantly, repeat what you hear. Record your speech on a voice recorder and listen to it. Yes, this proposal is not for the faint of heart, but we do not stop at difficulties. Learning how to pronounce English sounds correctly is your first step to getting rid of your accent.
2. Incorrect pronunciation of sounds that perform a meaningful function:
The pronunciation of certain sounds is very important for understanding the meaning of what was said. For example, the pronunciation of voiced-voiced sounds performs a semantic function: bad (bad) - bat (bat). And not always your interlocutor will understand what you meant by context. The same can be attributed to the pronunciation of long - short sounds: to live - to leave.
Solution:
Pay attention to details, realize the importance of the problem. For you there is a difference between words corner - coal, ate - spruce? Even some! Just like in Russian, the semantic function is performed by soft-hard sounds, in English it is important to pronounce differently words with voiced-voiced consonants, long-short vowels.
3. Pronunciation of consonants without aspiration
This is one of the main features of the Russian accent. English speakers pronounce voiceless aspirated consonants:
Solution: try speaking Russian with an English "breathing" accent. Repeat the words after the heroes of your favorite movies. You can also practice your pronunciation with Google's Spell Up game. English tongue twisters will also help you form your pronunciation.
4. Monotonous intonation of speech
In our native language, we speak emotionally, placing accents, making pauses. Often we may not notice that we speak English monotonously, thinking only about grammatical rules.
Solution: practice, practice and more practice. Pay attention to the language every day, try to pronounce the bottom of the same sentence, intoning it differently, visit conversation clubs. Live communication will help you get rid of this shortcoming.
We have described only some of the most common difficulties in the pronunciation of English words. But we can say that only live communication in English. Someone gets rid of the accent in a matter of weeks, without even moving abroad, someone continues to speak with an accent after many years of living in the country of native English speakers. If you want to improve your pronunciation, improve it daily.
The accent is a scourge for any person who wishes to learn a foreign language. The purity of your pronunciation is very important for the interlocutor, because even if you know how to construct a sentence grammatically correctly, you can make an impression on your opponent that you would not like at all.
Learn with expression. No one forces you to memorize entire passages from books, just choose a hero's monologue from a TV series or your favorite movie and memorize it. The main thing here is not just to learn words, but intonation. If we are talking about English, then the intonation will be more saturated in comparison with Russian. It is necessary to correctly express the mood so as not to seem monotonous to your interlocutor. Start from scratch. By signing up for advanced language courses, you are unlikely to be taught pronunciation, because at this stage a lot of attention is paid to tenses and various subtleties of professional vocabulary. Beginner courses are the most suitable option for people who want to get the correct pronunciation. Here they focus on the pronunciation of individual sounds and the alphabet.
Thanks to such simple methods, you will quickly get rid of the accent, and it will be difficult to distinguish you from a native speaker.
Everyone would like to speak foreign language, as those for whom it is native say. Some even boast that they are mistaken for British or Americans abroad. By at least, cannot determine that they are from Russia.
Many courses claim, "We'll teach you how to speak without an accent!" or "Let's get rid of the accent!".
Can you really get rid of your accent if you haven't spoken the language since childhood? And does it really matter?
What is an accent?
First, let's answer the question "What is an accent?".
Each language has a different set of sounds from the sounds of another language. Pronouncing the sounds of a foreign language, we can replace them with the sounds of our own. This is called an accent.
In any foreign language, there are usually a few "difficult" sounds, that is, those that are absent in our own language. For example, the "th" sound in English. Of course, you need to learn how to pronounce them correctly.
But for the most part, sounds in languages are not too complicated, even if they are different.
Is the accent a problem?
Of course, a strong accent can be a disadvantage in communication, in work. It is important that people understand you. Some may have come across Indians who speak English at the speed of a machine gun, but who are not always easy to understand.
But in the vast majority of situations, it is much more important to speak well, to understand the interlocutor freely, to have a wide vocabulary. In fact, the lack of an accent only matters if you work in radio or television.
I remember, for example, one of my Georgian acquaintances, the director of a company. Once we were going to discuss a business matter with him, and he brought his companion. So, although my friend spoke with a noticeable accent, he spoke Russian much better than his partner, for whom Russian was native! He spoke tongue-tied and often confused.
And recently I was told a funny episode from the life of a Russian-speaking doctor in the USA. One of the patients thanked him for his qualified help and, in a fit of good feelings, accidentally stepped on his sore spot: "But, doctor, you have such a terrible Russian accent ...". And he was forced to retort: “But I think I am without an accent and I am treating you, you see, also without an accent ...”. By the way, a few years later this doctor received the title of professor!
Will the accent disappear on its own over time?
Unfortunately, even if you learn a language for a very long time, use it, and even live abroad, the accent will not disappear by itself.
We have all seen such examples. Two, say, Ukrainians have been living in Russia for many years. One speaks Russian fluently, and the other with a noticeable accent. It depends on many reasons.
Let's also say that my Dutch acquaintance, who speaks excellent English, stubbornly pronounces "enough" ("inaf") as "inah" (as it would be pronounced in his native language).
How to get rid of an accent
I will say right away that if you approach the question realistically, then most of us find it difficult to achieve absolutely pure pronunciation. This should be strived for, but it is quite difficult to achieve this goal.
In general, when we speak another language, we should try to become English, Italian, Japanese. We must try to imitate the way native speakers speak, their gestures, even the way they think.
I myself, for example, often noticed that when I speak a foreign language, I become a slightly different person.
First of all, pure pronunciation is a matter of will, motivation and a lot of time.
I want to give an example. When I was little, my father knew how to juggle, and I decided that I should definitely learn this too. I spent several months exercising for a couple of hours a day, but I made it. Even now I can juggle 3-4 objects.
What exactly needs to be done?
In many classes, especially in language institutes, phonetics classes are held. They learn individual sounds, train the position of the tongue in the mouth, look in the mirror when they speak.
For example, this is how Russian radio announcers are trained in English. But turn it on, listen: frankly terrible pronunciation! You will immediately distinguish it from the BBC. It turns out that a special "staging" of pronunciation usually does not lead to anything.
My German friend, a translator from Russian, speaks almost perfectly. It can be mistaken for our compatriot. When I once asked him how he achieved this, he replied that he listened to the same simple dialogues thousands of times! So my main advice is to listen! And listen a lot.
- Listen to the same material many, many times. Listen to what you are interested in, where there is a rhythm, what hurts you, what you are “on the same wavelength” with. In principle, it is impossible to pronounce what you have not heard.
- Listen to slow speech first, then move on to natural speech at normal speed.
- Don't try to speak from the beginning until your brain gets used to the new language. Give him time! Otherwise, the wrong pronunciation may take hold.
- Repeat while listening to a foreign speech. First to myself, then out loud. First take training "slow" samples, then samples of natural speech. Repeat many times, imitating what you hear.
- Try to imitate intonation, words and phrases as a whole, and not individual sounds.
- You have to want to be English, American when you speak a foreign language. Imagine that this language is your native language.
Conclusion
So, is it possible to get rid of the accent?
Yes, you can, but it's difficult, time consuming and not really necessary.
Usually the accent does not interfere with being understood. It is much more important to speak correctly and to understand the interlocutor well.
Good luck in learning the language!
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Learning to write and master the grammar of the Russian language is easier than learning to speak without an accent. However, if you set yourself a goal, then you can achieve it, so do not give up - after all, everything is possible if you really have a desire and perseverance.
You will need
- Radio.
- TV set.
What to do to speak without an accent in Russian
- You should watch TV in Russian. This method helps a lot if you do not often communicate with Russian-speaking people. But do not watch only entertainment programs. Intelligent broadcasts have a much larger vocabulary, and this will help increase the number of new words in your vocabulary. Also watch political programs - you will be able to keep abreast of what is happening in the Russian Federation, and this is a very discussed topic in many social groups.
- Listen to the radio in Russian. Try to do this as often as possible - in the car, at home, and walking down the street. Radio announcers have good pronunciation and diction, so you should listen especially carefully to their manner of communication. Repeat their sentences aloud and individual words sing along to the songs. It is necessary to analyze speech, repeat one phrase several times so that your pronunciation becomes as natural as possible.
- It is also worth enrolling in Russian language courses. In most cities of the Russian Federation there are linguistic schools that offer such services. Specialists from various countries come to Russia to work, so such courses are not only an opportunity to meet new friends and like-minded people, but also a way to learn how to speak Russian better. In addition, group classes are great support and motivation.
- Organize your own classes in which you will learn Russian. Just make a schedule and stick to it relentlessly. For example, one day you watch a TV show, and the next you listen to the radio. On the day you have classes, do the homework that you have been assigned. It is better to learn to speak without an accent not immediately, but gradually - do not rush yourself, as knowledge can be better absorbed, and the result will be as effective as possible.
- Communicate more with native Russian speakers. This is the most effective way to learn to speak without an accent. Maybe you have a Russian friend who will gladly agree to help you. Let him point out the flaws in your speech and correct it. Do not be afraid to look ridiculous in the eyes of others, because your goal is to get rid of the accent, so do whatever is necessary to achieve this. In a company, you need to express your opinion, and not remain silent, speak as much as possible and as often as possible. Russian is a very rich language, you can learn phrases and words all your life, but you can get rid of the accent pretty quickly if you just make an effort.
The desire to become fluent in English often goes hand in hand with the dream of getting rid of the Russian accent and speaking like a native speaker. To achieve this goal, you need to know how the Russian accent manifests itself, what you need to speak like a native speaker, what methods and manuals to use, how much time it takes - all this will be discussed in today's article. Our teachers (Russian and native English speakers) will answer all these questions.
What is the Russian accent?
Ludmila Mariner: Russian accent is whole line features of speech in English that do not coincide with what is considered to be the norm of English pronunciation. Most often, the Russian accent is manifested in the substitution of English sounds with similar (and sometimes completely different) Russian sounds. Typical mistakes are the replacement of interdental ones with Russian /s/ and /з/, the replacement of /w/ with /в/, rolling /r/ instead of /r/, and non-observance of vowel length. In addition, a very important component of accent is intonation. In fact, perhaps even more important than pronunciation.
Natalya Aronson: For a Russian-speaking person, the greatest difficulty is caused by sounds and linguistic phenomena that do not exist in the native language. In phonetics, these are interdental sounds. First of all, you should pay attention to them. They form an accent, can distort the meaning of the statement and give rise to jokes. The structure of the sentence is also important (but this is already grammar).
Jamie: Russian people tend to have problems with both ‘th’ sounds, ‘th’is and ‘th’ink as well as with ‘w’ sounds. These are called fossilized problems as the Russian speaker grows up without using these sounds and they are hard for the student to find. 
Nathaniel:Russians have problems with ‘v’ and ‘w’ – ‘wery’ instead of ‘very’. Russians often roll their ‘r’s. Like any accent it can be strong or weak depending on the person. It is as distinctive as any other.
John Rice:
Intonation is most noticeably different in the two languages and using your own in any other language will show where you are from. However, forcing intonation can result in an equally un-English accent, with changes in tone in the wrong places.
Also noticeable is a general lack of the schwa. Russians often speak with equal vowel sounds, when the vowels are pronounced the same wherever they occur. Intonation is most noticeably different in the two languages and using your own in any other language will show where you are from. However, forcing intonation can result in an equally un-English accent, with changes in tone in the wrong places.
Kate: From my experience Russians have difficulty expressing the ‘w’ and the ‘v’ consonants in English, often getting them mixed around. Russians will also say the ‘s’ sound when speaking words with a ‘th’ sound in English. For example ‘think’ becomes ‘sink’
Thus, if you want to get rid of the Russian accent, then:
- Learn typical intonation variations for different types of sentences. Practice copying intonations from native speakers. While listening to the texts, draw diagrams depicting the rises and falls of intonation.
- Never speak monotonously, as we speak Russian. To the “ear” of a native English speaker, this sounds rude – as if you are not interested in the interlocutor or the topic of conversation.
- Woo correct pronunciation all English sounds. It is imperative that your pronunciation be assessed by a native speaker. Since Russian-speaking teachers often do not notice such nuances as, for example, the pronunciation by students of English sounds [s], [t], [d], [l], [n] as Russian [c], [t], [d], [ l], [n]
- Practice your pronunciation and intonation regularly.
What do English speakers think about a Russian accent?
John Rice:Perhaps I have become used to it, but I think I have always found it quite pleasant. Russian can sound rather flat and monotonous to English ears, but when speaking English most try to adapt and their accent can be quite musical.
Jamie: I am very used to Russian friends and do not have any real view of the accent as it is something I am used to but many people find it hard.
Nathaniel:Generally I've been hugely impressed by my Russian students. Compared to other nationalities their pronunciation is often very good. It is usually very clear. As with all students problems persist. Particularly with syllable stress, but on the whole Russians have much better pronunciation than other nations – particularly regarding clarity.
Kate: I personally think the Russian accent is very pleasing to the English ear. Most of my students have good pronunciation, only struggles when introduced to new words. Often they will get the consonant pronunciation wrong as in question 1 or they will produce a rolled ‘g’ sound equal to the Afrikaans ‘g’ sound when saying the ‘h’ consonant in English. Sometimes they will also pronounce the ‘ed’ sound in words such as ‘watched’ and this is because of the struggle of placing a ch+t sound at the end of these words in English.
Russian accent is perceived differently by native speakers. However, there is some general opinion about it.
Common features of the Russian accent:
- monotony in intonation
- clarity in articulation
- not always the correct stress in words and sentences
- the pronunciation of consonants [h], [r] and interdental sounds th (as [з]) is strongly distorted,
- replacing [w] with [v]
- pronunciation of [t], [d], [l], [n] as dental (and you need to pronounce on the alveoli)
- the absence of articles and particles to before verbs in the infinitive ...
You might be interested in watching the following videos:
Colin Farrell says about the Russian accent:
Amy Walker parodies Russian accent:
Beyonce tries to speak with a Russian accent:
Should I get rid of the accent?
Ludmila Mariner: First, the Russian accent is exactly as good (or bad) as any other accent. Secondly, I think that at a certain stage of learning a language, the presence of an accent is natural and inevitable, especially at the beginning. In general, I believe that an accent is just an accent, it is only a very small part of your knowledge and skills in English, and it is very important to give it as much importance as it deserves. In 20 years of work, I have never encountered communication “failed” just because of the presence of an accent. If the accent bothers you, you need to get rid of it. At the same time, it must be remembered that your accent does not necessarily interfere with your interlocutors, including native speakers. By the way, most of them speak with an accent: Scottish, American, Australian, New Zealand, and even London! And how do you like the opinion of the great Bernard Shaw: “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him”?
Alina: I think that the accent is not scary. Much more important grammatically correct speech. Pronunciation must, of course, be dealt with: listening to texts, watching films in the original, communicating with native speakers, teaching aids - all this, of course, helps.
John Rice: no. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a Russian accent. Everyone has their own accent and this helps distinguish them from everyone else. English-speaking countries are quite polyglot and we are used to a variety of accents, but a Russian accent is perhaps unusual to most people and can be a point of interest. Most Russian I have known are proud of where they are from and this should include their accent.
Kate: I think it is only necessary to rid yourself of the Russian accent (or any accent) when it changes the meaning of the word or makes the word difficult for a native speaker to understand. In these cases the correct pronunciation should be used. When there is just a slight accent on the words I personally don't think this is problematic.
Jamie:I do not think that we should ever try to get rid of an accent, it is important to be clearly understood so we often need to change aspects of our accent but we should be proud of who we are and happy to keep our own identity.
Nathaniel: Certainly not. People Totally miss the point when they place importance on accent in regard to pronunciation. Pronunciation is about being understood. To try and mimmic a British or American accent is an impossible goal and waste of time. All that is important is your English is clear and the words you use are pronounced correctly. What foreign students consider ‘British’ is only one style of accent. It is a neutral accent. In reality someone from Liverpool sounds very different from someone from London. Neither person is right or wrong. If you are from Liverpool you will always have a Liverpudlian accent. If you are Russian and speak English you will always have a Russian accent. This is not important. Language is about communication. Pronunciation is about being understood so that communication is possible.
It may surprise you, but most English speakers believe that it is not necessary to get rid of a foreign accent if you are understood. English has many accents among native speakers as well. Perhaps this explains their patient attitude towards foreign accents. However, the more I watch the video ordinary people on youtube and actors trying to parody a Russian accent, the more I am convinced that the Russian accent is not so bad. Many native English speakers even find it attractive!
Is it possible to get rid of the Russian accent?
Alina: Many of my friends got rid of the Russian accent, living long years in America, as they studied at American colleges, and then got a job in a purely American environment. It is even difficult for them to formulate an idea in Russian, and they speak Russian with an American accent.
John Rice: I have had a student begin a 100-hour course saying they wanted to a) learn every word in the textbook and b) speak like me at the end of it. Neither is possible nor necessary for ordinary humans. We speak our own language from before we remember and do so naturally, without really learning. The accent builds itself. Later changing to another language, which we then have to actively learn, is a different process. A native accent is only truly possible if you learn a language as a native. Beyond the age of perhaps seven years I suspect it is already too late, though there are cases where someone moved from one country to another as a child with a complete change of language and ended up sounding almost completely English. This did usually involve being completely separated from their native language, which they then entirely forgot.
Kate: I think it is possible but it would take a lot of practice and many hours of phonetic memorisation. It is also important to note here that a foreign language speaker would have to choose what native English accent they would like to sound like and focus on that. Native English speakers from around the world all have different variations of the English accent.
Jamie: I think that everyone has an accent, even me. It is possible to sound like a native speaker (with a soft accent) but I do not see the need. Your accent is part of who you are, just like your face. Something you should be proud of. As long as you make an effort to be clearly spoken which, in effect, will soften your accent. British people stress words differently and as a Russian person learns to stress the words like a native speaker, in order to be understood clearly, the Russian person will change their accent.
Nathaniel: It is only possible very rarely when you have lived in an English speaking country for very many years and even then your native accent will usually persist on some level.
You can get rid of the accent, but for this you need to choose a specific pronunciation that you want to stick to. Remember that there is no American or British pronunciation - each region and even the city of these countries has its own unique pronunciation and intonation. If you want to speak like a native speaker, then you need to strictly adhere to one pronunciation.
What should be done to get rid of the Russian accent?
Tips from Natalia Aronson: 
1. "Th" should not sound like "c" (in the word think - think, otherwise it will turn out "sink" - washbasin), and "th" in the word then-then, should not turn into "h" and give "zen" .
2. Longitude and brevity of sounds. This is not in Russian. A harmless "sheet" turns into god knows what (ask the teacher).
3. Don't pronounce W like a V.
4. Please note that the sound "r" more often gives a "taste of the sound r" than the sound itself, NOT pronounced booming.
5. The short sound "and" should not turn into a long one and make the pronunciation of the consonant in front of it soft. More like "pyg" than "piig" in pig.
6. Say the sound "h" like an exhalation, not like the Russian "x".
7. There is a melody in English, unlike Russian, listen to it and “sing”.
John Rice: If a person wants to speak like a native he should be born here. (in the UK)
Jamie: The only way to become more like a native speaker is to practice with native speakers, preferably by spending time in an English speaking country. The more time spent practicing the better.
Nathaniel: To speak like a native English speaker a student should concentrate on informal English such as phrasal verbs and idioms.
Kate: Memorise the phonetic table of the accent which they choose to master and practice speaking words using a dictionary as a reference for the correct phonetics of the words. Listening to native speakers on the TV or radio would also benefit, plus speaking to a native speaker of which accent they want to master on a daily basis would also be beneficial.
So, according to our native teachers, in order to speak like a native speaker, you need to:
- be born or live since childhood in an English-speaking country
- constantly communicate with native speakers and (or) live in an English-speaking country
- pay attention to phraseological units and set colloquial expressions
- learn transcription and constantly check the dictionary if you don’t know how to pronounce a particular word
- surround yourself with English - watch movies in English, listen to the radio
- communicate with native English speakers of the dialect you want to acquire
How long will it take to acquire an authentic pronunciation?
John Rice: A good accent, with no more possibilities for misunderstanding than a native speaker, is perfectly possible within a few years. If the student is a good mimic, they can (sometimes) sound more English than the English, though this will mark them as a bit different in itself.
Kate: This is dependent on how many hours a foreign speaker would be willing to put into the practice and memorisation.
Jamie: How long does it take to learn something is individual. It also depends on how good the student wants to be in order to consider themselves good enough.
Nathaniel: To have excellent pronunciation (not to sound like a native English speaker but to be clearly understood) massively varies from student to student. Huge progress can be made if the student has regular lessons over a period of six months to a year. By then most students will have no problems being understood.
A lot depends on the student himself - how much time he can and is ready to devote to this, the speed of learning and what result you want to achieve. This may take from a year to several years.
Natalya Aronson:“If you want to improve your pronunciation, follow the path of Eliza Doolittle, i.e. by repeating sound samples over and over again. Read more aloud, Watch TV in English and repeat your favorite phrases after the announcers or characters
- To work on British accent you can take:
- To work on the American accent, you can watch and listen to:
”
John Rice: Any courses that involve native speakers. Most professionally produced material from Anglophone countries can be depended on to give good examples to follow. If the teacher is not a native speaker, the listening material becomes much more important. Beware the Internet: anyone can, and does, post anything there and sites like YouTube and any chat room will give many examples of how to sound terrible. Listen to the BBC. They no longer speak only “BBC English” and include regional accents now, but the language is always clear and copying from it will certainly produce no problems in accent.
It is important to note that there is no single, correct, universal native English accent. We come from many different parts of the globe and the differences are noticeable even to non-native speakers. Even within Britain, regional accents are diverse and, at times, mutually incomprehensible. Standard English, which is taught in almost all courses, has no accent of its own because it doesn’t come from anywhere. If anyone, native or not, uses standard grammar and vocabulary their accent is quite unimportant. English speakers have few problems with this among themselves, so there is no reason why Russians using English should have many.
Nathaniel: I would recommend being taught by a native English speaker. Course books can only do so much. Learning the phonemic script is a useful skill. Any good dictionary will have all words written in phonetics. But ultimately a student must practice, practice and practice with a native English teacher who CORRECTS them!!! Being taught by a non-native teacher can be problematic in regard to pronunciation because their bad habits will often be passed down to their students.
Kate: There are many online audio pronunciation guides available that are free, but of course a foreign language speaker would first have to choose which accent they desire and then go from there.
So, for pronunciation training, you need to take only native speakers as a model. It is desirable that these are educated carriers. It is not the best idea to imitate someone from a youtube video or a movie, as there is a possibility that their accent may sound to the speakers themselves like a village or street, etc., which is not always clear to an English learner. It is best to imitate the pronunciation of radio announcers, such as the BBC (if you want to stick to British English) or VOA (if you want to learn American English). And, without a doubt, it is extremely useful to study English with a native-speaking professional teacher who can point out your pronunciation mistakes or nuances that will help you reduce your Russian accent, which is not always possible for Russian-speaking teachers.
