Accent Reduction/General American

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DialectsCoach.com
John Rustan, PhD
707-536-6276    
rustan50@hotmail.com

John Rustan, Dialect Coach -- DialectsCoach.com

SUMMARY OF SERVICE
You get:  

• Listening and recorded diagnostics.
• Sound by sound adjustment
• Personal Feedback
• Printed materials and recorded samples, (including diagnostic recordings of client). 
•  Rate:  $130/hr. ​

Work can be done using video conference or, in non-Covid times, in  studio* for those local to the Bay Area.

​* Note:  For individual coaching in-studio, those under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. ​

WHAT IS ACCENT REDUCTION?
Accent Reduction is the process of understanding how a person’s spoken English differs from General American speech.  General American is a term for the way the majority of American’s speak.  It is an accent which does not have any distinct regional or ethnic characteristics.  
 
Whether from another country, or from another region of the United States, some people wish to sound closer to the accent that most American's speak.  This can be for reasons of employment opportunities, basic understandability, or for other personal reasons. It can also be for an acting role.   
 
THE PROCESS OF ACCENT REDUCTION
 
Diagnosis

• A recording of a diagnostic reading is made.  A diagnostic reading has all of the sounds of speech as they would normally arise in English. 
• ​Evaluation of your current relationship to General American.
• How each vowel and consonant sound compares.
• How your tempo, rhythms, intonation patterns, and articulation (or enunciation) compare.  
• A thorough evaluation of every vowel, diphthong and consonant sound of General American using a handout containing each sound and drilling the sounds in various contexts and spellings.

 
Sound Formation

• The mechanics of how you form sounds using your tongue, lips, glottal area, and other articulators in your mouth. * 
• How to make adjustments to make them sound more American.  

*(An example is the voiced and unvoiced “th” sounds.  In American speech these are formed with the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower teeth, drawing back as the consonant is made.  In many dialects this sound is made with the tongue placed on the back of the teeth, rather than being drawn through, resulting in a sound closer to a "d" or a "t".  Some Irish natives say "I think so" sounding more like "I tink so" )  There's nothing wrong with it, it is merely different than a General American accent.) 
 
Drills
After the individual vowel, diphthong and consonant issues are addressed, drills are given for the client to work on.  It takes a great deal of practice to change the physical muscle memory of the way you’ve spoken all of your life.  It also requires patience. 
 
Intonation
American intonation is the next thing to address.  This involves:

• Noting when, and for what effect, Americans go up or down in pitch. (Some languages do not use pitch and give equal stress to each word and syllable).  
• How strongly Americans accentuate key words.
• What methods Americans use to “point” key words.
• How pointing key words and using variation in pitch, tempo, rhythm and volume make for interesting and dynamic speaking and help get meaning across.
• How words get run together to create flow.

Listening and Imitation
We learn speech as children by listening and imitating sounds.  It is important not to forget this as a tool for learning.  Clients are given recordings and/or directed to sources of listening and imitating. This is especially important for American intonation and flow.
 
How long will it take to sound more American or to lose an accent?
This is difficult to answer because each client is an individual and there are many variables, such as:

• How strong is the regional or foreign accent to begin with?
• Facility with the English language if it is your second language.
• How good of an “ear” you have for sounds and your ability to imitate.
• How much you listen to, and practice imitating, the samples that are given or suggested.
• How much you practice the drills on the handouts given.  
• What your goals are.

After a point, you will have much to work on by yourself.  So you may not need as many lessons.  You may want an occasional lesson to get feedback and work trouble spots.  Time and progress depend, to a great extent, on how much you practice.  

Goals
Much of the outcome depends on your goal:

• Do you wish to completely eliminate all traces of any other accent?  
• Do you wish to merely be able to sound more understandable to others with whom you interact?
• Are you looking to acquire a General American accent situationally in order to get a part in a stage play or movie.  You may wish to be in the next  James Bond movie -- or you may wish to play something other than James Bond  (see side bars).  

​Whatever your goal, I can help you learn what you need to work on.  

JAMES BOND ACTRESS, HONOR BLACKMAN, CHOSE ACCENT WORK OVER NEW BIKE
When she was young, the late actress, Honor Blackman's father gave her a choice of a brand new bicycle or lessons to change her Cockney dialect.  She chose the lessons.  The rest is history as she became a "memorable James Bond adversary" in the film ​Goldfinger. Here's a link to the full article.   (New York Times, April 6, 2020)

Honor Blackman in Goldfinger, lost her Cockney Accent to become an actress in Films and TV.

Non-American Actors Who Have Learned American Accents 

Daniel Craig learned Southern American (North Carolina) Dialect for role in Logan Lucky.

Here are just a few:
Daniel Craig (British)
James McAvoy (Scottish)
​Christian Bale (British)
Colin Farrell (Irish)
Damian Lewis (Welsh/British)
Robert Taylor - Longmire (Australian)
Kelly Reilly –Yellowstone – (British)
Nicole Kiddman (Australian)
Eddie Marsan – Ray Donnovan – (British)
Toni Collette (Australian)
Jamie Dornan (Northern Irish)
KJ Apa (New Zealander)
Katherine Langford (Australian)
Alfred Enoch (British)
Yael Stone (Australian)
Rosamund Pike (British)
Margot Robbie (Australian)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Welsh)
Dominic West (British)
Ruth Wilson (British)
Daniel Day Lewis (British)
Rose Byrne (Australian)
Hugh Laurie (British)
Matthew Rhys (Welsh)
Millie Bobby Brown (British)
Kate Winslet (British)
Idris Elba (British)
Florence Pugh (British)
Daniel Kuluuya (British)
Alan Cumming (Scottish)