You are considering working on your English pronunciation to speak more clearly. Maybe through an accent reduction or accent change course, right?
Wondering how long it takes for the accent change to actually happen?
This article addresses these questions and explains some other factors to pay attention to as you work on your English accent. The information comes from my experience as a speech therapist who has been teaching English pronunciation to speakers of the English second language since 2004.
So how long does it take to change an accent and improve English pronunciation?With accent reduction training, most people see improvement within 2 – 4 weeks.People typically achieve noticeable changes in their accent, clarity and speaking confidence in the English language within three months. A quality course gives you the skills to achieve continuous improvement.
In life we have to make so many decisions about how we spend our time. 'What am I going to eat for dinner?' or 'Should I learn to surf?' or 'How can I become the best arm wrestler in the world?'... or 'Should I take a course to improve my English pronunciation?'.
The point is that your time is valuable, and if you want to put in the effort to work on your English pronunciation, you want to know what is realistic and achievable - the opposite of what some magical solutions on the Internet tell you.
Did you know that one of the biggest problems is that students move too fast. They want to move into new areas before making improvements to the area they were working on. So remember that.
It's important to make noticeable improvements and be sure you've improved one sound before moving on to another. If you don't, you end up trying to work on too many areas at once, and that's inefficient.
How long it takes to change emphases and determinants
Let's say you signed up for a great English pronunciation/accent reduction course (like ours!), and in this course you have everything you need in an easy-to-follow format to start improving. Backed by excellent education and training resourcesThere are three main factors that influence how long the accent change process will take:
What skills do you start with:
Some people will see improvements and changes within a week. These are usually people with fairly general areas that they need to improve, such as general mouth position and speed of speech.
For example, someone who speaks English very quickly will see the benefits of checking their speed within a few days because people will understand it more easily.
Most people will change more subtle areas, such as specific sounds and word stress patterns.
This often takes longer because the general process:
1. Identify the sounds and speech patterns that have the highest priority
2. Learn to hear the problem
3. Learn to fix it
4. practice monitoring and checking nem sound/speech pattern
5. Practice mastering the new sound/speech pattern in real speech
Someone with good awareness of sounds, good listening skills and control over their mouth movements will progress through the above stages more quickly than someone who does not. These are all skills you can learn. Some people pick up these skills very quickly and some people take longer.
It also depends on what sound you're working with. Some sounds are easier than others!
How much do you practice:
The key to changing your speech is to focus on it regularly. There's no point in spending an hour on it once a week. Exercise should be regular. We change habits you have had for years.
Quality courses provide their students with easily accessible resources. You must have access to practice materials that you can practice with on a daily basis.
People who make excellent progress dive into videos and audio lessons every day or at least every few days. They practice regularly – every day – to build their skills little by little.
Your motivation levels:
Some people want to improve their English pronunciation, but are not willing to spend the time or make it a priority. That's fine, but it means not much will change.
I often encounter students who say they are desperately trying to improve their spoken English for an IELTS exam or job interview, BUT they only speak English every few days. It is just not enough to make improvements and changes.
It's not going to happen by itself. You must be proactive and motivated. You have to make an effort and listen actively and speak actively. Patience and perseverance are the key words.
Example of an improvement timeline
To help you understand how long it can take to change an accent, I've put together this timeline. Of course it varies from person to person and from the 3 factors above, but this is an overview.
SoHow do I know all this? From working with thousands of students over the age of 15!
Skills one month after the start of the training:
The first week is spent identifying priority areas, understanding these areas and developing listening skills. Hearing the difference is the first step towards real change. Once you can hear the differences, you can start adjusting your speech.
A friendly warning! In the first 2 weeks of the course I occasionally hear from a student who is frustrated because he thinks his pronunciation is getting worse!
Their pronunciation does not get worse; they only begin to hear and recognize their mistakes. It's just that: before, they were blissfully ignorant!
Once they have developed their listening skills and practiced mastering the new sound they are learning, they will make excellent progress!
I always hear students at this stage of their education say: 'I can hear the difference now! I hear things like word stress. I hear that my speech and tone are flatter than that of a native speaker. I hear it when I pronounce my /. v/-sounds wrong!”
This is exciting! This awareness is an important step before any changes are implemented.
Skills in two months after starting training.
With quality training and exercise resources, most people make very good, noticeable improvements in the first few months. Usually they are improved between about 3 priority areas. This could be, for example, the speed of speech, general mouth position, word stress, sentence stress or a particular vowel or consonant sound.
We must remember that it is crucial not to act too quickly. As I said, I often have highly motivated students (which is great), but they will move from area to area very quickly. They want to 'learn', but don't spend time 'doing'!
Remember, the goal of English pronunciation training is not to "learn" better English pronunciation, but to USE better English pronunciation.
Doing is the most important thing!!! :)
So a good quality course gives you LOTS of opportunities to practice new speech sounds and stress patterns.
This phase focuses on self-awareness, skill monitoring, and practice. At this stage our students find that people understand them better, and if someone misunderstands them, they understand why and change their speech to ensure it is clear next time and to repair communication breakdowns.
I always hear students at this stage of their education say, "Of course I still make mistakes, but pay attention and correct most of the time!"
Skills four months after starting your course.
This is where the real change begins. Four months from the start, many of our customers find that this is the time when their colleagues and friends often say that their English pronunciation has improved.
They often comment that they are easier to understand. The student feels that his self-confidence has grown.
St this stage, when a person misunderstands them and usually has more self-confidence. This is when people start to see big results after so much hard work.
In this phase, students really get to grips with their new sounds. They practice regularly to make pronunciation of the new sounds easy and automatic.
At this point I hear students say, "Wow, everything is easier now. I don't have to concentrate as much on improving word stress and correcting my sounds."
Skills from six months and above
A good English pronunciation course should give you the skills and knowledge to continue improving and leveling your pronunciation skills well into the future.
In other words, it should give you the knowledge and skills to continue your improvement forever!
After your training you will know which areas you need to work on and how to do it!
If you remain aware of your pronunciation, actively listen to your pronunciation and that of others, you will continue to improve.
As you continue to focus on your pronunciation, you will notice smaller, more subtle differences. The good news is that you too can take a break and enjoy the confidence that comes from being easy to understand and sounding more like a native English speaker.
How long can you improve in the future?
Once you understand all the key areas of English pronunciation and how to improve it, the world is your oyster. We say this when we want to say: "anything is possible". Another way of saying this is: 'the sky is the limit'.
It really depends on how much exercise you are willing to do.
Some things can be solved relatively quickly once you understand and control them; it's just practice to improve.
Some aspects of English pronunciation are an ongoing project – like learning to play an instrument – you're constantly improving your skills.
An example of a pronunciation skill that is an ongoing project for students is the use of "weak vowels" in English. Using weak vowels in English is challenging because you can't look at the spelling, that is, what the word looks like, whether it has a weak vowel or not. There are no rules for using weak vowels in English!
A good course will teach you what it is and when to use it. You also learn to make and hear it. You're probably practicing words in which non-native speakers often lack weak vowels.
For most students, it is a constantly developing skill, and as they master it, their pronunciation becomes closer to that of a native speaker.
How to accelerate accent change
If you're reading this, chances are you'll achieve pronunciation changes quickly. While there aren't really any major shortcuts, there are certainly some things you can do to achieve faster change.
Immerse yourself in English - Speak more English. Each. Single. Day!
Look at your day. Think to yourself: when in my average day could I speak more English?
Speaking English at home and at work gives you plenty of opportunity to practice.
If you live with speakers of your first language or you live alone, make sure you schedule “English speaking time.” You can do this yourself. Speaking out loud is an effective way to improve your speaking skills.
Watch this video atspeak more English and improve your language skills.
Non-English speaking professionals who work in an English-speaking country and speak English at work often find that they don't get enough practice on topics outside of those covered at work!
Register for oneCustomized English pronunciation courseis an excellent way to expand your language skills across a wide range of topics while improving your English pronunciation skills. Our courses are designed for busy professionals. This course is designed so that you can easily drop in and out to practice as often as you can.
Take advantage of opportunities to speak with native speakers during the day.
If you have time, join the Toastmasters Public Speaking Club (see more about this), or a bushwalking group or volunteer. I understand that many people simply don't have time for that. If you don't have time, definitely watch thisthis floating video!
The secret here is to speak as much English as possible. It seems pretty obvious, but many people just don't talk enough.
So talk, talk, talk, talk.
Take a specialized professional-level English pronunciation course
I know it sounds obvious – especially coming from someone who sells English pronunciation courses – but a structured approach to helping you with your accent change and pronunciation makes a big difference.
There are plenty of courses. You should check whether your course is at the right level for professionals. There are plenty of general beginner courses and many courses that are ineffective.
See our article -5 questions to ask before signing up for an English pronunciation course.
Practice your English pronunciation like an Olympian
This is the most important thing. Active llisten and repeat (yes – you have to BE ACTIVE! That's why we're called Speech Active) and practice out loud!
For many people it is like learning a new sport.
Let's compare it to volleyball. To improve your serve, you need to understand the correct way to serve and then practice a lot. You do the same thing, only with your mouth and tongue instead of your hands.
What's the hardest part about accent reduction?
I am often asked this. For most English speakers, these are the sounds that don't exist in their native language.
If you hear me trying to imitate some sounds in Spanish, Mandarin or Vietnamese, I don't do it well at all - it's very difficult.
The most difficult varies greatly from language to language.
Here are some examples of English sounds. TThe most difficult English sounds for many Japanese are /l/ and /r/.
The most challenging consonant sounds for a Thai speaker are consonant clusters (making 2 or more consonant sounds in succession).
The most difficult thing for a speaker of Indian languages is often stress and rhythm in English.
Stress and rhythm (word stress and sentence stress) in English pose a major challenge for many non-native speakers of English. For many speakers, this is actually the most important thing that affects their clarity in English and how easily other people understand it.
