| When looking to soften your accent, it is at first | | | | Now this brings us to another important feature of |
| important to understand that it is no mean feat. The | | | | vowels. In Received Pronunciation (which is the official |
| sounds you use to create your words and speech, are | | | | terminology for neutral English, or Queens English) we |
| hard wired into your brain, when you speak, you are | | | | have twelve main vowel sounds, and these are |
| usually thinking about what you are saying, or trying to | | | | divided into two groups, long vowels and short vowels. |
| find the correct words to express yourself articulately, | | | | The long vowels must be made long enough, or else |
| not about the sounds you are going to use to | | | | can easily get mixed up with their shorter neighbours. |
| formulate the words. | | | | the sound Ahhh for example, is a long vowel sound. Its |
| When you decide you would like to soften your | | | | short neighbour, is Uh (as in hut). To make both these |
| accent, you are embarking upon another kind of | | | | sounds, the jaw is dropped, and there is no smile, no |
| journey, that of putting new sounds into your head to | | | | width to the mouth. The "AHHH" is the sound you |
| make up old words, and so in order to use them, you | | | | make if you go to the doctors and he wants to see |
| now have to think before you speak, probably in a | | | | your tongue. Try it in front of the mirror, you should be |
| very different way from how you are used to! | | | | able to see your tongue! The "UH" sound is the same |
| One of the central features of changing your accent, is | | | | position, just that it is shorter so the jaw doesn't |
| the vowel sounds, and this is because different | | | | actually need to drop quite as much. Make the two |
| languages have different vowel sounds, and it is the | | | | together "AHHH" "UH" "AHHH" "UH". This should |
| vowel sounds that are the building blocks of the words. | | | | involve almost exactly the same position for both, and |
| Even if you have lived in England for twenty years, if | | | | a nice open mouth, and flat tongue. |
| you have never consciously or unconsciously learned | | | | Good. Now let's try it with words. "HEART, HUT, |
| the new vowel sounds, then you will be using your | | | | HEART, HUT" or "CALF, CUFF, CALF, CUFF". "CALM, |
| native languages vowel sounds, and so you will have | | | | COME, CALM, COME" |
| retained an accent. | | | | It is important to get the length of the vowel, because |
| Each vowel sound requires a very specific | | | | that is the only factor which separates it from its |
| physiological position. So if you are used to making a | | | | neighbour in many words. Not just this, in the length of |
| sound in your language, which is close, but not exactly | | | | the vowel, lies the soul, or the aroma of the word. |
| the same as the English sound, then you will be likely to | | | | Make it too short, and the word feels empty. Hear the |
| use it, instead of the accurate sound. Often these | | | | difference between the word hut and heart. Say heart |
| vowel sounds fall in between two of our English | | | | with its full length, and it sounds beautiful and has the |
| sounds, and this leads to confusion and | | | | potential for poetry, "My heart is bursting". Get it too |
| misunderstanding. How annoying! If only all languages | | | | short, and you've got a rather unromantic statement: |
| shared the same vowel systems, it would make life a | | | | "my hut is bursting" |
| whole lot easier! | | | | Get the length, and this conveys to your listener that |
| (It is important to note that the vowels are only one | | | | you understand the intricacies of English. Truly, it is a |
| component of changing your accent, there are two | | | | short cut to giving a sense to your listener that you |
| others. Consonants, are the second factor. And | | | | really understand the language in all its complexities. |
| rhythm, stress and intonation in words and sentences, | | | | What you also might have noticed from the examples |
| are the third. But in this article we will stick with vowels, | | | | above, is that there are all kinds of spellings for the |
| more on the others later!) | | | | sounds. This is important, and often comes as a shock |
| As we mentioned, the vowels can be thought to be | | | | for the new student looking to change their accent. |
| the building blocks of words. They contain the energy | | | | The spellings are not so helpful. In the word HEART, |
| or the emotion of the word, as in a sense they come | | | | the letters E,A,R spells the sound AHHH. In the words |
| straight from the gut, say ahhh, and now say oooh can | | | | CALF, and CALM, the AHHH sound is spelt with A,L. |
| you see what I mean? Even on their own they | | | | Similarly the UH sound is spelt sometimes with the |
| express human emotions! All of them are expressed | | | | letter "U" and other times with the letter "O". |
| with an open mouth, the tongue and lips and jaw in a | | | | A little confusing, each sound does have a limited |
| specific position. The consonants then, can be think of | | | | number of possible spellings. This can be helpful, but |
| containing them in a sense, as all the consonants (apart | | | | what the new student learns quite quickly, is that while |
| from H) are made with contact somewhere in the | | | | spellings can act as a little bit of a guide, their ear, and |
| mouth. So vowels are open sounds, and consonants | | | | listening skills are their new best friend. |
| make contact. Once you think of the vowels as | | | | In this article we hope to have shown you that the |
| containing the emotion of the word, you can begin to | | | | melody of English comes in great part from the vowel |
| understand where actors get their power from, or | | | | sounds, and that getting the vowel sounds accurate, is |
| how politicians use rhetoric and language to provoke | | | | not just a dry process, but rather exciting. Reducing |
| emotion. Listen to Kenneth Brannagh doing a | | | | your accent can be a daunting process, but it can also |
| Shakespeare speech for example, his drawn out | | | | be a key to unlock the subtleties and flavour of |
| vowels are used specifically to create emotion in the | | | | spoken English. |
| listener. We love this one, on YouTube. | | | | |