[youngtory]

I'm looking to change my accent from having a distinct regional twinge to a "neutral" English accent (not quite RP but something which sounds professional) - how would I go about doing this?

Has anyone else changed the way they speak in the past?

[swaggiee]

watch Made in Chelsea

[youngtory]

(Original post by swaggiee)
watch Made in Chelsea

I'm not looking to sound pretentious, just to get an accent which will suit me well for the future when it comes to interviews and my career!

[umop apisdn]

Elocution, simply.

Or start coercing with people with a 'neutral' accent; you'll likely adopt elements of it over time. What's wrong with your own accent though?

[y gorau]

What type of accent do you have now?

[Tabers]

(Original post by umop apisdn)
Or start coercing with people with a 'neutral' accent; you'll likely adopt elements of it over time.

This. Apparently since I've gone to uni I now sound a bit more posh. I can't tell but Mum keeps saying that I do.

[SweetChilliSauce]

Hm... That's a toughie really. By by neutral do you mean like almost having no accent or all or Southern "Queen's English"?

I've kinda changed the way I speak, as in sounding like less of a townie but I did that through practice throughout the span of around a year. Watching people speak in a certain way and taking the time to essentially mimic their speech patterns.

Not much help, but I hope you can do it.

[Dragonfly07]

In London I used to want to change my accent because people were racist. I look white but as soon as I start speaking and they realise I'm foreign their faces change.

Where I am now in the north everyone is much friendlier and they don't care about my accent. Now that I don't care about changing it, it's suddenly starting to change on its own. The reason for that is because I feel more comfortable with the white people here, so I befriend them and pick up their accent.

Conclusion: the north rules

[youngtory]

(Original post by umop apisdn)
Elocution, simply.

Or start coercing with people with a 'neutral' accent; you'll likely adopt elements of it over time. What's wrong with your own accent though?

I just don't think it sounds too good - it's an odd mixture and would be difficult to understand when it came to any job asking me to travel outwith the UK.

(Original post by SweetChilliSauce)
Hm... That's a toughie really. By by neutral do you mean like almost having no accent or all or Southern "Queen's English"?

I've kinda changed the way I speak, as in sounding like less of a townie but I did that through practice throughout the span of around a year. Watching people speak in a certain way and taking the time to essentially mimic their speech patterns.

Not much help, but I hope you can do it.

It depends which is preferable in the modern business world. I'd prefer to have an accent which is understandable in other countries but also has a professional sound to it, so perhaps something a little less than the Queen's English wouldn't be too far off.

I'll try that then, thanks! Do you advise elocution lessons? How did you practice?

[T'archer]

Mine changes all the time. When i'm serving customers, talking to lecturers etc I can speak relatively good English. Around other people though its strong Yorkshire. I think in certain situations you get used to not speaking in an accent.

[tory88]

I did this years ago - going from cockney to the way I wanted to speak. The key is practice. Work on vocabulary as well as enunciation, and when talking with good friends correct yourself every time you notice a mistake (getting them to point out the old accent may also help, but I never tried this) and in time it will grow. When I'm around people I'm comfortable with, I do slip back partially in terms of accent, although not vocabulary, but that isn't an issue for me.

[alex_hk90]

(Original post by youngtory)
I'm looking to change my accent from having a distinct regional twinge to a "neutral" English accent (not quite RP but something which sounds professional) - how would I go about doing this?

Start speaking with me on a regular basis (I keep on getting told I have a slightly posh accent, similar to kind you describe)? Or, for a more practical suggestion, maybe listen to Radio 4 and try to speak like some of the people on there who have the kind of accent you want?

[Dux_Helvetica]

(Original post by Dragonfly07)
In London I used to want to change my accent because people were racist. I look white but as soon as I start speaking and they realise I'm foreign their faces change.

If you look white, then peoples' reactions were not those of racism. They were those of possible xenophobia. Nationality does not equal race.

Just FYI, because 'racist' is one of those words that gets misused a lot these days.

[youngtory]

(Original post by tory88)
I did this years ago - going from cockney to the way I wanted to speak. The key is practice. Work on vocabulary as well as enunciation, and when talking with good friends correct yourself every time you notice a mistake (getting them to point out the old accent may also help, but I never tried this) and in time it will grow. When I'm around people I'm comfortable with, I do slip back partially in terms of accent, although not vocabulary, but that isn't an issue for me.

What age did you do this? How did people respond (e.g. parents and friends)?

How should I am to improve my vocabulary and enunciation?

(Original post by alex_hk90)
Start speaking with me on a regular basis (I keep on getting told I have a slightly posh accent, similar to kind you describe)? Or, for a more practical suggestion, maybe listen to Radio 4 and try to speak like some of the people on there who have the kind of accent you want?

Haha, how would you describe your accent? Is there anyone famous to whom you sound similar? Who on Radio 4 would you recommend?

[alex_hk90]

(Original post by youngtory)
Haha, how would you describe your accent? Is there anyone famous to whom you sound similar? Who on Radio 4 would you recommend?

Neutral British, not that far from RP, maybe with a slight southern edge. I'm abroad at the moment and people can immediately tell that I'm British rather than American, Australian, or whatever. Fellow Brits here say I sound posh but others tend to just say they like the way I speak because it's very easy to understand (even if English isn't their first language). I can't immediately think of any famous people I might sound like, I'll think about it.

As for who I would recommend, I don't really know their names as I'm not a big listener myself - at uni my housemates would sometimes have Radio 4 on in the kitchen so I would hear a bit and they mostly spoke quite well in my opinion. I guess just listen for a bit and find people who sound like the way you want to.

[Dragonfly07]

(Original post by Dux_Helvetica)
If you look white, then peoples' reactions were not those of racism. They were those of possible xenophobia. Nationality does not equal race.

Just FYI, because 'racist' is one of those words that gets misused a lot these days.

Nah I think it's racism because I'm not actually white I'm middle eastern, and my accent is quite indicative of it.

[aspirinpharmacist]

I don't even know what kind of accent I have anymore. I get told it's quite posh English (and sometimes I can hear myself sounding quite posh, so I suppose they're not lying). But sometimes I catch myself with a bit of a Scottish lilt (not surprising, I've lived here for 12 years ). My mum has quite a neutral accent though, she was born in Scotland but moved around a lot so she ended up without any noticeable accent at all. I suppose you just have to listen to a lot of people with the accent you want and imitate them.

[Miryo]

I suggest not trying to, I know a guy that did this and he just sounds retarded now, I have a neutral accent, its a mix between London and the north (Yorkshire). But its a wierd mix, theres certain phrases I say in my London accent and others I say in my Yorkshire one, subconciously.

[tory88]

(Original post by youngtory)
What age did you do this? How did people respond (e.g. parents and friends)?

How should I am to improve my vocabulary and enunciation?

I did it at age 12, so most of my friends hadn't known me for long anyway (secondary school) and my parents didn't really react. I'm now 19 and it has stuck, people find it hard to believe that I changed my accent so that must be a good sign. I wanted to cut out slang and sound like I could speak properly, so for me I attempted to bring in words I'd read in books etc. that were a bit less usual and every time I used a slang term I restated the sentence without the term present. As far as the enunciation goes, just correct yourself everytime you miss a letter.

[fuzznbass]

Don't change your accent, its giving in to regional racism