Help me with my American Accent
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I understand that, but when someone who has much less training that you gets your job for a fraction of the salary, you will understand my position.
Blog link to be reinstated at a later date.
leckey wrote:
I understand that, but when someone who has much less training that you gets your job for a fraction of the salary, you will understand my position.
leckey, i would so like to say something nasty to you. But I guess i'll just follow everyone else around here and be CIVIL.. i don't know how you could think of yourself as better trained when you can't even manage to be polite. What makes you assume right away that you have more training anyway?
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Maybe it's just the recording, but your speaking volume is fading in and out. When you're loud, you're pretty easy to understand (with a few exceptions, see below), but the first few seconds of the speech is difficult to hear, though that would be the case even with a native American speaker (not to be confused with Native American speaker :P You get the point.) That said, though most of it is easy to understand, it feels like you're making a considerable effort to do so. Don't get me wrong; I'd much rather hear a customer service rep actively trying to be understandable than not, but it doesn't feel natural. Again though, it could be because you're reading from a script. I think we'd get a better sample if you took away the script and gave us a short bio about yourself or something else that flows naturally (e.g., "Hello my name is Omegatron, I'm several hundred years old and my hobbies include being a sentient robot, doing acts of evil, and trying to take over the world.") Work on enunciating your "r"s a little more. It was fine in the words "staircase" and "easier", but in most other areas it was weak. Also, your long vowels (e.g., "on and on") are a little off. I would suggest opening your jaw a little more to practice the "proper" sound, but at this point I'm just being picky and judging based on my local speak (Washington State). All in all, I'd rate you 7.5/10 for a convincing accent. At worst, I'd suspect you were an easterner who grew up in the U.S. but whose parents spoke with heavy accents and thus you picked part of it up during your formative years.
You're right, I was reading from a script. Thanks for the review and the rating. I'd surely take note everything you've said ;)
mawi_ram
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leckey wrote:
I understand that, but when someone who has much less training that you gets your job for a fraction of the salary, you will understand my position.
leckey, i would so like to say something nasty to you. But I guess i'll just follow everyone else around here and be CIVIL.. i don't know how you could think of yourself as better trained when you can't even manage to be polite. What makes you assume right away that you have more training anyway?
Naluoy nako ni leckey.. siya na lang usa.. ayaw ninyo tabangi ui..
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Thanks. You're very kind ;-) That gave me a boost of confidence. :rose:
mawi_ram
Omigosh.. She just gave you a rose! Im jealoous
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You seem to be doing quite well with your accent. You need to remember that from teh American point of view there is no such thing as an "American accent". Just like in other countries the US has a large number of regional accents. In the US it's often hard for a native of NY, NY to speak with a native from Atlanta, GA. Your recording could be improved by using a pop filter (you can make one with a scrap of nylon hose and a loop). Your volume is low and it gives the effect of making you sound as if you are trying to hold your breath. Try to speak up (project), bringing the words from your chest rather than your throat (deep breath, relax the throat, and allow the breath to naturally flow as you speak), this will give you a more relaxed and casual sound. You might wish to listen to things like www.AmericanaPhonic.com and www.podiobooks.com. However, if you really want to impress Americans, then you should develop a posh British accent ;-)
grgran wrote:
You need to remember that from teh American point of view there is no such thing as an "American accent". Just like in other countries the US has a large number of regional accents. In the US it's often hard for a native of NY, NY to speak with a native from Atlanta, GA.
Noh? I thought americans sound all the same. I never thought it that way til you mentioned it, and I found this informative (besides the evaluations). Thanks PS, just like Mawi, Im from the Philippines, too.
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:laugh: I'd tell my boss about that but to tell you the truth, a lot of Filipinos really do have western-sounding names and I think 'Mawi' is one of them ;)
mawi_ram
You mean, Mawi Ram? :)
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Your accent is coming along just fine (according to a Canadian), but I think you need a little more confidence. For a call centre you will need to speak with a little more volume or your work on improving your accent will never be heard.
Thanks :)
mawi_ram
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Omigosh.. She just gave you a rose! Im jealoous
Mawi must have sensed my natural English charm :-\
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:laugh: I'd tell my boss about that but to tell you the truth, a lot of Filipinos really do have western-sounding names and I think 'Mawi' is one of them ;)
mawi_ram
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Oh I see. I thought it sounds like Maui as in Maui and Sons. Thanks for the info though :)
mawi_ram
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If you can speak english with a spanish accent then I think you would just about have it.
MrPlankton
(bad guy)"Fear is a hammer, and when the people are beaten finally to the conviction that their existence hangs by a frayed thread, they will be led where they need to go."
(good guy)"Which is where?"
(bad guy)"To a responsible future in a properly managed world."
Dean Koontz, The Good GuyReally?
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Thanks for the link :)
mawi_ram
You might also check out this site which has a pretty decent text to speech feature as well as being the best on-line translation I have found. I have checked the english to spanish & spanish to english with native spanish speakers & we generally agree that while it is not perfect, it is quite understandable. http://imtranslator.com[^] Good Luck
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You might also check out this site which has a pretty decent text to speech feature as well as being the best on-line translation I have found. I have checked the english to spanish & spanish to english with native spanish speakers & we generally agree that while it is not perfect, it is quite understandable. http://imtranslator.com[^] Good Luck
Thanks for the link :)
mawi_ram
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Hey big brothers and sisters (preferably Americans), could you help me in evaluating my American accent (not that I'm assuming I have one)? I'm trying to train myself to sound one so I could be a call center agent. So here it is. By the way, the script is from the American Accent Training book by Ann Cook. Thank you. :)
Mawi
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grgran wrote:
You need to remember that from teh American point of view there is no such thing as an "American accent". Just like in other countries the US has a large number of regional accents. In the US it's often hard for a native of NY, NY to speak with a native from Atlanta, GA.
Noh? I thought americans sound all the same. I never thought it that way til you mentioned it, and I found this informative (besides the evaluations). Thanks PS, just like Mawi, Im from the Philippines, too.
I have read studies that suggest that it is easier for two people who acquire English as a second language to understand each other than for either to be understood by a native English speaker. So it may be easier for a Philippino to speak to an Indian (if both learn english as a second language) than for either to speak to an American or a Brit. They suspect this has to do with the use of different areas of the brain for people using acquring as second language, keying on different sounds clues. Add to this the fact that most people in the US only know one language and are often 'tuned' to a regional dialect and you can see some of the problems. Shaw said that "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." and it is quite true. Often when I watch British television, I miss bits where I just don't understand the phrase or words. You might find this interesting: (http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/) These issues become even more complicated when you mix different cultures, such as, the rich history/culture of the Philippines with grab bag collective culture of the US. I wish you much luck in your studies.
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I agree but I am not going to do business with an American company that obviously ships American jobs oversees.
Blog link to be reinstated at a later date.
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Thanks. I'd remember that though I'm not yet sure on what 'inflection' means. I'd have to google that one first. ;)
mawi_ram
I actually used the wrong word on accident - I intended to say "intonation" - which is the rising or falling pitch which can indicate a question, show surprise, or other things that are communicated by the way words are said rather than the specific word. For instance: if I say "Will you look at that?" with a rising tone to my voice at the end of the sentence, it indicates a degree of surprise or amazement, but if I say the same sentence with a falling tone, it indicates disapproval, or even disgust or distaste. The words are the same, but the tone can communicate much of the attitude behind the words! At any rate, you seemed to be doing well at that, so don't worry about it!