Understanding all English accents!
Two very simple tips you can apply to stop struggling and start grasping any English accent that may come your way!
Hi there English language lover!
How often do you feel like scratching your head when trying to understand all the various English accents that natives might use? Have you ever been in a situation where you felt shy to let the other person know that you can’t follow what they are saying because you didn’t understand their accent and pronunciation?
This can be particularly frustrating when you work in an international company or you simply want to strike a conversation with an English speaking person and perhaps become friends.
Many of our students have expressed how stressful it is when at some point in a conversation they lose track of what the other person is saying and they end up smiling and nodding until the conversation is over. Have you ever been in a similar situation? No need to give up improving your English just because there are various accents out there!
The following two tips will help you improve both your listening and speaking skills, no matter which part of the English-speaking world the person you are communicating with comes from!
Let’s start!
Tip #1 – Make TED your best friend The best way to get exposed to native accents and pronunciations is through online platforms that organise and host talks from inspirational individuals globally, just like TEDx. You can randomly pick a super interesting talk every day, or select a topic of your interest and combine the deepening of linguistic and science, technology, business and entertainment matters. One out of many favourite TEDx talks we have is this fun, short talk: “Go ahead, make up new words!”
Benefits of using TEDx to improve your English:
- you become familiar with various English accents, pronunciations, and speech rates
- your listening skills improve fast
- you are exposed to new vocabulary and expressions that you can instantly use in your spoken or written communications
Tip #2 – Are you a movie buff? Time to become one! How often do you watch films in their original language? It may be a bit challenging at the beginning but we promise that’s also a fun way to improve your listening skills and start picking up all major English accents, in no time! In our blended learning approach, we like to use the internet to motivate our language learners improve their English. Movie4k or Zmovie are our two favourite online streaming sources to watch films in their original language, and it’s also free!
Here are the titles of some great films that will help you get familiar with the following accents:
- Trainspotting; you get used to the Scottish accent
- Four Weddings and a Funeral; proper British English accent as well as some American accent
- In Bruges; solid Irish accent
- Forest Gump; a variety of American accents
The best way to start with movies is:
- Watch films you enjoy; if you have to use subtitles, opt for English subtitles
- Break it up; watch the film in 30-minute parts, everyday
- Listen and repeat; a great way of perfecting a natural sounding accent
- Write down words or expressions you hear in the film; your vocabulary bank will grow fast!
Benefits of watching films in English:
- It’s real English; everything you hear is exactly how it is in reality. It’s fast paced, with realistic native accents.
- Movies use natural language; it’s the perfect way to improve your verbiage by learning English idioms and common English slang.
- Great topics for conversations with friends or colleagues!
So, what are you waiting for? Go online, and start improving your listening and pronunciations skills today!
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