mubrik88  +  631261 Mon, 05 Jan 09 12:58 PM Hi, Learning English is my hobby .I think my level is intermediate now ,so do you recommend to learn the American accent at this stage. I don't know whether it's difficult or not ,but since I watch American movies every day , I think the learning process won't be that difficult. I've found some interesting books about this accent in the library . So what do you recommend…I really need some good advice mubrik88 Joined on Sat, Aug 9 2008 Full Member 101 Accents, American Accents, Learning English, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States, American, Languages, Students

	AlpheccaStars  +  632093 Tue, 06 Jan 09 05:48 AM  There are several American accents. Regional accents such as western, southern and Appalachian, are quite distinct as are accents specific to cities (especially Boston and New York). I suppose the "standard" American accent would be the one used by the national news anchors. Just listen online or continue to watch movies. See if you can identify the different accents!  It can be quite difficult to change an accent, because we learn when we are very young to mimic the sounds we hear around us.  AlpheccaStars Joined on Sun, Oct 12 2008 Senior Member 3,508 The pen is mightier than the sword. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) Accents, American Accents, Online, Countries, United States, American

	CalifJim  +  632244 Tue, 06 Jan 09 08:32 AM mubrik88 “do you recommend to learn the American accent at this stage.” The American accent is worth learning at any stage.  Many learners find it easier than any other accent.  I think you're right that you won't find it difficult because of your experience with watching American movies. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,399 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Accents, American Accents, Countries, United States, American

	Peaceblinkfriend  +  632492 Tue, 06 Jan 09 01:05 PM Hi mubrik88 You might be interested in these sites if you want to familiarise yourself with the American accent. A lot of the articles there are read aloud. VOA also has a 'Learning English' section which you might find useful. I suppose most them are read in the 'standard' American accent since they are targeted at both the national and international audience. I would sometimes browse the articles/programs by their topics so I could listen to what I find interesting. Voice of America http://www.voanews.com/english/index.cfm National Public Radio http://www.npr.org/ PBF Peaceblinkfriend Joined on Wed, May 9 2007 Senior Member 2,130 Success - it is not the position where you are standing, but which direction you are going. Accents, American Accents, Learning English, Articles, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States, American, Languages, Students

	Kooyeen  +  632881 Tue, 06 Jan 09 08:47 PM You should have learned about pronunciation since the beginning! It's important! Anyway, it's not too late, don't worry. If you think you're going to hear more American English than British English, or if you plan to go to the US, or if you just like American accents more, then I suggest you learn more about American English. That's what I decided to do too, and decided I would use an American accent, but after a while I realized... you won't just hear one accent though: if you pay attention to what you hear you'll realize there's actually a lot of different accents (from different part of the US, from the UK, foreign accents, etc.). That's why the more you learn about English in general, the better. Starting with a general American accent is a good idea: that's what I did too. What I did was read "American Accent Training" by Ann Cook (and listen to the audio files that come with the course), and that boosted my listening skills. Before that, I hardly knew what spoken American English was, I'm afraid. One warning: don't take any courses like that like "the bible" that will tell you how everyone is supposed to speak. I told you, the reality is that you'll hear a lot of different ways of speaking when you watch movies. However, that course is very complete so it's a perfect starting point, and it's probably more than enough for the vast majority of learners. Here's the official website. Good luck. http://www.americanaccent.com/ Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,969 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts Accents, American Accents, American English, Pronunciation, British English, Speaking, Chat, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Friendships, United States, American, Languages, Training

	mubrik88  +  633371 Wed, 07 Jan 09 07:04 AM Mr. AlpheccaStars Mr. CalifJim Mr. Peaceblinkfriend Mr. Kooyeen Thank you all for your helpthe links and the advices which  you wrote were a big help for me ,and  gave me a great boost to continue learning more and more By the way I have found some great lessons in YouTube about the accents Check this out: Amazing !!! mubrik88 Video

	Peaceblinkfriend  +  634085 Wed, 07 Jan 09 08:51 PM A very interesting and entertaining clip, Mubrik88. That last one, the Trans-Atlantic accent, was certainly new to me. PBF Peaceblinkfriend Accents

	elvicas  +  634146 Wed, 07 Jan 09 09:58 PM I honestly believe that is not too late for you to study anything at all. I envy your courage to learn America Accent. But i must confess to you that you have to do more than just watching American Movies. They are other materials that can enhance your efficiencies in Accent. Plaese see   < Link removed by mod.> elvicas Joined on Wed, Jan 7 2009 New Member 05 Looking for someone with an amazing personality...someone who loves to laugh and is not afraid of what people think about her!...Someone who will know when to be a best friend... Accents, Countries, United States, American

	aliaj  +  636354 Fri, 09 Jan 09 07:02 PM Congratulations on your enthusiasm in such a complicated hobby. It is not necessary to have an American accent, but is more important to be able to pronounce words correctly so that others will understand you. To acquire a complete American accent is not a realistic goal unless you were trained that way from the beginning of your language learning process. There are so many factors that go into language learning that it can become too complicated and confusing. The point is not to sound exactly like the American, but to make sure that you are pronouncing words, phrases correct.  Also "American Accent" is an extremely broad term because the accent changes from state to state and region to region.  So, you can speak and understand English well and move to a southern state like Louisiana and not understand a word of what is being said or for that matter people may not understand you. So basically make sure that you know the phonetics (sounds) of the words that you are pronouncing. You can speak English with your own accent and be understood providing that your pronunciation is as it should be. The following link will be helpful (URL removed by mod). aliaj Joined on Fri, Jan 9 2009 Oakland, California USA New Member 04 Accents, American Accents, American English, Learning English, English as a Second Language, Learn English, Phonics, Conversational English, Language Schools, English Vocabulary, Business English