Advice for elocution/accent softening class

Question

Hi, I have been living in London around two years and I've managed to soften a bit my Spanish accent; however I feel now is time to ask for help from the pros.

Could you give any advices around finding an institution to receive classes about elocution / access softening? I have searched through the net & the British Council Study English in the UK database, but I did not found anything that could help me. Either the class was too big (10 people) or really it was not I was looking for.

Any other advice you can give me will be welcomed!

Thanks everybody,

Alex

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Hi Alex,
Well, my first advice would be to speak confidently. You don't have to copy anybody. All you have to do is to speak a perfect, fluent and grammaticaly precise English, without getting scared of your accent. Speak normally, as you would speak Spanish. Remember that nobody can pretend being the absolute master of English.

The first thing you can do to improve fluency is watch TV, listen to radio, read newspapers - anything will do.

I have an Indian cousin, wife of the Ambassador to Egypt. The fluency and ease with which she talks is truly marvellous. Never intimidated, her English is so 'international' - with of course an exotic Indian touch -, that hearing her, all jingoists or flag-wavers run miles away !

Have you heard Irene Khan, Amnesty's president. Do you think she cares about her accent and runs to the British Council ? Be proud of yourself, pronounce your words with accuracy, and you shall do miracles !

I actually faced the same problem when speaking to a Brit. He told me that people who don't have an American /British English accent sound stupid. Well, if so, my above-mentioned cousin was one of them ; but she doesn't. She dispays authority, aristocracy and confidence, and she has dealt with English speakers around the world. Benazir Bhutto sounds stupid then, Irene Khan also, and the list is still long... As for me, I know that I have nothing to learn from whosoever except the dicationary ; everybody understands me perfectly well.

People take advantage of you, because they believe that they're superior to you, which they're not. Pride is the key with which you can knock off all accent-obsessed people, believe me, I've tried it !

Please email me at<e-mail removed by mod>Email Removed" mce_href="mailto:Email Removed"> , I want to know what do you think of my answer.

Krishna

Anonymous · Answer

I do not have any problem to speak my English in front of anybody, I believe specially British people are really bad to speak foreign languages properly (too many years listening to the tourists in Spain lol). Don´t care about that Krishna.

What is true is that as an spaniard I am not able to pronounce different the /b/ and /v/, among other stuff, probably. And well if they consider that I should be in that position to do so, I wish to play my cards and request proper training to be paid by the company. Is not a fair deal?

Thank you for your advice Krishna!

Advice for elocution/accent softening class

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