How we speak is simply a habit. It is an over-learned behavior that is stored as a complete program somewhere in the brain. When you begin to speak, thinking of what you want to say, you do not think about HOW you speak, just WHAT you will say. Why? Because HOW we speak is a habit.
Sometimes HOW we speak is a problem. We have brought over habits from the language we grew up speaking into a new language that we have learned. That causes an ACCENT in the second language. Sometimes, this accent is charming, sometimes this accent is not a problem to understanding. BUT, sometimes this accent IS a problem, and this habit causes others to not be able to understand WHAT you are saying.
This is when Accent-American can help! The courses at Accent-American can help individuals change those habits of speech. After a thorough evaluation to determine which vowel and consonant sounds, as well as intonation patterns are far enough away from American English pronunciation to cause a problem for the listener, a plan is put into place. With practice and hard work (yes, it DOES involve hard work), you can change your accent!
If you would like to find out more, please contact Dr. Ojakangas for a phone consultation. Simply fill out the Contact Us form, or write to: DrO@accent-american.com.
