Are you currently racking your brain trying to figure out how you can learn the American accent? If English is not your first language and you would like to know how you can improve your English speaking, then you have probably tried several different ways to acquire an American accent. You may have already enrolled in some American Accent or Accent Reduction programs. If this is the case, you may be familiar with quite a few different American accent exercises. Of course, the problem with these exercises is that they get old and boring over time, which could decrease their overall effectiveness in helping you improve your accent. For this reason, you may be interested in learning some new tricks and fun activities that you can try on your own or with a few friends to speed up the process of learning the American accent for you.
Pretend a talk show
This is a fun activity that allows for a large number of participants. The only real hiccup is that you need a group of at least six people to participate in this fun accent learning activity. Everyone should participate in this activity. First, someone must act as the host of the talk show. Next, you need at least two people who will act as guests to be interviewed. Finally, you should have a panel of 2-3 judges. It is best if there is also an impartial moderator other than an English learner who can supervise the activity. The talk show itself can last as long as the host wants. The person who acts as host can also prepare a series of 2-3 questions for each guest on a topic of general interest. It’s a good idea to have a talk show topic that everyone can talk about easily to make sure the activity runs smoothly. The host should ask questions of each guest in turn, with the intention of starting a conversation in which everyone involved in the activity, except the judges, can participate. Topics can range from current events to favorite foods and even spectator sports. After the show is over, it will be the role of the judges to take turns speaking. Each judge should offer constructive criticism for each guest on the talk show and point out at least 1 positive point and 1 negative point for each guest when it comes to their speech. To make it more competitive, judges can also award a title of “best speaker” to the guest who impressed them the most. If you plan to do it this way, it is a good idea to base your decision on a preset criteria for judging, such as:
Speech clarity: 30%
Content: 30%
Ability to connect with the audience: 20%
Fluency in English: 20%
Please note that this is just an example and that you are really free to use whatever criteria your group may follow.
Puppet Theater
You may have had a bit of fun with this activity as a child, so there is no reason why it would be less entertaining and educational as an adult trying to acquire the accent of a new or unfamiliar language. For this activity, at least two people are required to run the puppet show and a fairly large group that can act as an audience. If you are currently enrolled in an accent training course, you can ask some of your classmates to participate in this activity. If your instructor allows it, you can even make it a class activity and do the puppet show in groups. For the materials for this particular activity, all you really need are some puppets and perhaps a table that you can use as a stage to host your show. Puppets can be anything from paper bags to old socks. You can make your puppet as elaborate or simple as you like; After all, the real purpose of the activity is for you to practice speaking English and not to show off your puppets. Regarding the script for the puppet show, you should try to have an open script that allows for a lot of impromptu conversations. If you have trouble thinking about what a puppet show might have, try having one puppet tell a story for at least 1 minute, after which the person holding the other puppet should continue the story from where the first one left off. . You can also use a prepared script, but it’s much better practice if you really think about what you’re going to say on the spot. Turning it into a puppet show also helps you lose your inhibitions, since it is only your puppet and not you who is being the center of attention.
Of course, these activities alone won’t make you master the American accent overnight, but they can be of great help if you are already participating in an accent reduction course.
