Elocution lessons

morg_monster

I've got to admit to sometimes judging people on their accent! Just as part of that first impression, along with what they are wearing, etc... I consciously really make an effort not to, these days, as my first impressions when based on such superficial characteristics are usually proved wrong!

I hate my accent when I hear myself on tape, I sound quite posh and up myself which I hate as I am not posh and def not up myself! I don't know where it came from, probably just from growing up in surrey/berkshire (also my mum and her siblings had elocution lessons so as to avoid getting an Essex accent!!!). I used to run a brownie pack in north london and sometimes notice myself modulating my accent when speaking to the girls and local parents as I get so selfconscious ...

Why not call someone offering such lessons and have a chat with them. I agree that it would be a shame for your husband's accent to disappear completely; and probably unlikely at this stage; but if its really bothering him I'm sure a short course of lessons wouldn't hurt - probably just teach him which parts of his speech are most different to the "queens" english and how to disguise them, if he wants to. As for your daughter you'll probably find she mimics dad's accent when she's with him, and your accent when she's with you or other native english speakers. I used to go a bit canadian when talking to my young cousins, as they'd just understand me better that way!

WolfSong2000

It can be done to an extent...a good friend of mine is of carribean descent - she's first generation english, and was initially raised in London before moving later to the country. She's taught herself to speak with a home counties accent, and has great "deportment", shall we say, but occasionally, especially when she gets wound up, certain phrases will come out as Carribean or African . I've gone the other way, as I used to have a stupidly posh Surrey accent, which I hated, so have toned it down a little.

If it were me, I'd start with identifying certain phrases that you find particularly hard to understand and just work from there.

SugarSpun

I was raised in Liverpool and had a thick accent. When I moved away people couldn't understand me so I modulated those words. My accent is now fairly neutral with an overlay of Irish from my decade there, and a lot of people comment on it.

If you want your little one to speak Nigerian, encourage him to speak it with her and with you. I can't imagine a short course of elocution lessons to soften out the extreme edges of his accent would do him any harm, and from the sounds of it it would be great for his confidence - but it's sad that he needs it. I love unusual accents and can't wait to hear what my English/American/German baby picks up

Hermia

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

If it were me, I'd start with identifying certain phrases that you find particularly hard to understand and just work from there.

I agree. I am not sure that lessons are needed. I naturally have a strong working-class London accent, but when I left university I realised it was going to be a big problem going for jobs against nice middle-class people with their neutral accents. I decided to just tone my accent down, but not eliminate it entirely. I just concentrated on the words I was pronouncing 'incorrectly' or people had problems understanding. I just kept watching what I said until it became second nature. A Somali colleague of mine listened to radio 4 and audio books in order to learn how tone down his accent so that people could understand him.

Arthurian

http://www.youtube.com/user/thephonevoice

ailuro2

I was brought up to talk properly but still managed to pick up a Dundonian accent too...:D

I'm not 'eh ih ken'or 'geez a peh' but I do have a very lazy way of talking. I blame it on working in a factory full of ory dundonians for over 20 years.:D

gratefulforhelp_2

I worked in Bristol in the 90's and lots and lots of people sent their teenage children for elocution lessons (didn't want them to speak "Bristle")

It still happens quite a lot, I think.