Chemical2: Hello folks,

I have always been appalled when i listen to people speak some kind of ''Americanized English'' after living abroad for some period of time. I have always dissociated myself from such people who ''form'', as they put it until recently i found myself in a similar position. Hence i have decided to share from my experience why people compulsorily need to adjust/change their accent when they travel abroad. Before i begin a brief history.

I grew up Delta state, attended a first generation federal university and always wished i could further my studies abroad. 5 years after graduation, my wish came true. Had a graduate teaching assistant position in an American state university. The first time i had to teach undergraduate was hell. Those guys are so programmed to understand a particular type of word structure, for example if you say submit your assignment they will all be starring at you but if you say turn in your home work they will do just that. I could not communicate with my Nigerian accent. I struggled. I was forced to attend an English as a second language class with chinese guys that cannot make a simple sentence...Kai, man don suffer. Note that i had scored close to100 points in Toefl. That didn't change anything as i had a very poor evaluation report from my student.

My funding was threatened by that report as those evaluations were taken very seriously by the department. After weeks of struggling,i finally learnt the code; ''change your accent''. I did just that and almost became the best TA in the department. My evaluation report greatly improved.

I have friends here that refused to change their accent but it's telling hard on them even in the grocery store they cannot communicate. The funny thing is that each area/states has it own unique accent. The whites here have accent different from black Americans. Sooner or later, they will be forced to. After doing that for 5 years to survive, how do you expect me to return to Nigeria with my Nigerian accent intact? So, when next you see a dude or a lady forming ''accent'', think twice as it may not be intentional but a survival strategy. Contributions welcomed. Thank you.

londoner:


You can make your accent more mellow, or slow down your speech in order to be understood, as people can often tell a "put on" accent.

I also now understand why some people informally change their names. Its actually because other people judge based on the name, especially abroad.

I was reading an article of a man named Jose, who got no reply to his job applications until he changed one thing. He took the "e" out of his name on his resume, to become "Joe" and the replies came flooding in.

I think you should be able to switch between accents depending on the situation.

Chemical2:

I agree with you however switching becomes more difficult with time.

Chemical2: Hello folks,
I have always been appalled when i listen to people speak some kind of ''Americanized English'' after living abroad for some period of time. I have always dissociated myself from such people who ''form'', as they put it until recently i found myself in a similar position. Hence i have decided to share from my experience why people compulsorily need to adjust/change their accent when they travel abroad. Before i begin a brief history.
I grew up Delta state, attended a first generation federal university and always wished i could further my studies abroad. 5 years after graduation, my wish came true. Had a graduate teaching assistant position in an American state university. The first time i had to teach undergraduate was hell. Those guys are so programmed to understand a particular type of word structure, for example if you say submit your assignment they will all be starring at you but if you say turn in your home work they will do just that. I could not communicate with my Nigerian accent. I struggled. I was forced to attend an English as a second language class with chinese guys that cannot make a simple sentence...Kai, man don suffer. Note that i had scored close to100 points in Toefl. That didn't change anything as i had a very poor evaluation report from my student.
My funding was threatened by that report as those evaluations were taken very seriously by the department. After weeks of struggling,i finally learnt the code; ''change your accent''. I did just that and almost became the best TA in the department. My evaluation report greatly improved.
I have friends here that refused to change their accent but it's telling hard on them even in the grocery store they cannot communicate. The funny thing is that each area/states has it own unique accent. The whites here have accent different from black Americans. Sooner or later, they will be forced to. After doing that for 5 years to survive, how do you expect me to return to Nigeria with my Nigerian accent intact? So, when next you see a dude or a lady forming ''accent'', think twice as it may not be intentional but a survival strategy. Contributions welcomed. Thank you.

Originalsly: Hmmm....interesting. Like a poster said earlier....it is better you slow down your speech and speak correct English. That is better and more understandable than trying to fake an accent that you don't have a grip of. What exactly is the Black American accent? A Black/White New Yorker would find it very difficult having a conversation with someone from the deep south ...Black/White . He would prefer to have a conversation with a foreigner who been living in the US for 5 years. Accent is regional...so would you be faking a Southern accent?...a New York accent?....a West coast accent?...or just mixing it all up?...that mixing up is what leads to more confusion and hightlight the fakeness of your accent. If someone starts talking to you with Hausa accent then mid sentence swithches to Yoruba and the next sentence is Igbo accent...would you be listening to what he is saying or be thinking wtf who be this guy? This is no different from faking American accent. Lastly...the faking of "American accent" was one of the main reasons why Nollywood lost popularity in the US....that was a big complaint and turn off.PS.....on the reverse...OP...if you live 5 years in the US...doing what you do...you may think your Nigerian accent is intact...but trust me...on returning home...the first five words out of your mouth the average Nigerian would know you live abroad!

Chemical2: Hello folks,

I have always been appalled when i listen to people speak some kind of ''Americanized English'' after living abroad for some period of time. I have always dissociated myself from such people who ''form'', as they put it until recently i found myself in a similar position. Hence i have decided to share from my experience why people compulsorily need to adjust/change their accent when they travel abroad. Before i begin a brief history.

I grew up Delta state, attended a first generation federal university and always wished i could further my studies abroad. 5 years after graduation, my wish came true. Had a graduate teaching assistant position in an American state university. The first time i had to teach undergraduate was hell. Those guys are so programmed to understand a particular type of word structure, for example if you say submit your assignment they will all be starring at you but if you say turn in your home work they will do just that. I could not communicate with my Nigerian accent. I struggled. I was forced to attend an English as a second language class with chinese guys that cannot make a simple sentence...Kai, man don suffer. Note that i had scored close to100 points in Toefl. That didn't change anything as i had a very poor evaluation report from my student.

My funding was threatened by that report as those evaluations were taken very seriously by the department. After weeks of struggling,i finally learnt the code; ''change your accent''. I did just that and almost became the best TA in the department. My evaluation report greatly improved.

I have friends here that refused to change their accent but it's telling hard on them even in the grocery store they cannot communicate. The funny thing is that each area/states has it own unique accent. The whites here have accent different from black Americans. Sooner or later, they will be forced to. After doing that for 5 years to survive, how do you expect me to return to Nigeria with my Nigerian accent intact? So, when next you see a dude or a lady forming ''accent'', think twice as it may not be intentional but a survival strategy. Contributions welcomed. Thank you.