Nuzo':


You are right about the varieties but wrong about terming it American accent.
Be it Tenessee, Texas or AA accent...southern accent in general is covertly frowned upon in mainstream America and thereby not considered American accent except of course you are talking about outside of USA.
American accent has a standard American accent.

Any average individual with these accents hardly makes it in the mainstream America.

Yes, I even heard southerners had to modify their accents to get a job in mainstream America. I've watched a documentary on accent training for southerners.

And I've seen my friends here in Ohio making fun of southern accents . . . . They call the southern accent the y'all people.

delors:
Bros, Fela Kuti never had one? You shaq? Hw many times did u hear achebe speak before he died? he was a novelist, not a public speaker. Listen to your politicians when they parle...you go fear afraid. Soon, na u go talk say GEj nor get accent. When my president spoke at the last UNGA (although na only chairs be the audience), the kind thick accent my oga dey chew for mouth nor be small thing.

Ol boy, clear you mind.
Fela no get any funny foreign accent even though him bin dey england tay tay.
Chinua achebe no get oyinbo tongue through out.
abi, you want dash dem new tongue.
GEJ na fisherman now....who wan dash am fone...
aahhaa

delors:
Of course they are not feeding you. You are either still a toddler, breastfed by momsie or you have never been outta Naija. Try live in another country for years, look for a job or raise a fam there, then, you go adjust sharp sharp. In fact, na only you go set up coaching classes for accent acquisition.

I live in the UK and I own a business here and in Nigeria. Ive travelled well around the world and I feed my mother not the other way round. I dont need and would not need a borrowed accent for all this. Its the height of lack of self confidence. If Im important to you, you'd learn to understand me, not the other way round. Its sickening the way nigerians fawn and fall over foreigners in Nigeria. They are just everyday people.

toshmann:
And you compare yourself to shaq, fela and president of Nigeria. These people are made. They don't need anything from oyibos. If you need something from them, job, business then you better try to make yourself easy to understand. These folks can't even pronounce your name.

Look at Obama, when he was a young hustler, They called him Barry. Bc they were unwilling to learn how to pronounce barrak. But when Obama became a made man, he made them Learn how to pronounce his full name.

Fela doesn't need them. They can go to hell for all he cares. They want to listen to afro juji music, they come to fela. So he doesn't need them. But you and me, fresh hustlers. We better adapt fast bc on this competitive age, unless you are exceptional in what you do (like fela) you had better blend in.

If you are average and then you come for a job with thick ojuelegba accent, and I'm average and o come for the same interview with modified Nigerian accent, you think they will take you?

You have a very narrow minded mentality, this got nothing to do with whether one need job from 'oyibo' or not, its about communication whether you are speaking to 'oyibo' or a Nigerian

justwise:

You have a very narrow minded mentality, this got nothing to do with whether one need job from 'oyibo' or not, its about communication whether you are speaking to 'oyibo' or a Nigerian

Carry ya thick accent come here na, if you are average life go tire you. I don't have an American accent. I don't even like their accent.( I prefer British accent) but I modify my Nigerian accent to communicate better.

You don't like it, keep ya thick accent, obasanjo kept his own, nobody sent him to jail.

toshmann:

Carry ya thick accent come here na, if you are average life go tire you. I don't have an American accent. I don't even like their accent.( I prefer British accent) but I modify my Nigerian accent to communicate better.

You don't like it, keep ya thick accent, obasanjo kept his own, nobody sent him to jail.

What loads of garbage are you ranting about? Are under the influence of substance or what? You modify your Nigerian accent? You poor thing

justwise:

What loads of garbage are you ranting about? Are under the influence of substance or what? You modify your Nigerian accent? You poor thing

Hardly warranted. Pls, keep insults out

ZACHIE:
Hardly warranted. Pls, keep insults out

That is not an insult

I think the problem with Nigeria's phonology is in our diction: i don't see accent as the problem. The bulk of our population underwent the average Nigerian primary education where teachers were not any concerned about pronunciation; they could not even speak in the right diction, anyways. I believe if we were taught to pronounce words correctly then the accent does not matter. I see accent as a way of speaking that evolve with a people, in trying to speak in the right diction comfortably. As long as we pronouce words correctly, people will understand us anywhere.

justwise:

That is not an insult

It is a statement, then

Afam4eva:
You're very wrong. Americans are made up of Germans, Irish, English, Italins etc. It's a multi-ethnic counry but English eclipsed all other languages as the official language. Even though a lot of Americans can no longer speak their original language, their native language is not English. Apart from that, was there any such thing as American English in the old? How come they created a unique brand of English instead of speaking what the English were speaking.

There is nothing like 'unique brand of English' in the America. Apart from the obvious Texas, New England, Southern, etc accents spoken in the US.....if an Italian or Indian or German, Russian or British American (i.e. born and bread in the USA) are speaking, you will notice the difference.

The key here is speaking clearly, deliberately, conscientiously, learning the correct pronunciation, stress, intonation and proper usage....(also try to record yourself sometimes, you will laugh at yourself when you notice the number of "r" or "l", etc you have missed.....self correct and record yourself again) you can keep your accent and people will understand you in the US perfectly...the irony is that, when you come back to Nigeria and want to continue with the good English like in speaking clearly, deliberate, good pronunciation, stress and intonation; people will think that you are forming a foreign accent, so I just switch to pidgin English unless I am in an official setting in Nigeria during that visit.

Proper usage as in....pant, underwear,first floor, boot, truck, Jeep, iceblock,coke,dustbin,gas,roundabout,branching somewhere,trafficator,etc does not have the same meanings if used in a sentence in a Nigeria English speaking setting vs an America English speaking setting and words like these throw off your listeners in the US, making not to understand what you just said.

Intriguing topic. Wonderful contributions. Some years ago I met this guy who had a medical condition and was to be sent abroad for treatment. He told me his elder brother was based in TAIWAN and sent my phone number to him so he would call and I'd explain things to him. The guy called the next day and spoke with a thick American accent such that I could barely understand him. Since then I've been wondering how someone can pick an American accent in TAIWAN!
P.S. His younger brother confirmed that he had only left Nigeria for just over a yr and had never been to the USA.

Afam4eva:
You're very wrong. Americans are made up of Germans, Irish, English, Italins etc. It's a multi-ethnic counry but English eclipsed all other languages as the official language. Even though a lot of Americans can no longer speak their original language, their native language is not English. Apart from that, was there any such thing as American English in the old? How come they created a unique brand of English instead of speaking what the English were speaking.

No. You are the wrong one. The Germans and Italians you speak of were immigrants!!!

I think it's better to speak slowly, legibly and with the appropriate tenses than trying to manufacture a foreign accent. I'm proud of my African roots of which a key part is represented by my Nigerian accent, and I have never altered my accent to get to where I'm today.

Ikengawo:

this is a lie.

IF YOU ARRIVE INTO A COUNTRY PAST THE AGE OF 20 YOUR ACCENT WON'T GO AWAY
youe vocal cords are done developing and won't change, you will have a nigerian accent for life, which there's nothing wrong with. But all of these nigerians come here and try to fake accents like fools not knowing the rest of us went to school

people are even mocking the 'nigerian accent' because the only accent westerners hear is the FAKE american and FAKE british one so they think we all talk like Kermit The Frog. I tell them that any nigerian that talks like that is using a fake accent and they look at me in puzzlement wondering why someone would fake an accent for any reason as if we don't know they're from Africa. Nigerians are only fooling themselves with that shit, everyone knows it's fake and sound like a creature. Use your natural accent, oyibo women love accents but your fools are trying to toast women talking like a frog. chie.

Though I have not read thru all the comments here but I completely disagree with this. The accent thing is not a black or white thing, it's not about uir accent going away, it's about picking ip an accent or adopting an accent. Its a kind of ability, it's a skill. Some ppl can fake accent and fake it perfectly and at that point, I don't call it faking accent anymore, I call it "doing an accent" Its like one's ability to know how to sing. Some ppl can never do an accent no matter how many years they have lived abroad because they do not have the ability but that doesn't mean that it will hinder their over all success. Some attempt doing it and it turns out terrible... okay this are the group of ppl I really have problem with. If u can't do an accent perfectly, speak the proper Nigerian accent that u have and be proud of it.

I agree with some of the @delor's comments that I have seen here, he is really making good points... There is no reason to crucify ppl doing an accent if they can do it perfectly. From my own experience, if u are in North America, it goes a long way for u to achieve a lot of things from jobs, relating with people and all that if u can do the american accent. It has a lot of advantage... U will get away with a lot of stuffs just because they think u are one of them from the way u speak. Go and ask the american or canadian immigrants (most especially the new ones) not to do the american accent if they can, some of them will tell u that they wouldn't even mind to buy the ability at any cost if possible.

The problem is, we blacks like to run ourselves down for trivial irrelevant reasons. We need to grow beyond this and move forward. But my advice to those forcing it.. If u can't do an accent properly, maintain ur Nigerian accent cos a horrible fake accent is a turn off for ppl.. And even if u can perfectly do an accent, don't use the accent while communicating with Naija folks, it comes off very rude and in fact u are not being real at that point.

Here is my take on this.

Every human being on earth has an ACCENT. An accent is only evident as a product of your current location. Meaning Mr. A has a perfectly 'normal' manner of speaking; provided he is in/around 'Location A' and 'People A'. Get it?

The moment any of these elements change, suddenly 'YOU HAVE A WEIRD ACCENT'. I live in the North East, and i only need to hear two words to identify someone from the south (with his southern twang or drawl).

Yes, speaking with a fake accent will make you look like a clown. Picture an American who has never visited Nigeria, but speaking with a Nigerian accent. Sounds ridiculous right? yeah, just like many Nigerians do when taking their best shot at the American accent.

My advise to you: If you are fresh off the boat here (USA) do yourself a favor- Observe and adapt at a natural pace. The American accent isn't a pill you swallow at JFK Airport or wherever you come in. Also, slang/curse words only make you sound 'stupider'/funnier than you already do.

My point is this. There is nothing wrong in having an accent. It only becomes a problem when it is so strong, no one outside of your 'kind' can understand you. The more neutral you speak, the more you can blend in to any society. For instance someone from the Midwest with his neutral accent (Chicago, iowa etc) will blend more easy- North or South than these other two would.

Okay, i know that was a lot, so to compensate with some laughs, go the facebook page in my signature n laugh it off.

delors:
Measure
Pleasure
Treasure
Pressure
Commission
Television
Station
well, I just did, so what's next?

Edinburgh
ILLEGAL
LISTEN

I don't think you have to change your accent in order to communicate in any English speaking country in the world. As long as you went to school in Nigeria ( which is an English speaking country btw) and you studied Grammar and phonetics, you should have no problem communicating. There are so many examples in our society today; from onyeka owenu to joke silva, omotola, Genevieve nnaji, sanusi lamido, GEJ, Ngozi Okonjo iweala etc. most of these people have spoken on CNN, BBC and other international medias and not once has the interviewer said "pardon?", " could you repeat your statement?" Or anything of a sort because they speak clear and proper English.
I find people who switch their accents back and forth only after a couple of weeks or months abroad very silly and ridden by inferiority complex.

In all discussion goin on here, u ppl left out d very liable culprits dat are champion accent fakers, I mean dey are real phd holders in soundin 2 americana. Am talkin about our gurls on campus who carry on one hand big big travellin bags (dey call it handbags) & BB on d other. Both d ones who had resided in d villages all their lives peelin cassava, u find dem on campus sayin, "buh, say wha? am ar home, aight, pweety, boo". Smh 4 dem

God bless your lineage! That is why I will respect the Hausa guy when it comes to accent. Dangote speaks with an Hausa accent and no white man has ever asked him to repeat himself. If you have problem understanding my accent, same here.

bigx:

I live in the UK and I own a business here and in Nigeria. Ive travelled well around the world and I feed my mother not the other way round. I dont need and would not need a borrowed accent for all this. Its the height of lack of self confidence. If Im important to you, you'd learn to understand me, not the other way round. Its sickening the way nigerians fawn and fall over foreigners in Nigeria. They are just everyday people.

50calibre: All these people saying if you don't fake an accent, you won't be understood, don't know what they are talking about.

If you hear a proper Scottish accent, you will run away. It's thicker than the thickest Igbo accent, yet when a proper scot is speaking, he expects you to understand what he is saying, he doesn't in any way try to modify his accent. The responsibility falls on the listener to understand what you are saying, not you.

Even in America, you can detect an accent in people of Hispanic, Caribbean or Asian descent.

The only accent I feel like imitating, is the Jamaican accent, it's crazy.

All of them = ala them!
Yes = yah Man!

Okay there u said "detect" that means they sound more american now that u only have to "detect" elements of Jamaican or some carribean inflection in the way they speak for u to know tha they don't originally have the american accent.. most of them do not speak english exactly in the accent the folks at home speak..

About the Scottish accent.. Look ppl, why are we over-whipping this issue, What u have said there can not in most cases apply to Scots that have lived most or many years of their lives somewhere else. So that is not a point here. Somebody also referred to Italians.. well, there are many Italians in America that sounds very as american as possible. So what's the point?

Another person said "the white man don't want to speak like us so why do we have to speak like them..." Well this is not a rational reasoning. We Africans, blacks are always in a situation where we are at the mercy of these white folks.. u want to get their job, u want to live in their country, u want to survive within their system so what sense does it make to question why they don't speak like u speak when they come to ur country? Do they have to? When they are not at ur mercy for their survival? In fact that point is immediately defeated when u speak English and not ur local language abroad.

If u do not like or u are not able to adopt an accent,, its okay but stop running those that want to down or criticizing them if they can do it properly..

Don Carlos: God bless your lineage! That is why I will respect the Hausa guy when it comes to accent. Dangote speaks with an Hausa accent and no white man has ever asked him to repeat himself. If you have problem understanding my accent, same here.

how do you know no white man has ever asked him to repeat himself?

Godogwu: I don't think you have to change your accent in order to communicate in any English speaking country in the world. As long as you went to school in Nigeria ( which is an English speaking country btw) and [b]you studied Grammar and phonetics, you should have no problem communicating. [/b]There are so many examples in our society today; from onyeka owenu to joke silva, omotola, Genevieve nnaji, sanusi lamido, GEJ, Ngozi Okonjo iweala etc. most of these people have spoken on CNN, BBC and other international medias and not once has the interviewer said "pardon?", " could you repeat your statement?" Or anything of a sort because they speak clear and proper English.
I find people who switch their accents back and forth only after a couple of weeks or months abroad very silly and ridden by inferiority complex.

Do u think u are actually accurate with ur comments here? Now u are talking of grammar and phonetics? All these people u have mentioned here... let me exclude (Genevive and Omotola) have one time or the other sojourned abroad. And if Omotola and Genevive were not celebrities, they wouldn't speak such improved English they are speaking cos they still make international travels and appearances. And again,it will be very awkward for them to speak a foreign accent when they represent a Nigerian public office... Even Banky W an entertainer speaks Nigerian accent cos he represnts a Nigerian Brand but back in America he speaks American that's just it.. Now the group of people that obey the rules of phonetics the most in Nigeria are some of the News casters and I appreciate them, they are not adopting accent, they are just applying phonetics, even if they still sound Nigerian, they are not misplacing the stress on each words and that is the most important.

But do u want to tell me that is the way u speak? U speak like a news caster with ur friends and families at home huh? and they wont ask u "wetin dey do am wey dey form? abeg open ur mouth well jare, wetin be baenk instead of bahnk (bank)" So that is actually our problem.. Its not about not being proud of who u are, it's about ppl thinking u are forming and the next thing is to tear u down.

A-town:

No. You are the wrong one. The Germans and Italians you speak of were immigrants!!!

False, every tribe in America are immigrate except the native Indians tribes. These native Indians still enjoy some type of autonomy and self rule and are not under the US constitutions and laws but still lives in their tribal lands within the US.

Every other individual or lineage migrated to the US.

Truckpusher: Even Americans too has accent ....when somebody subtitutes water for warer what was that

You are on point. Your accent is ur identity. U don't have to fake one's accent unless u are ashame of ur own identity. Just like the Americans have their own accents different from the English, other countries have their respective accents and are happy with it. In Nigeria, u hardly hear those foreign accents from our enlightened countrymen save for a few with myopic attitudes about culture. What is important is to speak correct english with clarity.

Originalsly: Instead of faking an accent it is better you practice speaking correct English and speak clearly.Fake American accent was one of the main reasons that turned people away from Nollywood movies in the US.Fake accents should be kept within Nigeria...it can work here...not abroad. In one sentence you can hear these idiots change from a New York to a Southern to some version of a UK accent....and they think they are doing great!What would you think of a person who begins speaking to you in Igbo accent that changes to Yoruba accent and ends up the sentence with thick Hausa accent?

depends on what the objective was. in some western made african movies i have heard a lot of what i know to be a fake african accent...dint put me off the movie cuz i got the point. blood diamond is one that springs to mind. the sierra leonian accent used was not accurate at all but no one is screaming "fake accent!".

like the op said living with these people forces you to change your accent. its particularly irritating having to repeat simple words over and over again or having to say "sorry?" over and over again. it makes even the simplest conversations most cumbersome and awkward.

i find that i have different accents based on my mood. when i am extremely serious i naturally have a british tinged accent but even in the states when im relaxed with my white friends i use a yoruba tinged accent...i cant speak yoruba though so would i be accused of faking it? i picked it up from my best friend. its only natural to adapt

linearity:

False, every tribe in America are immigrate except the native Indians tribes. These native Indians still enjoy some type of autonomy and self rule and are not under the US constitutions and laws but still lives in their tribal lands within the US.

Every other individual or lineage migrated to the US.

Go and sit down. Everyone knows about the native Indians. That wasn't the point I was making. No dey jump.

Two popular celebrities to highlight this thread... Genevieve ...Nigerian accent...emphasis on correct English and clarity. Omotola...unknown accents due to her emphasis on her version of British/US accents laced with slangs.

The most annoying one is the folks that acquire a new accent when they join a new church .
Oya kill lome

Kgdavid:

depends on what the objective was. in some western made african movies i have heard a lot of what i know to be a fake african accent...dint put me off the movie cuz i got the point. blood diamond is one that springs to mind. the sierra leonian accent used was not accurate at all but no one is screaming "fake accent!".

like the op said living with these people forces you to change your accent. its particularly irritating having to repeat simple words over and over again or having to say "sorry?" over and over again. it makes even the simplest conversations most cumbersome and awkward.

i find that i have different accents based on my mood. when i am extremely serious i naturally have a british tinged accent but even in the states when im relaxed with my white friends i use a yoruba tinged accent...i cant speak yoruba though so would i be accused of faking it? i picked it up from my best friend. its only natural to adapt

Don't get me wrong...like you said it depends on the objective. If the movie is about a person who returned from the US then the fake accent would be overlooked the same way as in Blood Diamonds. The big turn off is why the fake American accent when the plot, scenes, characters and everything else is Nigerian? ...even the firewood fetching village people speaking with American accent....thats the turn off.

ZACHIE: The most annoying one is the folks that acquire a new accent when they join a new church .
Oya kill lome

Lol...shut up!

Originalsly: Lol...shut up!

Ok. I,ve shut up.
But erm, christ embassy folks can be pesky in this regard.
Wish I can say more.
My boss on the highest chair has shut me up