viee:

i just had the misfortune of reading Bigsis post

na real misfortune.

y'all don't pay no mind to dat brain-dead zombie. it's all good!!!

@Yicob

If you don't mind, shoot me a mail.  I still have my kit used in my Mass Communication's class.  It makes you speak proper but does not totally eliminate your accent.  It'll require a lot of discipline from you but will not give you a dialet.  It also won't teach you how to speak English (of which I believe you already know). It'll make you talk and sound with clarity of a news caster.  Let me know, so that I can rip all the disc for you.  It's more than 60 (if I am not wrong).

I don't understand why someone would want to talk with an "American" accent? I think it is great to hear a variety of accents. I personally have my work accent "European American Accent" and then I have my "Southern African American Accent". You just have to know when to use them and with whom. I will speak differently with my Grandmother who is 92 and couldn't get "Skewlin" (Schooling--because of limited education in rural south of US for African Americans) as she would say than in a meeting at work. I work in the computer industry and sad to say their are not many Black(Africans or African Diaspora) people at all I run across. It is mostly Asians and I love that they have their accents still. I work with Australians, Canadians, and British and they never talk about wanting to have an American accent when they speak English. I think people should appreciate their accents. I do.

Why in the world would someone want to have an American accent? There really is no American accent truly, because it can vary wildly depending on which region of the states that you live in.

Primarily, there is the New-England accent, The "New Yorker/east coast" accents, The Mid Atlantic (no traceable accent at all).  There is the "Southern Drawl" and the "Texas Twang" is all it's own. Honorable mention to the Creole/Cajun accent of Louisiana.

Then you have the California accent. I call that the "surfer dude" accent. It's so cute, hee hee.

I'm sure in Nigeria there are many dialects and accents depending on region. In American TV, broadcasters tend to go with the Mid Atlantic/no accent because everyone can understand it.

Yes, you can learn all things thug and more on BET (hanging head in shame). BTW, BET wasn't always like it is now. BET used to be quite sophisticated.

Look, just because of [/s]Americanization[s] Globalization, don't think the American way is always the best way. As the AA's would say here, "Do You!"

no brain

whara thang !

@ poster,
I would have taught u but I am not in America

@ Naija_Diva

<sup>naija_diva (f)
hyattsville, Maryland, USA
Posts: 1108

Offline

Re: I Want Someone To Teach Me American Accent
« #35 on: April 17, 2007, 10:28 PM »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
that's right. u try getting a</sup>

It's a different case in Louisiana.  They love the way Nigerians speak. Texas pretty much identifies Nigerians.  So, the way you speak does not limit you in terms of employment.

very simple,make you just dey say I WANNA, I GONNA, MEN, MOTHER FUCKER,BITCH, [b]NIGGER AND Bleep YOU EVERY DAY,[/b]within one month you go sabi american accent like me

@Ivvie

I understand what you are saying and I wasn't trying to accuse anyone of wanting to assimilate to Western/European ways. I just don't understand how his hopes and accomplishments wont be archived if he still keeps his accent. There are somethings in the corporate world that feel that should be adhered to. For instance, I feel your work attire is a uniform. We all put clothes on and take the off, just like the next person. It is a uniform in the sense of someone in the police force or a fireman. That is why everyday I have no problem wearing a suit or business casual attire(when appropriate). The thing that bothers me is when people want to change things that you born with. You can speak with an accent and sound intelligent and many times more intelligent than someone with an "American" accent. This is just one aspect but there are many more like I know some in the corporate world have issue when Black women wear their hair natural. They get their hair done just like everyone else and it is nice, neat, and clean. They don't ask women of other races to change their hair texture to make it tightly curled. I say this only to mean that there is no need to "assimilate" aspects of yourself that you are born with. When it comes to things that all in the corporate world do then I feel that is something we all should do.

lazy:

@Ivvie

I understand what you are saying and I wasn't trying to accuse anyone of wanting to assimilate to Western/European ways. I just don't understand how his hopes and accomplishments wont be archived if he still keeps his accent. There are somethings in the corporate world that feel that should be adhered to. For instance, I feel your work attire is a uniform. We all put clothes on and take the off, just like the next person. It is a uniform in the sense of someone in the police force or a fireman. That is why everyday I have no problem wearing a suit or business casual attire(when appropriate). The thing that bothers me is when people want to change things that you born with. You can speak with an accent and sound intelligent and many times more intelligent than someone with an "American" accent. This is just one aspect but there are many more like I know some in the corporate world have issue when Black women wear their hair natural. They get their hair done just like everyone else and it is nice, neat, and clean. They don't ask women of other races to change their hair texture to make it tightly curled. I say this only to mean that there is no need to "assimilate" aspects of yourself that you are born with. When it comes to things that all in the corporate world do then I feel that is something we all should do.

@Lazy
Some people think moving up means being like the rest.  Personally, I don't believe in it and wouldn't condone it either.  In the case of the African race and hair texture, that issue came up at my place of work.  Judge Mablean got fired for the same reason as well.  I don't blame the people enforcing it, but the ones adhering to it.  The whole hair-straightening came from slavery and this became popular as a means of trying to get accepted.  Some mulattos that could pass for white  were simply accepted.  One thing I will say in all reality is that the blacks can never be white and whites never black.  One would suppress and the other would oppose.  I was made to take Speech as a Sophomore because my advisor taught I needed it because I spoke words differently.  To date, it has made no difference.  Recently, I just found out that Webster couldn't spell, that's why American spellings differ from the standard spellings.

Ivvie:


@Lazy
Some people think moving up means being like the rest. Personally, I don't believe in it and wouldn't condone it either. In the case of the African race and hair texture, that issue came up at my place of work. Judge Mablean got fired for the same reason as well. I don't blame the people enforcing it, but the ones adhering to it. The whole hair-straightening came from slavery and this became popular as a means of trying to get accepted. Some mulattos that could pass for white were simply accepted. One thing I will say in all reality is that the blacks can never be white and whites never black. One would suppress and the other would oppose. I was made to take Speech as a Sophomore because my advisor taught I needed it because I spoke words differently. To date, it has made no difference. Recently, I just found out that Webster couldn't spell, that's why American spellings differ from the standard spellings.

@Ivvie
I totally agree with you. I don't blame the people enforcing it, but the ones adhering to it. If you want something to change then people need to stop adhering to something that is obviously not a requirement that any individual should have to meet. Some things should not be a requirement for "making it". If they are then people should want to be a part of the process in changing that requirement if you feel it is something that needs to change. If people didn't fight against certain opinions, Africans would still be a colonized people on the continent or an enslaved people in the Diaspora. I feel that the African Race still suffers from the "Slave" mind in the diaspora and the "Colonial" mind on the continent. People just need to be who or whatever they are and know that that is just as good as anything else. I never knew that about Webster! That is interesting.

@Lazy

lazy:

@Ivvie
I totally agree with you. I don't blame the people enforcing it, but the ones adhering to it. If you want something to change then people need to stop adhering to something that is obviously not a requirement that any individual should have to meet. Some things should not be a requirement for "making it". If they are then people should want to be a part of the process in changing that requirement if you feel it is something that needs to change. If people didn't fight against certain opinions, Africans would still be a colonized people on the continent or an enslaved people in the Diaspora. I feel that the African Race still suffers from the "Slave" mind in the diaspora and the "Colonial" mind on the continent. People just need to be who or whatever they are and know that that is just as good as anything else. I never knew that about Webster! That is interesting.

Yep, the stuff about Webster - When I took English 1, I had issues with my instructor concerning gramatical structure and spellings.  I spoke extremely different (so people thought I couldn't speak English).  I was given low grades and so, a suggestion arose that I take English for International Students.  I bluntly refused it and in class.  A lecture period occurred when my instructor ended a sentence with the word "at."  More like "where he was at" or something in that trend and I remarked forcefully that you don't end a sentence with a preposition.  Then I told the Nigerians what happened and somebody pointed it out from an English encyclopedia about Webster's issue.  I made my mind clear to the instructor that the class reflects English and not American English.  Also, I'd never seen the use of a comma, then the word "AND" following each other.  It's just sad how people graduate from college and not know English.  You cannot graduate from Secondary School without knowing WAEC English.

olutomiwa:

very simple,make you just dey say I WANNA, I GONNA, MEN, MOTHER FUCKER,BITCH, [b]NIGGER AND Bleep YOU EVERY DAY,[/b]within one month you go sabi american accent like me

you sound like this? im sorry for you!

its easy first prononce anyword with T as R eg warrer for water, lerrer for letter, larrer for later, wharrer hel for what the hell and pronounce O as aw eg God as gawd .
E for sweet pass if you be pastor you for sell well well by the time you preach like this:
Gwad is gonno pour warrer fram heaven en warrer your femely in jesus name.

Go meet pastor chris to coach you

spoilt:

you sound like this? im sorry for you!

say wetn?sorry for urself

hannydarl:

E for sweet pass if you be pastor you for sell well well by the time you preach like this:
Gwad is gonno pour warrer fram heaven en warrer your femely in jesus name.

Go meet pastor chris to coach you

ROFL, my goodness some do talk like that

ROFFLMFAO!!!!
nothin wey i no go hear for nairaland

Be proud of your accent why go putting on someone else's.

If you really want to learn the American accent go and check it out at www.losetheaccent.com, www.accentsworks.com, www.speakmoreclearly.com.

not to sound mean or anything but if u dont already know how to talk like an american (w/e that meands) den
you will only make urself look like a damn fool if u try.talk how u talk, u'll be more intrestin that way

@ poster

haba why u wana learn yankee accent, abi is it to impress a chic?

There really isnt a proper ny accent, we all got a certain way to say stuff n we all say it the same whether its proper
or ghetto we say ball,wall,car,coffee just like people frm boston

@ poster, what do you need it for, a presentation or summin, are you in some kind of competition that requires d accent
or you just need it to impress, if that is it den LOL LOL LOL LOL HAAAAA!!!!!

@post
boy, you so funny!

you dnt need to learn it, it'll come naturally once you've been there long enough.
if you're trying to sound yankee, babe, it'll come out rubbish. I've heard some folks here trying to sound American, its a painful torture to my ears.

let me continue with my yoruba accent.

thank you all.

And its a rap! LOL what a funny thread!

If still interested email me mrnnamdiakoma@gmail.com

If still interested email me mrnnamdiakoma@gmail.com
i think i can help you out.