₦airaland Forum

chulla12: Can you stop cursing and acting all dramatic?

And stop linking me to Wikipedia and accent losing advertisements.

I go by authorized biographies and interviews which state that Charlize learned the accent herself while watching American TV shows and listening to American songs.

Are you an imbe*cile or what?

chulla12: Okay...i'd rather not go by Wikipedia but personal interviews and authorized biographies.

It is common knowledge among Hollywood insiders that Charlize was self-taught in losing her accent. She has mentioned in several interviews that she achieved this when she was a struggling actress.

Yes I know what accent reduction coaching is but it is not a root cause for every adult that loses his or her accent.

Lastly, calm down. Breathe deeply. We are not fighting the battle of Musanga here.

Like, seriously, fu*xck all the way off. Youre now just acting like a blockheaded pest. Is it just a Nigerian thing to hate to admit fault, accept correction and learn or are you just inherently naturally dumb? If it was that easy to lose accents in adulthood without coaching I'd sound Nigerian, Gambian or like someone from Kentucky.

Sound Too Regional? Accent Reduction Might Be For You

By Stephanie Ciccarelli
January 24, 2013
Comments (9)


Can someone pick your voice out as being from a specific region?

For those who get into voice-over, being able to sound "neutral" in terms of accent can be very important, so much in fact that these talent work hard to reduce their regional accents and adopt a more national, polished sound for broadcast and other applications.

Have you worked toward reducing your accent or modified your accent to sound, well, unaccented?

Be sure to comment and let me know! Join the conversation in today's VOX Daily.

Got You Pegged

Many people in our industry have worked hard to rid themselves or minimize their regional accents in order to get work. One of the great things about being an actor, and a voice actor at that, is that you can study different accents and dialects that will help expand your opportunities for roles.

If you've ever wondered what your regional accent is, you can take this US regional accent quiz.

Sometimes when people who have worked hard to eliminate their regional accent get overly emotional or excited, their regional accent comes barreling through. Raw emotion tends to release more than just feelings...it can awaken accents or manners of speech, too! You might have noticed this either in yourself, people you know or in movies you have watched where inconsistencies in character voices may abound.

Accent Reduction and Modification

A number of celebrities work with dialect coaches on set when acting on television or in a film. Even someone like the president of the United States has invested in a form of training for the way that he speaks. As voice-over professionals, one skill you'll want to have is the ability to modify how your accent comes across. This may mean eliminating a regional accent or developing a new accent for roles on-camera or behind the microphone.

Voice trainer Jill Tarnoff specializes in helping people to modify regional accents. The clientele seeking accent modification services include corporate types, actors and those who would like to improve how they communicate.

Sam Chwat, "the speech therapist to the stars," has instructed a Who's Who of Oscar and Grammy winners and nominees, as well as business leaders, broadcasters, diplomats and politicians. The Sam Chwat Speech Center is the leading speech pathologist group that specializes in accent reduction/elimination. The Sam Chwat Method, the accent without an accent, has empowered thousands to achieve their personal goals. Their services include everything from foreign and regional accent elimination, to corporate presentation, dialect acquisition and Standard American English.

17 Celebrities Who Have Worked With Sam Chwat

Robert DeNiro

Julia Roberts

Roberto Benigni

Marcia Gay Harden

Willem Dafoe

Kate Hudson

Olympia Dukakis

Jude Law

Jon Bon Jovi

Patrick Stewart

Kim Cattrall

John Leguizamo

Roma Downey

Linda Evangelista

Rachel Weisz

Charlize Theron

Harry Connick, Jr.

Have You Tried To Modify Your Accent?

Whether you have tried to eliminate a regional accent or have worked hard to develop new accents for use in acting roles, I'd love to hear from you!

Be sure to let me know how you've been modifying your accent by leaving a comment.

Best wishes,
Stephanie

iStockphoto.com©seandeburca

Related Topics: Accent, Celebrities, industry, TV, United States
Comments

I am from Houston, Texas. I have worked hard for fourteen years to have a more neutral, non-region specific voice! I can call upon the southern accent for clients if asked, and the best part is that its REAL. I also have seemingly mastered several British dialects, and routinely book British accent voiceover jobs on voices.com using them!
-Markham Anderson

Posted by:
Markham Anderson
January 25, 2013 8:16 AM
I am from Coastal North Carolina and am quite southern. When I am relaxed my "southern charm" is evident in my voice and I thought that was how I took the quiz...results say 88% Midland(but said maybe from Atlanta or Charleston) Wow. I took it twice speaking aloud, Here is the results:

What American accent do you have?

Your Result: The Midland

88%
"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.

78%The South

66%The West

61%The Northeast

55%The Inland North

36%Philadelphia

34%Boston

3%North Central

Gotta get back to the auditions!
Herb Blake-Voice Artist

Posted by:
Herb Blake
January 25, 2013 9:03 AM
I ... AM Canadian. ha!

80% North Central

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.

76%Boston

72%The West

68%The Midland

59%The Inland North

53%The Northeast

45%Philadelphia

31%The South

It's funny because according to the American couple that I sat next to on a trip to Florida last January, I don't sound Canadian at all. But, then again, my accent changes according to who I'm talking to. I have a tendency to mimic other people's accents without really thinking about it.

Posted by:
Alice K.
January 25, 2013 10:38 AM
I get busted on this sometimes for being Canadian. People may love how friendly we are and they sure do love to eat our maple syrup. But sometimes they aren't very forgiving when it comes to how we say certain words!

Eh!

Posted by:
Marc Scott
January 25, 2013 10:52 AM
Fun quiz! Pegged me as "The West or Midland. Spent my childhood in Southern California, and now in Nebraska, so spot on. Glad I don't have a discernible accent--makes VO a lot easier! Thanks for something fun to divert myself away from editing for a few moments:-)

Posted by:
Karen DeBoer
January 25, 2013 2:21 PM
We have big regional variations here in UK, too. London alone has suburban nuances: being born there I can hear them, though I can't do that in say Glasgow or Manchester.
As to suppressing accent: yes plain Brit RP is easily be perceived as 'posh', i.e. upper-class, though I'm certainly not that, and I used to think it a disadvantage to sound like the BBC until an excellent USA coach told me Use it. Work with it, not against. It is your unique proposition.
I take that as one more way of saying 'Be Yourself'. Which does not mean it stops you building characters on top of it.

Posted by:
Howard Ellison
January 25, 2013 3:35 PM
I started doing some voiceover work a few years ago, and then I decided to pursue a master's degree in speech-language pathology. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised that I enjoyed learning about the voice and accent modification / reduction, haha. The funny thing is my voiceover coach I used to work with encouraged me to neutralize my "Chicago" accent!Through training with voiceover coaches and my training in speech-language pathology, I have improved my awareness and knowledge about accent modification and voice improvement! I have been able to re-teach myself and others because of this training. I am excited to re-enter the voiceover world with my new knowledge and awareness of voice and speech patterns!

Posted by:
Nisha Malavia
January 25, 2013 7:41 PM
Hello Stephanie:

Grew up in Northern New Jersey, rated as 100% northeastern. Guilty as charged! However, for the most part, the accent hasn't been a liability!

Posted by:
Bill Nevitt
January 27, 2013 1:32 PM
100% inland north -- which is cool because I grew up in Northeast Ohio, near Lake Erie! Right on.

Posted by:
Margaret Rodeheaver
January 28, 2013 10:30 AM
- See more at: http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2013/01/accent_modification_reduction.html#sthash.fHSMB1Bi.dpuf




http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2013/01/accent_modification_reduction.html

chulla12: http://www.people.com/people/charlize_theron/

Click here for her biography.

Click a link supplied to me by a Nigerian online? Roflmao Nice try, buddy.

You really need to f*cuk off, take a hike and jump off a cliff headfirst and stop pretending you know what the hell youre talking about.

chulla12: But she didn't lose it by professional coaching though.

She is a PERFECT example.

Youre an id*iot and I honestly cant stand f*xckers like yourself your so annoying its unbelievable.


"Accent reduction, also known as elocution, accent modification or accent neutralization, is a systematic approach used to learn or adopt a new accent. It is the process of learning the sound system (or phonology) of a language or dialect. The methodology involves several steps, which include identifying deviations in the person's current speech from the desired accent (such as pronunciation, speech patterns, and speech habits), changing the way one uses the mouth, teeth, and tongue to form vowel and consonant sounds, modifying one's intonation and stress patterns, and changing one's rhythm. Using this method, individuals such as those mastering a second language may alter their speech to more closely resemble the accent of a certain group of people, and thus enhance the clarity of their communication with those people.

The actors Charlize Theron, Portia de Rossi and Anthony La Paglia are examples of some notable people who received such training to lose their native accents and develop American accents, even in everyday speech."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accent_reduction
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110207191939AAkreKa

Ramnon2: FYI, I was not 12 when I came to the US. In any case, the Nigerian prof who had asked about speaking in an Igbo accent realized the folly of his expectation and backed off

Who said anything about you coming out here when you were 12? Even from your writing, its obvious you never stood 3ft close to a white man till you were well into adulthood.

Dude, stop being delusional.

Ramnon2: Dummy, I do not need to lose my accent; would not, even if offered a billion. It's inferior homo sapien Nigerians like you who do everything to be non-Nigerian. Are you not the Yoruba man claiming to be non-Nigerian? Why do Westerners and Chinese in Nigeria not speak like Nigerians? Goat head.


Any individual Nigerian living outside Nigeria who chooses to could lose their Nigerian accent(s); it is a personal thing. But to expect every Nigerian to do so is foolish. I made that clear to the Nigerian professor.

When I see Westerners in Nigeria speaking English with a Nigerian accent, then I can consider doing so here.

In fact, many colleagues here have walked up to me telling me they love my accent and have always wanted to hear something foreign.

So for now it's my Igbotic accent all the way. That has not stopped me from being an invited speaker in uncountable global meetings.

The typical chest beating... why am I not surprised?!

Like I said: YOU DIDNT CHOOSE NOT TO LOSE YOUR ACCENT, YOUR ACCENT STILL REMAINS BECAUSE IT HAS NOWHERE TO GO TO; ITS STUCK IN YOU AND IS NOW PART AND PARCEL SO STOP LYING TO YOURSELF.

If it was that easy to lose accents Hausas would sound like Yorubas after living in Lagos for a while, Ibos would sound like Hausas after living in Kano for a while, Yorubas would sound like Ibos after living in Aba for a while, heck, even someone from Houston would sound like a New Englander after living in Vermont for a while.....

But, guess what, after a certain age that damn accent aint going nowhere.

I lived in Nigeria for 30+ odd years and apart from my physical features, the moment I open my mouth you can tell that, "Yeah, hes been living around us but hes not part of us".

Like I said: STOP DECEIVING YOURSELF!

P.S: Youve got a serious inferiority complex you need to go seek Professional help to deal with.

chulla12: There are many adults who end up losing their accents over time in a foreign land.

Charlize Theron is a famous example.

Did you somehow miss the part where I said ".... with PROFESSIONAL COACHING" or you think that South African accent just disappeared on its own?!

Mod STOP DELETING MY POSTS!!!

Ummm...why is my moniker up there? Apart from me championing transparency, good governance and anti-corruption advocates like Buhari how the hell would you be stu*pid enough to even assume that your illiterate leaders---who almost damn near lick my toes whenever we are opportune to meet---are paying me? To say what exactly?

I honestly think you need to check yourself into a mental institution.

Ramnon2: Duh! Learning Mandarin is not the same as expecting an American (for example) to speak mandarin with a Chinese accent. I am not surprised that you are equating language with accent; you have always been a confused, identity crisis-ridden fellow.

See, youre just a dummy! I made that analogy to let you see that when you speak like your hosts they quickly see you as one of them as opposed to when you sound different. I bet even if you were offered a Billion dollars you couldn't lose your accent, so stop pretending like it's your choice.

Sirkris: forget the crowd, if APC field prince Audu, they are bound to loose against Any Igala fielded by PDP. The only way APC can win Kogi is for PDP to field an Ebira man while any good igala apart from prince Audu to bear the APC flag.

Why is everything based on tribe to you backwards oafs?

Ramnon2: Why would anybody even try to lose their accent?

Same reason you go to China and it's advisable to learn Mandarin.

Ramnon2: I am a regular attendee of international forums; I am yet to see any Indian, Chinese, German, French, Russian etc, raised and educated in those countries and now living in the US who tries everything in his power to change his accent to American. Only some complex-ridden Africans (especially some Nigerians) do so. The important thing is to speak clearly, coherently and understandably, and these I have mastered long before even coming to America.

Ask Okonjo Iweala - who even studied in the US- the accent she used to manage the World Bank for many years.

Good for you that you attend a lot of International forums, but you need to learn to properly comprehend what you read or just be quiet if you have no idea about the topic at hand.

Like I said Age 12 is the cut off mark to lose your old accent without professional coaching; 15yrs-17yrs old tops. Has Okonjo-iweala or those European friends of yours lived here since their childhood and is now in their 50's?

Sagamite: So e don pass level of being on internet, he hires others to do it now?

Yes. He works directly with the President now. He's his "Special Assistant on Media Matters". Go on twitter and check him out. He was busted four years ago as being the same person, but made a futile attempt to deny. Too late. The horse had already bolted from the stable.

RebelLeader15: List of APthieves and PDP e-warriors

ololololo, Fufuky, annoymous, wheredemdey, Ainooyozi, Realist2, stupor, Stanley1st, Pasca07, bobasuo1, IcemanP(m), aminubako(m), Satguru, Stelvin101(m), ifevictor, Audu123(m), whitedove(m), jidxin(m), vosquare, onyxo76(m), dramaticspeak(f), Drogba11, tivta(m), clerkkent, sidwell, kennygee(f), Maranzano(m), OkikiOluwa1(m), goldbim(f), myweb, Adebanjoqs(m), payne4real(m), Ikechukwu09(m), abbey2kool, chucky234(m), MztrChukwu(m), berem(f), SpaceAngel, lynpetra(f), abdulwasii75, mercato, Airforce1(m), baby4u2(f), Geniero, adonbilivit, darne(m), Handsomeemmy(m), drey08(m), Arsenate(m), xarxes(m), Chrisbenogor(m), aljharem(m), Tedman, AustinEke, georgywest(m), Eneze1(f), Saintp(m), Sability(m), beopened, Blueboy0402, Whizzdom, Tymax(m), Zector(m), qplus(m), Akinwunmy(m), atlwireles, kennosklint(m), Kswiss001, Sadrey1(m), IbokUtoroh(m), berberjyde, Temmysexy1, Viscy(m), GozieDiora, LordMecuzy(m), Chitexs250(m), hawksford, DisGuy, Lachynos2k2(m), lordnoah, sirjohnson(m), ntyce(m), DrBookie, ISpiksDaTroof, peterpeteru(m), spicyJ(m), Anaskie(m), Truckpusher(m), rali123(f), RebelLeader15(m), ziga, dvdon(m), qweenaxx(f), Paradise163(f), Nuyosunny19, Donkunxex(m), oride(m), JingoOAU(m), Billyonaire, Femtopford(m), rickkid, BRAV0O(m), Pk001(m), Akanbiedu(m), asoebi(m), agabusta, Brunel(m), valentinecj, kolawaxxy(m), jabanz(m), Anugod(f), GodMode, Qoigord and 107 guest(s)

Ummm...why is my moniker up there? Apart from me championing transparency, good governance and anti-corruption advocates like Buhari how the hell would you be stu*pid enough to even assume that your illiterate leaders---who almost damn near lick my toes whenever we are opportune to meet---are paying me? To say what exactly?

I honestly think you need to check yourself into a mental institution.

kobonaire: The great irony of this humorous thread is that the OP (sagamite) is one of the greatest keyboard warriors on NairaLand ..... borrowing on his infamous obscenity ..... he is the undisputed and official "cretinous fücktârd of NairaLand"......
He is apparently still upset with NL for taking away his previous mod privileges.... a decision which was not surprising given his instability.

But he's not getting paid to be a keyboard warrior, that's the difference. He's speaking what's on his mind, not being bribed to say what's on his "master's" mind.


Get it now?

calebo101: It's not surprising when some people sit down and tell you why a 70 years old politician is the best Nigeria can present. You simply know they have been paid.

No, they're just smarter than your ignorant self is all.

Sagamite: Yep. This is one of the suspected Beaf's numerous new handles.

Definitely not Beaf. That "Billionare" guy is just a step above "illiterate". Reno Omokri was better educated.

Sagamite: He is still here using another moniker.

He was the first to apply for such jobs after years of joblessness roaming the streets of Lagos.

The name Beaf was just too soiled to continue being used.

Reno Omokri is living large now

Billyonaire: I see nothing wrong in evolution of paid online campaigners. I feel its a better enterprise module than mortal combat as it helps magnify the candidate and create awareness to electorates without bottle breaking, stabbings or assassinations.

You see nothing wrong in bribes and distortion of information?

Tell me, do you even have any good morals you live by?

adeoladrg: No one mentioned the great BEAF. That guy was a serious warrior. He couldn't have been paid anything less than 100K to support GEJ on NL. Babanla E-warrior, it only took Gbawe to rip him off his job








RIP beaf

RIP Beaf? Roflmao Reno Omokri is living large having just bought another Mansion in Asokoro. He'll be back in December 2014 to continue the evil he started during the last election.

nku5: Priceless topic sagamite! As per the use of ethnicity Eko Ile pioneered that nonsense on this site

Actually that was Beaf (aka Reno Omokri) that started using tribe and religion to divide yall.

Ramnon2: So last week I was a speaker at an international conference in Washington DC in which a number of Nigerians from Nigeria were in attendance.
Information on the proceedings of the conference was distributed well in advance. Thus, from my Nigerian name boldly contained among the speakers' list and the accompanying presentation abstracts, it was clear to those Nigerians that one of the speakers would be a Nigerian. Not surprisingly, I received email messages from nearly all of the Nigerian attendees wanting to discuss with me during the conference.

After my presentation, one of them, a university professor from xxxx university, xxxx State, who approached me first asked me ''Bros, how come you still have an Igbo accent despite living in the US''? I was like, duh!! ''I may be an American by adoption, but I am still a proper Igbo man''.

Then I asked him how many Americans or Britons he had met in Nigeria and he replied ''quite a number''. I asked him how many of those Americans/Britons speak English with an Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa accent? He said ''none, of course''. Then I pressed him further on why he expected me, a complete Igbo man, to speak English with an American accent. He replied with ''well, I thought if you live in Rome you should behave like Romans'', to which I responded ''but the Americans who live in Nigeria do not speak English like Nigerians, let alone speak a Nigerian language''. At that point he realized the folly of his expectation and we laughed it off and went into the more serious business of discussing their presence in the conference and its relevance to Nigeria.

Upon further reflection later in the day, the whole thing sank home to me that this man is not alone in this. When I used to watch Nollywood movies, I observed the actors doing all they could to speak in foreign accents, even to us their Nigerian movie watchers.

So, I ask you fellow Nairalanders why do Nigerians feel speaking in an American or British Accent is great? Is it a case of inferiority complex for such Nigerians?

He speaks like an Ibo man because his accent (like most Nigerian accents) is one of the hardest to lose and not because he "Chose" not to lose it. If he arrived in this country, say, prior to his 12th birthday of course he would speak like his hosts, just like if an American child lives in your country at that age he'd develop the speech process of his hosts. This has nothing to do with "National Pride".

You're speaking like that because you can NEVER lose that accent without professional coaching.

anonimi: Because Buhari's clueless legacy has entrenched itself in the lazy brains of the LGA officials and MUMU citizens like you.

Do the citizens of European & North America clean their own gutters, roads, streets, parks etc or they have 'lucky' Nigerians working well paid LGA jobs do it for the community

Wow, look at what being born and raised in a chaotic society has done to this clown's thought process.

Ikengawo: In America, except in a few very small towns, electrical companies COMPETE with each other for customers.
The city of Dallas can have up to 12 different distribution companies where as in the entire SW region there is just 1 disco and so forth (which is an improvement from before when only 1 company ran the whole Nigeria of 170 million people)

Each company produces it's own electricity, and people can chose to pay that company's rate to be with that company. If you have one that has power outages, then people will flee and go to one that works. In the end the ones that provide the best service survive and the rolling blackout ones die off. The competition forces them to be better. The service is better, there's no such a thing as black out now, and so forth because all companies are trying their hardest to be the best.

So if I take a bungalow and fill it with 40 diesel generators, I can have my own power company, and people can pay me to provide them with power. They will pay me monthly and as more people demand to use my power, I expand.



IF it's legally possible to do this in Nigeria I will consider it as a business venture, otherwise I would like to see the government consider this because it will solve the power situation in the span of less than 5 years.

And you think you thought up this "genius" idea yourself or that the Govt doesn't know this is what it needs to do?

Fact remains if corruption is not killed nothing improves... just like the shitty telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

Genius100: OP, not true. California has just one power company with the government somewhat regulating the tariff.

Its absolutely impossible that A state as big as Cali will have only one power company.

dedons: I'm surprised to observe that the former minister of the FCT and a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress(APC),Mallam Nasir El Rufai is yet to make a comment on the victory which the Nigerian army has so far recorded in the north eastern part of the country in recent time.


He has been at the fore-front of always condemning the Nigerian army on the fight against the Boko-haram terrorists.

Is it that he is not aware of the latest happenings in the north-east?

Is he still preparing what to tweet this time?

Or did he just intentionally decide to be quiet?


Please I need your opinions.

Arthur Nzeribe, Andy Ubah, Emeka Ojukwu Jr, Orji Uzor Kalu and like 500 other notable ibo leaders I can mention ain't comment either.

Vikky014: open ur quran read 2:191-193.

The Bible is still the single most violent book ever produced in the history of man.

anonimi: If anyone was in doubt of your cluelessness from the earlier you just removed any remaining doubt.
If simply owing is enslavement, Dangote [for example] must be a multiple slave going by your senseless logic

Buhari made us do a job that LGAs are already paid by us to do- environmental cleaning of our COMMON/PUBLIC spaces- yet you commend him for that
Chai, why are we such MUMUS

How old are you? How many of your original brain cells still remain because you sound like a loonie.

Buhari made you do a job LGA's are already paid for? Ok, cool. Are your LGA's not getting paid today: WHY IS THE WHOLE OF NIGERIA LOOKING LIKE ONE GIANT PIG STY, you filthy animal?

ola6: Except you are paid then I'll agree with you. If you are not and you are a Lagosian then you probably are not "street". If you know the resentment on the streets of Lagos for APC, you'll not type this. Please leave your APC-centric friends and hit the streets of Lagos to know what's up.

No, Im not paid. No, I'm not Lagosian. And, No, Im definitely not "street". Nor am I in any way affiliated with any political party in Nigeria. Again, like I said, you clearly know nothing.

ola6: Lets see the SW come 2015, I KNOW FOR SURE OYO AND LAGOS WILL NOT BE LED BY AN APC GOVERNMENT. Take that to the bank!

Then you know nothing and will leave the bank empty handed.