Regarded as the most common type of English worldwide, learning the American accent can help you immensely in dealing with the rest of the English-speaking world.
There are a few tips and tricks you’ll need to master to morph your accent into the American variety.
Whether you want to study or work in the US or Canada, have American clients, or simply want to change up your style of speaking, learning an American accent can be a great move!
Types of American English
Did you know that “American” actually refers to the continents of North and South America?
Typically, when people talk about “American” things, they are referring to the United States of America, but Canadians, Mexicans, and people from Central and South America can also be considered Americans.
The type of accent you’re likely thinking of, and that we will be talking about in this article, is North American English which can be found in the U.S. and Canada.
Which American Accent Should You Learn?
Within North American English (NAE), there are about 37 recognized U.S. accents and 7 Canadian ones.
Some of these accents are hard to understand, even for other native English speakers.
For the most part, the accents you’ll hear in media like TV and films will be one of the following:
- General American English ("Standard American English," “Neutral American” or "the Newscaster Accent")
- New York City English
- Boston English
- Californian English
- Southern American English
- Standard Canadian English
Keep in mind that the same accent can sound different between different speakers and regions. Keen-eared listeners will be able to tell the difference between a Georgian accent and a South Carolinian accent even though they are both Southern!
To be the most versatile in your American accent, you should aim to learn General American or Standard Canadian, which are more similar than they are different. If you can understand one, you can understand the other.
If you know you’ll be living in a certain area, however, you could learn the dialect local to that region. For example, Texas will have plenty of General American speakers, but it will also have quite a few people with stronger Texan accents; you may need to become familiar with this accent in order to enjoy your time there more.
If you have a hard time understanding the local dialect, you may have less-than-optimal interactions with others as you struggle to understand them, and vice-versa. Some people who are born and raised in a certain area don’t have an ear for accents different from their own, so they might not understand you well either.
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Tools for Tuning Your Ears to the American Accent
Luckily, NAE pervades pop culture and you won’t have any trouble finding resources to listen to it!
There are a few different ways you can practice tuning your ear to recognize General American, Standard Canadian, and other accents in English.
Learning to listen is the first step when improving your pronunciation in a language. You need to know how to listen to others speaking with you, and then you can learn how to mirror their accent back to them.
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Here are some great ways to get better at listening to NAE so you can learn American accent.
Watch Films and TV
Pick any media that takes place in the U.S. or Canada (there are hundreds of thousands), and you’ll likely be able to practice your listening!
But, to help you narrow it down, here are some suggestions:
General American
- Disney and Pixar movies
- Friends
- The Avengers
- Titanic
- Home Alone
- Stranger Things
- The Good Place
New York City English
- Law & Order
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (specifically the characters Lillian and Mikey)
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- American Gangster
- Goodfellas
- Midnight Cowboy (the movie with the famous “I’m walkin’ here!” line)
- Birds of Prey
- The Sopranos
- The Mindy Project
- The Real Housewives of New York City
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Boston English
- Good Will Hunting
- The Town
- Mystic River
- The Fighter
- The Heat
- Fever Pitch
- City on a Hill
- Hightown
- St. Elsewhere
- Cheers
- The Practice
Californian English
- Clueless
- The Real Housewives of Orange County
- The O.C.
- Legally Blonde
- Valley Girl (2020)
- Workaholics
- Dead to Me
- NCIS: Los Angeles
- Modern Family
- Grace and Frankie
- Erin Brockovich
Southern American English
- Forrest Gump
- House of Cards
- Friday Night Lights
- Interstellar
- The Walking Dead
- One Tree Hill
- Steel Magnolias
- Mud
- No Country for Old Men
- Selma
Standard Canadian English
- Schitt’s Creek
- Kim’s Convenience
- Degrassi
- Heartland
- Corner Gas
- The Amazing Gayl Pile
- Cavendish
- Letterkenny
- The Disappeared (2012)
- One Week
- Trudeau
- October Gale
Disney and Pixar’s animated movies make the list because they are so widespread and popular, but try to watch a lot of live-action media so you can also gain the benefit of watching people’s mouths and body language in real life.
Being able to incorporate reading lips into your communication helps cut down on mishearing or misunderstanding. It can also help you learn how to move your own mouth and tongue to make the pronunciation you’re going for.
Listen to Podcasts
What better way to listen to American pronunciations than with podcasts?
You can find hundreds of podcasts about different topics. For more formal learning, you can choose podcasts that teach English pronunciation and vocabulary, or you can find a show about something fun that you like to learn about anyway.
Either way, just listening to a program spoken in your target accent can help you immensely in learning how to speak.
Watch YouTube
YouTube is always a great choice when it comes to learning, especially for languages!
Look for creators who specialize in making videos about how to perfect your accent, explain vocabulary, and talk about local customs and social etiquette.
You can also simply find creators who have your target accent and watch their content regardless of the subject.
How to Practice Your American Accent
How can you go from listening to an American accent to speaking an American accent?
There are several tools you can use to help yourself learn to speak with an American accent!
Record Yourself Speaking
Get into the groove by narrating your daily routine, chatting about your favorite topics, or echoing lines from movies with the RP accent.
Capture your speech on a recording device, enabling you to playback and pinpoint any hiccups in pronunciation. Though it may trigger a tad bit of self-consciousness (few of us relish the sound of our own voices), this exercise proves immensely valuable for self-assessment.
Speak with Natives
Enlist in a handy app such as Tandem or HelloTalk to kickstart your practice sessions with native English speakers!
If you manage to connect with someone sporting your desired accent, you can delve deeper into the intricacies of syncing your brain and speech to match your conversational companion. Even if they don't naturally possess your target accent, your language partner will likely still be able to help you improve in general.
This is the best way to learn about social etiquette and vocabulary.
Hire a Coach
To elevate your proficiency, consider enlisting the expertise of an accent coach who can expedite your mastery of the chosen accent.
Just like actors rely on accent coaches to ensure authenticity on screen, you too can benefit from their guidance in perfecting your desired accent.
An accent coach brings valuable insights into the technical aspects and teaching methodologies involved in altering your speech patterns.
Discover a qualified accent coach on platforms like Superprof for your journey.
NAE is a staple in the international business and hospitality world, and many opportunities exist in the country. If you plan on living or working with native NAE speakers, you need to brush up on your accent so you can communicate without issue!
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