What are some effective ways a foreign speaker can improve pronunciation in English?

Question

How can a foreign speaker (where a "foreign speaker" speaks English as a second language) effectively improve their spoken English by improving their pronunciation and reducing their foreign accent.

To be more specific, let's assume that the foreign speaker wishes to target a particular regional accent in English. Let's take mid-western United States as an example.

Note: this is a cross-post from the Stack Exchange site "Spanish Language and Usage". I posted in both places because I expect the methods for improving pronunciation may differ.

Speak over and over with speakers of that accent. By the way, most native speakers in the US wouldn't be able to tell that there is a mid-western accent that is different from the majority of the US population. That is, as far as accents (and culture) goes, there's hardly anything special. Pretty mainstream. — Mitch, Mar 30 '12 at 14:21
possible duplicate of Fun and enjoyable ways to practice pronunciation? — Mitch, Mar 30 '12 at 14:53
The neutral Mid-Western accent is still what counts as "normal" in the US dominated entertainment industry. A British accent provides a "splash of otherness", when set alongside it. — Mitch, Mar 30 '12 at 15:27
Note, I see question as off-topic (rather than not constructive), per faq proviso "don’t ask ... How to improve my English" — James Waldby - jwpat7, Mar 30 '12 at 18:34

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 30 '12 at 14:02

5

There is some encouraging research behind the approach used in the English Accent Coach website. It's free and easy to use. You don't even need to login. (I was not involved with and have no commercial interest in the site.)

answered Mar 30 '12 at 14:02

Brett Reynolds

9,274

What are some effective ways a foreign speaker can improve pronunciation in English?

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