I've had a weird journey learning English. Having grown up in Canada, I learned English before I learned my own native language. Once I moved back to the country from which my parents are originally from, my Canadian accent was totally lost. I moved back to Canada two years ago and have been having difficulty with my accent. I have attempted to learn how to pronounce all vowels and constants and I have also tried shadowing but I am still far from a native English speaker.
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1This is an off-topic question for ELL.– FeliniusRex - goneMay 3, 2021 at 20:45
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3Give yourself more credit: your accent is not bad at all! I couldn't disagree more with @Kentaro's comment: I had no trouble at all understanding you. Now, of course there are things you could improve, but I hope you don't feel like your accent is a major obstacle to communication. It isn't, at least to my ear.– TypeIAMay 3, 2021 at 20:45
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2It's not off topic at all. When did the pronunciation of English become off topic? I'm not a native speaker unlike @TypelA so that I said cruel thing but coming out like this deserved at least a vote. (IMO).– KentaroMay 3, 2021 at 20:48
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2@Lambie Turn your volume up. That's a technical issue, not a linguistic issue. (Yes, the recording is quiet.)– TypeIAMay 3, 2021 at 21:17
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4@Kentaro wrote "it is very difficult to catch even a word". Nonsense. Possibly spiteful. Ali, you speak very clearly. I do agree with Lambie, though. You are speaking like you are in church, and in a bit of a monotone. You need to 'produce' your voice more, but there is nothing wrong with either your accent or pronunciation. You do not sound like a native speaker (although I can hear Canada) but if you are remaining in Canada just stay with it. Practice conversation, watch TV news (especially interviews with members of the public).– Michael HarveyMay 3, 2021 at 21:38
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1 Answer
Here are some thoughts, in no particular order. I can't really offer any strong suggestions on what you should focus on first or what's most important, but here are the things I noticed after listening.
You over-enunciate some consonants, and under-enunciate others. Your /t/s are sometimes too crisp and sharp. On the other hand your /d/ in "understand" is almost inaudible.
You seem to muddle through some words, like when you say "like, is it my rhythm ..." this should be six distinct syllables, but the /ɪ/s seem to disappear and the consonants blend together.
Some of your vowel tones and lengths are off. (On the other hand, some of them are perfect.) Example: the /ʌ/ ("uhh" sound) in "... something [else]?" is too deep and too long. This is the kind of nuance that can take decades to master, and many people beyond a certain age simply never can. That's okay! I'm a foreign language learner & expatriate myself, and I've accepted the fact that I'll very probably never master nuances like this and will always have an "American accent."
Give yourself more credit: your accent is not bad at all! I couldn't disagree more with the comment saying you were hard to understand: I had no trouble at all understanding you. Now, of course there are things you could improve, but I hope you don't feel like your accent is a major obstacle to communication. It isn't, at least to my ear!
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1Even though the sound ain't great, I feel that you are going overboard here.– LambieMay 3, 2021 at 21:21
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@Lambie Can you expand on that? Do you think this person doesn't deserve an answer for some reason, that the points I raised are incorrect, or that the explanations need improvement? I'm happy to incorporate constructive feedback.– TypeIAMay 4, 2021 at 7:05