Accent improvement (community college, club, move to)

[Wotnext]

Iam a non native speaker of English language trying to improve my accent. Iam aware of the many online programs but the only drawback IMO is training is provided by the hour.

Having pursued my education in other English speaking countries in the past I was able to improve both my linguistic skills and accent due to complete immersion with the locals in daily life.

I would really appreciate if you can suggest options that would improve accent. I have toyed with the idea of attending weekend courses at a community college or maybe volunteer at an establishment!

[ansky]

I'm no expert, but I would think all you need to do is practice. I doubt it would be necessary to pay for an online or college course. If you're friends with native English speakers have them practice saying things and having you repeat them. If you'd rather practice alone you could probably watch the local TV news and try repeating what they say. Maybe record yourself if you need to.

[HudsonCoNJ]

U wot m8?

[daliowa]

Many public libraries have English conversation groups for non-native speakers. Go to your local public library and ask if they offer anything like that.

Maybe join a book club at the library? Each time the book club meets you'd be practicing your English listening & speaking skills.

[lancers]

Keep practicing. The likelihood of you getting rid of your accent is next to impossible if you came to this country after the age of 13.

[Retriever]

Originally Posted by lancers

Keep practicing. The likelihood of you getting rid of your accent is next to impossible if you came to this country after the age of 13.

+1
I think that most people are unaware of this reality, but people who move to a different country after the time of reaching puberty are very unlikely to ever lose their native accent.

[jerseyj]

I agree with the other posters, your written English is very good. New Jersey is loaded with people from all over with accents and speech styles from their countries of origin.

Here in NJ we celebrate the diversity of our residents.

[daliowa]

OP may never lose the accent totally, but may be looking to improve the clarity of spoken words, i.e. the ability of others to easily understand when OP is speaking in English.

[ansky]

Originally Posted by Retriever

+1
I think that most people are unaware of this reality, but people who move to a different country after the time of reaching puberty are very unlikely to ever lose their native accent.

What about people that move here from down South? Do they lose their southern drawl? I always wondered about that. I know people that moved from the North to the South and when they are down south they have the drawl, but they are able to turn it off when they come back up North. It's pretty interesting. The way people talk down South is basically a foreign language.

[lancers]

Originally Posted by ansky

What about people that move here from down South? Do they lose their southern drawl? I always wondered about that. I know people that moved from the North to the South and when they are down south they have the drawl, but they are able to turn it off when they come back up North. It's pretty interesting. The way people talk down South is basically a foreign language.

Given enough time yes. I meet people from all over the country with some next to impossible to figure out where they originally came from if they have moved around a lot. On the other hand I have met some folks who never lose their native accents. This is different from what the OP is talking about obviously.