Learning the Standard American Accent (San Diego, Sacramento: school districts, community college, live)

[knight_gt]

Are there any institutes or training centers in Sac (preferably downtown/midtown area) which offer accent reduction for non-native speakers?

Thanks.

[ryuns]

Are you planning to work at a call center or something? Sac, of anywhere, has a pretty wide array of accents, including among professionals, and no one seems to care.

[5thgenSF]

i don't know but i think it's great you're trying to find something. many non-native speakers learn a british accent and that's still sometimes hard to understand. so many accents just in english. east coast doesn't sound like west coast which doesn't sound like the south nor the mid-west!

[Bulldogdad]

Yes and its free. TV.

[NinaN]

Watch the national news.

[Samoi137]

It sounds like you want a speech coach. Or try an acting class. Look at American River College, Sac City College, etc. Or a broadcasting class (not cheap). There is an English Language Institute at Sac State http://www.cce.csus.edu/programs/eli/about_us.htm They may be able to direct you even if they don't have the right course for you. Some commercial schools (e.g., Kaplan) may be of help to you though I'd assume they'd be more to learn the language rather than accent reduction per se. You could call them and ask for ideas.

[shelato]

Before the recession, the local school districts would offer several levels of ESL classes (English as a Second Language) and the more advanced classes would have an accent reduction component. But right now the school districts are often cutting back Adult Education Offerings because of the tight budget.

It might be worth making some calls to find out if any of the local school districts are offering ESL classes that you might be able to use.

ESL - Sacramento City Unified School District

Sunrise Tech Center

Elk Grove Adult & Community Education: English as a Second Language

If that doesn't work, then contact the local community colleges. Classes might be a little more expensive, but the classes may also just be better.

Sacramento City College Assessment Center

American River College

CRC - ESL Home

[KC6ZLV]

Accent-reduction isn't taught in an ESL course, and TV/Radio isn't used for it either. It involves awareness of why non-native speakers pronounce things differently through understanding phonology and phonetics.

[shelato]

I think it depends on the ESL course. When I lived in San Diego, I had a girlfriend from Brazil who did get accent reduction instruction in her ESL course.

I did find this amusing.


21 Accents - YouTube