How to lose your French accent to speak like a true Brit

A French accent that haunts most of us no matter how many years we've lived in Britain. Are the French really condemned for speaking English like a Spanish cow? What are the motivations for losing your accent and how to do it?

Hide this accent I can't hear

” Zeu, zeu, zeu », Jean-Pierre Bagri struggles in front of an excited English teacher in a liturgical scene. Other people's taste. Alas, not only this definite article betrays us from the very first words. Let us also point out that M, not phonetic in French but consonant in English. ” Many French people put h's where they are not, not where they areVoice and pronunciation coach Valérie Gabail notes. They have great difficulty in using their breath. It is almost indecent for them “.

Stops pronounced as long or short as no less than 20 English vowels; diphthongs (Goat, dear) and triphthongs (Player, mani); The same sound that can be pronounced differently, or the same spelling word is pronounced differently, ” Very false to a French eye “. Enough to lose your Latin. Not to mention the coup de grace of the tonic pronunciation, which is the icing on the cake, happily moving within the same family of words. It gives “The ditch of English »… and a difficult time.

Losing your accent, task impossible?

The Impossible is not French, Napoleon would have said. On condition of intensive work, “ As with gymnastics, you reap what you put in », warns Valery Kabail. Listening to recordings, broadcasts, repeating sounds and sometimes gestures to give rhythm. ” Articulation reduction is thought to be more cognitive, but in reality it is more physical. It's like bodybuilding or mouth softening “.

In addition to correct vowel length and good spelling recognition, you need to find the correct vocal form for each sound. “The tongue and lips especially need to be in the right place. For example, 'ah' means wide mouth, lips wide, jaw down, like biting into a sandwich.” », explains founder and CEO Emma Cherlin London Speech Workshop. Don't forget the sound. ” It goes up and down, we underline important words and use pauses “. Through practice, ” New neural circuits [sont construits] A new sound must be made to replace the old sound “.

While some, especially singers or musicians, have a comparative advantage, others experience greater difficulties. ” However, with hard work and regular practice, one can lose the foreign accent completely. », assures Britain.

What are the motivations?

Valérie Gabail's main motivation, research ” Impact and Credibility » In a professional environment. Others are troubled by this accent, which makes their foreign appearance too obvious or difficult to understand. Ultimately, a possible conflict between “A desire to be true to one's own identity and place, and to assimilate and assimilate”, As Emma Cherlin notes, she devoted her master's thesis in psychology to the subject. ” The real question: do you really want to lose your accent? “, she asks.