6. Liaisons and fluency

By Olga Smith

Today I would like to talk about how to achieve fluency in English.

Once you have sorted out your English sounds, your next step would be to work on fluency.

What does this work involve:

1. Using schwa, or neutral vowel in prepositions (for, from, to, etc) and articles (a, an, the), thus "throwing away unimportant words", an expression used by actors.

2. Liaise prepositions with words (eg: in common, at home, etc.), do not make pauses between words and prepositions they belong to.

3. Speak in phrases or "word blocks", rather than in separate words, connecting words in a phrase.

For example in the phrase "I'd like a cup of tea", we have two blocks: 1. I'd like, and 2. a cup of tea.

In our book Get Rid of your Accent, Advanced level, ISBN 09553300017 we give you many practical exercises to master fluency.

More on our web site: www.batcsglobal.com

5. How often and for how long should you practise with elocution books and apps

By Olga Smith

Very often many of our clients ask us: how many lessons do they need with a teacher?

How often and for how long do they need to do exercises from our elocution books and apps to neutralise their foreign or regional accent?

Our answer is this: 

1. Have elocution lessons once or twice a week with a qualified speech tutor. Many of our students told us that when they practice on their own they do not always know their starting point, what exactly they are doing wrong and what is the best way to improve. The teacher with save you time to achieve your goal.

2. Practice daily. 15 min in the morning, 15 min after lunch and 15 min in the evening. Incremental progress is the key to success. It’s better to do it regularly for a short 1-15 minutes, rather than once a week for a couple of hours.

3. Focus on one sound for 3 days. It is believed that to eliminate a mistake you have to repeat it correctly 300 times.

Find more information and tips on www.batcsglobal.com

2. Lose your accent or your will lose your job!

By Olga Smith

A few weeks ago I had a Turkish client who works in the London Stock Exchange. She said that her boss told her that if she doesn't lose her accent she will lose her job. Asides from the obvious Human Resource issues this statement creates, there is an underlying theme here that I have seen again and again. She told that her working environment is so fast and demanding, people simply don't have the patience to try and comprehend accents that are unfamiliar to them. This experience is typical for multiple foreign workers who have been fortunate enough to land work in the UK.

Many others struggle to even get past the interview stage due to inherent prejudices against accents by hiring managers. Yes, we should be promoting equal rights opportunities for all workers and yes, we should be stamping out prejudices like the one experienced by my client in the workplace. However, the reality is that these prejudices or opinions are not something that will disappear. They have been part of society since we began and will continue to be so.

What can be done therefore to address this challenge? The choices, unfortunately, are limited. The only person who can really affect change is the person with the accent! I have seen and worked with many people who have struggled in their professional lives and who have been held back because of an accent. It is surprisingly easy to overcome and to change one's accent but stay tuned to this blog to read more stories of how accents have affected people's career progression and professional (and sometimes personal) success!

Find more information and tips on www.batcsglobal.com

1. X Factor Judge Cheryl Cole Dropped From Show Because Of Accent

Author: Kelly West published: 2011-05-25 20:47:53

If the real reason Cheryl Cole was dropped as a judge from Fox’s upcoming U.S. remake of the popular U.K. talent competition The X Factor is to be believed, the producers are underestimating the American public’s intelligence, or at the very least, our ability to understand a British accent, to an almost insulting degree. 

TMZ is reporting that Cheryl Cole has been dropped from the upcoming Fox talent competition The X Factor because producers were “concerned her English accent would be too difficult for an American audience to understand.” Just for some frame of reference, below is a video featuring Cole on the British X Factor. Watch it and see if you can figure out what she’s saying. Sure, she has an accent but would that really be an issue for American viewers? Simon’s been speaking with a British accent for an American audience for over a decade and somehow we’ve all managed to figure out what he’s talking about. Interpreting Paula Abdul’s commentary, on the other hand, was sometimes a challenge. 

Speaking of Abdul, TMZ adds that they were told that there is a “lack of chemistry” between Abdul and Cole. Whether that’s vague, insider-speak for “they don’t like each other,” or there’s simply something off in the dynamic between the two, it’s likely that it played at least some part in Cole being dropped and reportedly replaced by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who was originally set to co-host the show. If one of the two had to go, it’s logical that the producers would keep the more familiar face around. 

Accents can be toned down. This is just speculation, but I’m calling drama on this one.