Her Accent

[jinx13]

 I think one of the most endearing thing about Russian women is their accent, but not everybody feels that way in the U.S. It can be especially difficult for a Russian girl looking for a job in the states.

 My g/f Nataly has a very cute accent, and I wouldn't change it for the world, but she wants to change it, if only a little. I have to agree, I think it would help her in the job market, sometimes people don't understand her, and she has difficulty understanding those that speak really fast, or with a strange accent, like southern, or even an english accent.

 Does anybody know of any books, or training aids to help someone 'soften' their accent? I know she would never lose it all together, and I don't want her to, but she does need to work on her pronunciation. Any websites, books, cd's, or anything would be appreciated.  thanks - Dave

[catzenmouse]

Check out the Advanced ESL classes at your local college/university. They work on that part as well as getting the syntax/grammar correct.

Ken

[jinx13]

 Thanks Ken,

 Yeah I thought of that, but she doesn't think she need ESL classes because she studied English for 3 years at her University 

 Her English is very good, I don't have any problem understanding her at all, but maybe that's because I'm used to her, and the Russian accent in general.

 The letter W and her R's seem to be the main problem, I was just wondering if there are any books or instruction DVD's out there that help her to practice saying them correctly.

[SANDRO43]

You could get some ideas about teaching proper English diction from these .

[Jet]

There are some products available on the web, but I'm not sure how good they are (having never used them):
http://www.pronunciationpatterns.com/index.html
http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com

If you live near a larger city, look for Language schools, as most that offer ESL courses also offer something along the lines of "Executive Accent Reduction Training" type courses as well.

[jz]

Some foreign men like a Russian accent

[jinx13]

 
   Thanks Jet, that's what I was looking for, I'll let you guys know if it works.

[viking]

That accent got me in sooooooo much hot water. Twice.

[jinx13]

 Care to give any details Viking?

 Nataly and I were checking out the links Jet gave, this one looks good http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com , but damn it's expensive! $240 for 15 video sessions on DVD. The sample video looks very good, the instructor even starts with R and W, the two letters she has the most trouble with.

 We tried to find it on a free download site, but no luck, anybody ever use one of these programs? Any idea of how to find it cheaper?

[Louie]

Hey Jinx, why don't you teach her yourself! my ex was from China, very intelligent, spoke 4 language's, she had some problems with some words and certain letters and I would work with her sounding them out phonetically, like they taught me in Catholic school, minus smacking her with the ruler! that worked out real well and was fun for me, she recently got her MBA (top 10 in her class Deans list) and I would help her as I would proof read most of her essays.

[jinx13]

Louie,

 Believe me , I'm trying! Last night we were repeating the word "where" over and over, and today it was "rock"  I'm doing my best, but maybe I'm not a very good teacher, she just doesn't repeat it the way I say it. The guy in the DVD shows every mouth movement, and how to 'push' the words out.

 I can only do so much, but yeah I am doing my best. 

[Vaughn]

Jinx, please explain to me why you're going through all this trouble to remove that which is part of her charm?

Scratch that - I just reread your opening post, and I see it's her that's wanting the change. Practice, practice. Her pronunciation will improve with practice and time, with time being
most significant. You ought to hear my wife's outgoing message
on voice mail - the accent's thick as fudge, and it didn't hold her back.

 

[Turboguy]

Jinx,  I have a feeling you are not being honest with us.  You say last night you both were repeaiting the words "rock" and "where" over and over.   

Why do I think she was saying "rrrrock" and "vere" over and over.  You may have been saying rock and where.

That is the saddest part about getting a RW adapted to life in America.  If we ever get them past the Russian accent it is such a loss.  I love the accent.

[Vaughn]

I agrrreee veeth TOOOR-boh! Avter ahll, just loook at
how meh-nee meeelions of veee-men LOVED eet ven
HENREE KEEESeen-jour eksPLAYned hees pohZEEshun !!

[jinx13]

Why do I think she was saying "rrrrock" and "vere" over and over.  You may have been saying rock and where.

 Turbo, right on the money, that was exactly what we were doing!    haha
 
 Of course I love the accent too, it's sexy and cute, and I wouldn't change her for the world. She just wants to fit in a little better, and I think she gets tired of having to repeat herself constantly to waiters, store clerks, and the general public. She will never lose that wonderful accent, she just needs to work on a few words that trouble her.

 Vaughn and T/G, thanks for the good laugh, Nataly thought it was hilarious too, I read her Vaughn's post in my best Russian accent 

[Turboguy]

A long long time ago I took a German lady out a few times.  Her favorite drink was Rum and coke.   I remember her sitting there and reapeating what she wanted to the waiter 6 or 8 times.  He could not understand.  Finally I told him she would like a Rum and Coke.   She turned to me and said, " Why does no one ever understand me when I say I vant a RRRRRRRum and coke.

[Son of Clyde]

I find myself dropping articles when I speak with her and have adopted some of her expressions. This is not a good thing to do but it does save some time and makes communication easier. She has had several intermediate ESL classes but I hope she never loses her cute way of saying "where is you?" or "I busy."

[Turboguy]

Hang around with her long enough SOC and maybe people will start asking you if you are Russian.   Yea, I like that kind of thing too. 

[prince_alfie]

I presume that pimsleur english would be handy. http://www.multilingualbooks.com/pims-english.html

I admit that it's the best program out there...

[Lily]

Really appreciate it if you guys could explaine me why the Russian accent is told to be sexy?
You would really do me a favor, because I've always preferred silence over talk as I knew that I don't sound right in English..I know I missed a lot of opportunities due to this.

[SANDRO43]

Really appreciate it if you guys could explaine me why the Russian accent is told to be sexy?

Probably because it sounds "exotic" .

Let's see if we can analyse this from a phonetic angle : what sounds exotic to Anglo-Saxon ears are mostly the rolled Rs (as in Italian, Spanish, Scottish, etc.), and to other ears as well are the closed Os (similar to the rare French ô, as in Lancôme). The latter are articulated at a lower frequency than normal Os and therefore sound "huskier".

A woman speaking in a husky voice sounds sexy to men's ears .

[El Rock]

A woman speaking in a husky voice sounds sexy to men's ears .

Not to my ears.
I prefer  soft sounding  , sweet  tone .

[Bruce]

My experience is that Russians end up with two distinct accents depending upon which region they are from and or when they started learning English.  One is a cute, willowy accent that sounds like no other and the second is the one that resembles a German accent which I find repulsive.  Luckily, most Russian women in time end up closer to the cute willowy accent.

[SANDRO43]

Not to my ears. I prefer  soft sounding  , sweet  tone.

Each to his own. However, the movie and advertising industries, among others, seem to share my view, and I would not be suprised if that were also the result of some opinion poll among males as to what a sexy voice should sound like .

In less modern times, "sexy" roles in operas were usually written for the lower voices of contraltos and mezzo-sopranos (as in Bizet's Carmen, you won't deny that she is a sexy woman ).

[Lily]

Probably because it sounds "exotic" .