About Kate Hinke Expertise I can answer questions about grammar, syntax and spelling, along with questions about idioms and slang. I am also very familiar with differences between English and Mandarin grammar, and problems encountered by Chinese students learning and using English. I am happy to help with corrections in specific problem areas, but I will not do your homework. Please don't be offended, but if I feel that you're sending me homework questions, they will be rejected. If your question is not a homework question, please feel free to submit it again, with the reason you are asking. Thanks for your understanding. (Your teachers/professors want to know what YOU know--NOT what I know! :>)
Experience I have worked as a writer, editor and proofreader for 35 years, and have also worked cross-culturally for that number of years as well. I have taught English as a Second Language for 21 years, specializing in students from Chinese-speaking cultures. I speak a little Mandarin, and am familiar with the grammar structure of that language.
Organizations SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators)
Education/Credentials B.A.--English, French, History
Graduate work in TESOL
Past/Present Clients Many Ph.D. students and scientists whose first language was not English
Question What can i do to lose my southern accent and speak standard American english?
Answer Dear Allyson--
Although I love to hear a Southern accent, I know that sometimes it can be a bit of a handicap in the professional world. I know that there are language teachers and coaches who specialize in helping people lose accents--whether Southern, or an accent associated with another language.
If you are an adult, it's going to be much more difficult to lose your accent than if you are a teenager or younger. Our speech patterns are pretty much set by adulthood.
However, there are some things you can do to make your accent less noticeable. (I do want to preface my advice to you by saying that many people--including myself--find a Southern accent very pleasant, soft and gentle to hear. I have a background in languages, and since I was born/raised in Oklahoma and lived in Alabama for nine years, I find myself acquiring my accent the minute the plane lands in a Southern state. That's not necessarily a bad thing! :>)
1) Spend time listening to "standard English" by taping/listening to radio and television newscast people. Then, tape yourself saying some of the same sentences. Listen to both tapes again and again, and you'll begin to see where the major differences lie. As you pronounce words the way you hear them on the news, focus on where your tongue is, relative to your teeth/top of your mouth, etc.
2) You probably already recognize that "Southern" speakers tend to drop the final "g's" in words such as going, being, doing.
3) Southern speakers also tend to draw out words into more syllables than they really have. Examples: "Have" becomes "hay-av". "Can" becomes "cay-an".
4) There is also a tendency to mispronounce vowel sounds, so this is an area you can watch. Examples: "tea" = "tay"---"boiled" becomes "bowled"---"fire" becomes "far"
5) Make sure you use correct grammar. There is a tendency all over the U.S. to let children slide by with poor grammar skills. I cringe when I hear kids say, "Me 'n him went to school." If you don't remember your earlier grammar lessons in school, get a book from the library or a bookstore and take a short "refresher course".
6) There are also many books and CD's available about standard English pronunciation. I went to Amazon.com, typed in "English pronunciation" and found a good many titles. There is also computer software available.
7) Don't try to lose it all! When my brother came out to California from Oklahoma to work in the TV/film industry, the directors and cameramen where he interviewed were quite taken with the way he constantly said, "Yes, sir/No, sir." That's how we--and I'm sure, you--were brought up. And that kind of politeness is in short supply in some parts of this country, unfortunately.
I hope I've been able to help you. Please feel free to write again if you have further questions. But answering your question makes me want to get on a plane back to "sweet home Alabama"! :>)
