Has anyone successfully dropped their Singaporean accent
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I migrated to Australia at 17 and now at 23, i still talk with a singaporean accent. The reason i want to drop it is because i am gonna live in australia for the rest of my life and ive got to adapt to the culture and people here. I'm trying to develop friendships at work, and with a group of ABCs but somehow i feel my singaporean accent is getting in the way. Has anyone here successfully dropped their Singaporean accent?
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Ya wanna take a speech class?
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I think there's a difference between 'dropping' your native accent, and 'picking up' a new accent.
I know lots of people who have spent many many years (like yourself) overseas working, studying and all - and still have a reasonable 'normal' accent. Sure, they don't 'lah' and all that much, and generally language structure can be different - depending on which part of the world they have been.While some may dropped their local accent, they sure don't suddenly speak like natives of another part of the world! Most speak like our news readers - almost accentless English.
but.. there are also some people who spend a couple of years overseas, and come back suddenly speaking with the weirdest accent that's neither here, nor there.
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croikey! watch more croc huntah re-runs!
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tell the hypnotist that you wanna speak like an aussie
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woah i got drop the so called singaporean accent... before..
my english o lvl oral coming at that time.. now over le.. then keep practising the "th" sound in "these, that and etc" and the ending sound these all... then still got a lot of words that need to pronounce correctly... at first was tough... later when english oral really coming then i can speak dam nice english.. but only for a while.. after the oral the accent is back haha!
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Originally posted by Frizzleflow:
I migrated to Australia at 17 and now at 23, i still talk with a singaporean accent. The reason i want to drop it is because i am gonna live in australia for the rest of my life and ive got to adapt to the culture and people here. I'm trying to develop friendships at work, and with a group of ABCs but somehow i feel my singaporean accent is getting in the way. Has anyone here successfully dropped their Singaporean accent?
So are you turning yourself into a banana as they say?
Destroy your native culture, assimilate to alien culture? -
You want to drop your Sg accent.
Then you have to consistent with talking to people not of Singapore.
Go on, make friends, talk to them a lot more. Take on classes, speech, dramas and choir singing.
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I agree with ShrodingersCat. Under normal circumstances my accent can't be pinned down (although I've been mistaken for French Guyanan, God only knows why), but my wife notes that the Singaporean accent snaps right back in when I talk to other Singaporeans.
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Originally posted by Gedanken:
I agree with ShrodingersCat. Under normal circumstances my accent can't be pinned down (although I've been mistaken for French Guyanan, God only knows why), but my wife notes that the Singaporean accent snaps right back in when I talk to other Singaporeans.
It happens!When I speak to my Aussie friends, my accent switches to American
But when I turn to speak to my husband, it's back to my Singaporean accent. LOL
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Originally posted by elindra:
It happens!When I speak to my Aussie friends, my accent switches to American
But when I turn to speak to my husband, it's back to my Singaporean accent. LOL
Sash complains that Singaporeans speak too fast. You should see her trying to keep up when TX is in full swing.
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Originally posted by Gedanken:
Sash complains that Singaporeans speak too fast. You should see her trying to keep up when TX is in full swing.
LOLI get this too! They always say slow down!!
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I learnt in a linguistic course that how accents differ is because of the way they pronounce each syllable rather than trying to pronounce the entire sentence with an accent.
Singapore english (not Singlish) has its own accents because it tends not to emphasise each letter fully. For example, the word "accent". Most people pronouce it "ACK-Sen".. without the "t" lightly pronounced.
Also, alot of words have its emphasis placed differently (I say differently, not wrongly).
the word "Computer". Alot tend to say, "KOM pute er", while other accents tend to be "kom PUTE er"
other common points are words that contain "a", "i", "u".
e.g. "Ikea", North Americans say it, "eye KEE uh", Europeans/Singapore tends to say it "E kee ah"
Iraq/Iran, Southern US accents mostly say it, "EYE rak, EYE ran", Singapore says it "E-rak", "E-ran"
Bugis, American/English will either say it, "BUCK-eas" or "Byoo-JIS". Singapore will say it "BOOK eas"
In conclusion, i would say to adopt another country's accent, we would need to actualy break down each word and see how they pronounce it.
Either way, language is dynamic and ever-changing due to local conditions (New Zealand and Aussie have distinct accents), I don't think there is such a thing called "wrong" or "right" accent just that social perception makes it think one accent "more correct" then the other. -
Originally posted by Ponders:
Singapore english (not Singlish) has its own accents because it tends not to emphasise each letter fully. For example, the word "accent". Most people pronouce it "ACK-Sen".. without the "t" lightly pronounced.
That's because most Singaporeans are chinese. chinese language is mono tone.
You pronouce words in a mono tone way. One sound one sound.
Ni - Hao - Ma?
That's three tones.
But english is not mono tone.
You don't eng - and then - lish
It comes out in one complete tone - english.
That is why chinese speaking english has a what they call ching chong accent.
Some chinese that have lost all their chinese culture or raised on english; know nothing about chinese language won't have this accent, like some ABCs or our own Lee Kuan Yew.
It's natural for chinese to speak english with chinese accent.
Just like it is natural for westerners to speak mandarin with western accent. They don't really speak mandarin using mono tone like chinese do. That is why it sounds weird to us chinese.
They don't say Ni - Hao - Ma, but NiHaoMa.
Why?
Because they cannot control the tone. They are used to the singular tone as in their own native language.
Same goes for us chinese.
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How you migrate to australia?
I also want to migrate and leave this lousy sg country
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Originally posted by angel3070:
That's because most Singaporeans are chinese. chinese language is mono tone.
You pronouce words in a mono tone way. One sound one sound.
Ni - Hao - Ma?
That's three tones.
But english is not mono tone.
You don't eng - and then - lish
It comes out in one complete tone - english.
That is why chinese speaking english has a what they call ching chong accent.
Some chinese that have lost all their chinese culture or raised on english, know nothing about chinese language won't have this accent, like some ABCs or our own Lee Kuan Yew.
our own Lee Kuan Yew
you sure or not?
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its all in the mind just see yourself as an australian.........
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Guys, I don't want to sound like a party-stopper. But have anyone read some (or any) reports on global warming?
With climatic change and with global warming, Australia's desert, in time to come, will expand wider and wider. The frequency of flash flood and desert fire will increase. These factors may (I say, may not will) culminate with mass migration out of Australia.
Do you guys still want to migrate there? -
Originally posted by Frizzleflow:
I migrated to Australia at 17 and now at 23, i still talk with a singaporean accent. The reason i want to drop it is because i am gonna live in australia for the rest of my life and ive got to adapt to the culture and people here. I'm trying to develop friendships at work, and with a group of ABCs but somehow i feel my singaporean accent is getting in the way. Has anyone here successfully dropped their Singaporean accent?
TS.. i migrated to australia when i was 15. and im 17 now.. and yes, accents do change over a period of time. Eh.... btw, are you staying with your family? like father mother? Cause the environment you're in contributes as well.
depends. How often do you talk with your peers?? Also, i think that at a young age, its easier to adapt.
Compare your case with an uncle who migrate at the age of 60. His accent will barely change.
Bottomline.. dont worry
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I pronounce accent as "A Cent".
People been correcting me to pronounce as "Act Sen"
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Has the Englishman successfully dropped his accent?
Has the Lebanese successfully dropped his accent?
Has the Japanese successfully dropped his accent?
Has the Indian successfully dropped his accent?
There are many more nationalities in Australia, and you can tell by their accent.
Some can be dual accented, they can choose the accent they want to use.
You just have to try, mimic first, and practice till perfect.
The accent has to reach your subconcious mind through repeatition.
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Originally posted by Frizzleflow:
I migrated to Australia at 17 and now at 23, i still talk with a singaporean accent.
Just be happy with who you are.
Singaporean accent so?
You should take pride in your chinese Singaporean identity.
If you behave like a dog, people will treat you as a dog.
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Originally posted by 4sg:
Guys, I don't want to sound like a party-stopper. But have anyone read some (or any) reports on global warming?
With climatic change and with global warming, Australia's desert, in time to come, will expand wider and wider. The frequency of flash flood and desert fire will increase. These factors may (I say, may not will) culminate with mass migration out of Australia.
Do you guys still want to migrate there?Do you have any inkling of how histrionic you sound?
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Originally posted by Gedanken:
Do you have any inkling of how histrionic you sound?
Histrionic? only a fool wants to hear the good stuff only and ignore all sound warning.
And which part of my statements are histrionic? -
Migrating to Australia dont make u an Australian, u r just an immigrant. trying to become a Australian. The truth is that u r not an Australian, are u white? or are u a Aborigine? They are the true Australians. If u r a Singaporean who has migrated there, u r just a Singaporean immigrant residing in Australia holding/ not holding Australian citizenship.
Same as how we look at foreigners coming here, i believe thats how native Australians look upon us.