Language learners often neglect honing a good accent in favor of focusing on grammar and vocabulary — but it's important to practice your accent too! We explain why and explore some useful tips for improving it.
學習語言的朋友們常常有一個誤區，只關注語法和詞彙，而忽視了練習口音這回事——但練習口音其實也是跟詞彙、語法同等重要的哦!下面我們就來解釋一下口音的重要性，然後為大家提供一些提高口音的實用技巧。
Want to pass as a native speaker in a foreign language? The true test — even more important than the size of your vocabulary or complexity of the sentences you weave — is your accent.
想把一門外語說的像本族人一樣溜?真正考驗你外語溜不溜的，不是你的詞彙量，也不是你句子說的多麼複雜漂亮，而是——你!的!口!音!
If you think the accent in another language is tricky and impossible to get right, you might just be using the wrong method. We admit that they are tricky — but not impossible! Here are some practical tips to get rid of your own "stereotypical" accent, no matter which language you are learning.
如果你感到某門外語的口音難以搞定，根本不可能學的像樣，那很可能是你採用了錯誤的學習方法。我們都知道，學習外語時，口音確實難搞——但純正口音並不是「不可能」學會的!下面這些實用小技巧，不管你在學什麼外語，都能幫你擺脫你的「中式」口音，快快學起來!
1. Learn the phonetic alphabet 音標要學好
Getting familiar with the phonetic alphabet will help you identify new sounds and provide you with some markers to navigate the language you want to learn. Familiarity with a language’s phonemes helps you recognize sounds that your ear isn’t "tuned" to natively. Once you can recognize these sounds, you』ll start noticing them way more often when speaking and listening in your new language.
熟悉音標不僅可以幫你辨認不認識的語音，還可以幫你在學習過程中「做標記」。在熟記一門外語中的音之後，你可以成功分辨出一些你的耳朵還沒聽慣的聲音。一旦這些不熟悉的聲音被你成功拿下，在聽、說外語時你都會更容易注意到這些最可能出錯的小細節。
By becoming aware of the range of sounds that exist in the language you are learning, you』ll learn how to differentiate sounds that seem similar to the untrained ear, and it will make spelling easier. This can be especially helpful if you are learning mostly by reading.
通過掌握一門外語的語音範圍，你才能學會分辨一些相似的音，讓你的耳朵更好地做出反應，同時這也可以幫助你更好的拼寫單詞。如果你平時主要是通過閱讀來學語言，那這個小技巧對你來說更是大有幫助了。
2. Get familiar with the spoken language 讓耳朵熟悉新語言
Switch from theory to practice: try to expose yourself as much as possible to the language you are learning. Talk as much as possible with native speakers if you have the chance. When you have trouble pronouncing a particular word, ask people to repeat it and record it on your phone. You can then replay it and train your pronunciation as often as you wish. You can also listen to the correct pronunciation on some online dictionaries so that your ear gets familiar with all the sounds that initially strike you as unusual. Listen to podcasts or stream TV shows in the language. Even if you can’t understand everything, put it on in the background when you’re doing your chores so you get used to the particular melodies and unfamiliar sounds.
完成了第一步的理論學習，就要從理論向實踐進發了：盡你所能讓自己處在你所學習的語言環境裡，抓住一切可以跟外語本族人嘮嗑的機會。如果有哪個單詞你不會念了，可以請人幫你把這個詞的發音錄下來保存在手機裡。這樣你就可以反覆播放，盡你所想的練習生詞的發音了。還可以在網上的在線詞典裡檢索生詞發音，反覆的聽，讓你的耳朵慢慢熟悉那些原本陌生的語音。就算你無法通透的理解所有的發音，也儘量在平時做一些瑣碎雜務時把錄音/發音播放出來，這樣洗腦式的訓練可以讓那些不熟悉的語音調子深刻在你的大腦裡。
3. Identify what’s "weird" about the pronunciation 找出語音中的「怪異點」
With this exposure, you』ll quickly notice that your new language has many sounds in common with your native tongue (even if those sounds are written differently). With the similarities identified, you can focus in earnest on the sounds that don’t exist in your native tongue. Resist the temptation to systematically compare these unfamiliar sounds with similar ones from your native language. This might seem like a useful shortcut, but it’s a bad habit that will make bad pronunciation even harder to correct in the long run.
在這樣的發音環境下，你很快就會發現，原來你在學習的語音，跟你的母語也有很多的相似之處(即使這些「發音」寫起來很不一樣)。一旦發現了這些相同點，你就能更專注的學習那些母語裡本來沒有的音了。下意識的用漢語裡的相似發音來跟這些不存在的音去一一對照，這種「方法」千萬不要嘗試，雖然聽上去感覺，這樣似乎可以快速記住所有不熟悉的音，但事實上這樣反而會讓你的發音更不地道，甚至在以後還難以改正。
Ignoring the peculiar sounds of your new language will, at best, make you sound silly and, at worst, result in you actually saying the wrong words! The difference between the Spanish pero and perro is a rolled r, but they don’t mean the same thing. And if you’re learning French, people will have trouble understanding you if you don’t learn to pronounce the subtle differences between cent, sang, sens and sans, or au, aux and eau.
如果你不去在意外語裡聽上去「怪異」的那些發音，很可能會讓你的發音顯得非常的蠢，甚至直接導致你發錯音，念成別的單詞惹!比如在西語裡，pero和perro兩個詞很接近，但perro的r要發顫音，兩個詞的含義也是不同的。如果你在學法語，分不清cent, sang, sens, sans或者au, aux和eau在發音時的細微區別，人家可能就聽不懂你在說啥了。
If you really have trouble with one phoneme in particular, use cards. Write it down along with other similar-but-different phonemes. Repeat them aloud several times. This will help you to recognize nuances and master those small differences.
但如果你真的卡在某一個音上，就是發不好它，可以試試製作卡片。把它和其他聽上去很像，但又不同的音寫在一起。大聲的念出這些音，重複多次，這樣你就可以區別這些相似音的細微差別，並且熟練掌握它們了。
4. Listen, listen, listen! 聽，聽，再聽!
As mentioned in point two, the internet gives you access to plenty of audio material that can help you improve your pronunciation. Listen as much and as regularly as possible, but instead of always focusing on grammar and vocabulary, dedicate some time to the phonetic aspects of the language. Listen to short audio tracks and focus on rhythm, breaks and intonation. Try to understand what gives the sentence its fluidity and try to imitate it. If you watch a movie in your learning language, avoid reading the subtitles and keep your eyes on the actors』 mouths.
在第二點裡提到了網上的學習工具，的確網際網路為我們提供了大量可以提高發音的語音材料。記住有時間的話一定要經常性的聽，而且每次聽的越多越好啊，不過在聽的時候，不要再一味注意詞彙和語法了，也要拿出一點時間來關注一下語音部分。儘量聽一些簡短的材料，並且重點關注發音的節奏，停頓和語調。試著體會一下這些話語是如何連貫起來的，然後再去模仿。在平時看電影的時候，不要一直盯著字幕讀，而是要注意演員們說話時的口型。
If you find it too hard, slow down the speed of the video or audio that you are watching (most digital media players allow you to do this; you can even slow down YouTube videos). This can help you identify and separate each syllable.
如果以上方法對你來說太難了點，可以放慢視頻/音頻的播放速度(大多數數字播放器都有這個功能，連油管兒的視頻都可以放慢倍速呢)。這樣一來，每個音節你都可以分開來分辨了。
If, on the other hand, your comprehension level is already quite good, you can challenge yourself by accelerating the speed. The higher level of concentration required is good training for all those fast-talking native speakers!
再如果，情況相反，你的能力已經相當高了，你可以試試快放，挑戰一下自己。這種高級一些的方法，需要更加集中注意力，這種程度的注意力，在跟說話賊快的本族人互動時同樣適用!
5. Practice, practice, practice 還等啥，可勁兒練習吧!
Training your accent requires some skill and patience, so don’t get demotivated if it doesn’t come immediately. For maximum efficiency, your training sessions should be frequent — no longer than two days between sessions. Collect newspaper articles, movie scripts and lyrics, and record yourself while reading them aloud. Then listen and analyze: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Which of your native speaking habits are you carrying over to your new language? You can also ask native speakers for input. For example, you could upload your recordings to online communities like Judge my accent.
最後總結一下，練習地道口音，除了技巧之外，還需要一定的耐心，所以別想著立竿見影，更不要因此氣餒了。自己制定的練習計劃要達到一定高的頻率，才能達到最好的效果——每次練習的間隔不要超過兩天。把能看的報紙文章，電影劇本甚至歌詞都拿來練習，大聲朗讀，而且要把自己讀的都錄下來，之後要反覆聽錄音並且從以下幾個方面來做分析：你在發音時，長處和缺點都有啥?哪些母語裡的發音習慣被你不小心帶到外語裡去了?你也可以向外語本族人尋求幫助，比如把錄音上傳到像Judge my accent這樣的網上互助論壇，讓本族人來幫你評判。
Accents can be tricky, but never lose hope! The more you speak and the more feedback you can get (either from yourself or native speakers), the better your accent will become.
練習口音雖難，但千萬別放棄啦!練得越多，得到的反饋越多(不管是自己檢查，還是讓別人給你意見)，你的口音才能變得更地道!
（編輯：何瑩瑩）