Would you like to learn to speak and write American English? What is the difference between American and British English? Can you learn to speak with an American accent through training?
American accent training – spelling, speaking and idiom
Most people think of the English world as divided into two (or maybe three) big groups: British, American and – some would say – international. When a client wants to learn American English, including an American accent, that means learning American spelling, idiom, punctuation and pronunciation. We help people learn American English and to learn to speak with an American accent.
The last bit, American English pronunciation and accent, is actually fun, but also challenging, because pronunciation is all about habit.
American English training – Course details
| Level | B1+ intermediate and above |
| Teacher | North American English native-speaker |
| Course | 8 weeks |
| Day & Time | flexible |
| Class Hours | 12 hours |
| Self Study Hours | 16 hours |
| Total Learning Hours | 28 hours |
| Max Participants | One. Private training. |
| Study Resources | Netflix, YouTube, etc. Optional American books. |
| Location | Live Online via Zoom or in great classrooms at Van Eeghenlaan 27 (Museum Quarter), Kromme Waal 9 (near Centraal Station), Amstelveen Chirurgijn and Den Haag. |
If learning American English is your goal, you need a North American English native-speaker teacher to model and teach the American sound. 100% of our teachers are native speakers.
While British English was long considered the “gold standard,” American English is no longer a second tier language. The trending popularity of the American accent sound is no doubt influenced by Hollywood, American music and international business. And while many of our clients learned British English in school, they now have an international, blended way of using English that contains both American and British pronunciation, idiom, spelling and punctuation. And while that is often fine for speaking, it can be a problem with writing or test taking.
So while we love the modern international mash-up of British and American English, we know that some of you need or wish to choose a style and stick with it.
And what about Rhoticity (Rs) in American English?
Rhoticity refers to the way Rs are spoken in a given language. You may have noticed that English speakers with British accents place a schwa or “uh” sound where Americans place a clearly spoken R. Think of words like “mother” and “father.” With a British accent, the final R is absent and becomes “uh”, thus, “mothuh, fathuh.” Do yoo hear it? But Americans clearly express the final R on those words. Some people say it’s a pirate R. Personally, I like to compare American Rs to a growling dog. Grrrrr!
Learn American English – Our American accent training
At the moment we recommend online training, but we also offer in-person appointments at our outstanding locations in Amsterdam – in the beautiful, artistic Museum Quarter close to the Vondelpark and Van Gogh Museum, and at a historic Binnenkant canal house just minutes from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Plus we see clients in Den Haag, Amstelveen and at in-company locations. Please note that a surcharge may apply for on-location training.
Request your free teacher consultation appointment. Let us help you decide if course is right for you. +31 20 823 0569. Ready to start? Enroll now!
Would you like some tips for developing an American Accent?
- Do more listening and less reading
- Try our Interactive Video Library program and get personal accent feedback
- At YouTube, watch any speech by Barack Obama to learn American English
- Choose American news and TV to keep up with world events. But be sure you are listening to an American journalist. Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper have great American sounds.
- Visit Rachel’s English on YouTube
- Add the Stitcher Podcasts app to your phone
- Listen FREE to National Public Radio from Chicago, WBEZ.
- Watch American series on Netflix. Avoid series set in parts of the US with strong regional accents. That means that The Sopranos is out, but Breaking Bad is in! Or try The Americans. The Russian spies in this series speak perfect SAE (Standard American English).
- If music is your thing, turn on Spotify. Try an old crooner like Frank Sinatra, or fast forward to someone contemporary.
- Do not roll your Rs
- While initial Rs in British and American English are the same, mid and final position Rs are different. In the latter, American like to use the hard “pirate” R.
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