Some actors seem to have a natural talent for performing with a convincing accent. Others have to work very hard to have even an acceptable accent. When you are striving to do a convincing accent, as an actor for stage or screen, you must be willing to put in the hard work that it may take you to achieve this much sought after skill.
Instructions
1. Listen to the sounds that other people make when they speak with a particular accent. It is true that we instinctively pick up some sounds and cadences without even trying. Think of how you begin using your sister's slang and lilt when she visits from Georgia.
2. Practice every chance you get. Even if you have a habit of starting out doing a very bad German accent, practice it when you speak to friends and family. It helps the accent improve over time.
3. Vary the subjects you listen to to get a well rounded convincing accent. Don't make a habit of copying one particular actor or descendant of the accent's country, or you may end up sounding like your favorite British actor.
4. Make the accent your own. As an actor, you are called upon to make specific choices regarding your character, and you must do the same thing in regards to how your character talks. Decide, if it isn't in the script, where exactly your character grew up, how he learned to speak and from whom he learned to speak. This may help you give a convincing speech pattern to every word and syllable.
5. Hire a coach if you have a really hard time. Some people just have to work much harder, and with professional help you can master any accent you need. It also helps that the more accents you master, the easier new ones become.
6. Keep a journal of words you often mispronounce. Go back to the list, and work on each word every day. It also helps to get a native speaker to correctly pronounce these words for you on a recording, and play them back as often as you can.
7. Read interesting things you find out loud as you learn an accent. Concentrate on the vowels, and the length of each sound as you pronounce the words. This helps you get a convincing lilt to your voice.
8. Find interesting songs that work with the accent you are trying to learn. It helps if it is sung by someone with that particular accent. If you are trying to learn an Irish accent, Loreena McKennitt has a beautiful Irish lilt that can be copied and mimicked with her beautiful songs.
