Private Regional Accent Reduction Training, Classes and Coaching in Denver or Online

Resonance has to do with where the voice is “placed.” Standard American resonance is placed in the center of the mouth cavity. Some southern speakers place their voice higher, resulting in nasal resonance. Some speakers from back east, such as New York or Massachusetts, place their voices lower in their throats, creating pharyngeal resonance. Learning to speak with more oral resonance is required for speaking with less of a regional accent or dialect.

Intonation is the rhythm and melody for speech and it is cultural within the United States. There is a specific intonation pattern for standard American and business intonation. It is spoken with deliberate pitch patterns that move up and down. Vowel sounds should be said flat without a rise in pitch as seen in southern speakers. Vowel sounds should also be said with ease and not involve over punching of sounds from the back of the throat, which can be observed with speakers from the eastern region of the United States. Often with regional accents, some vowel sounds are pronounced outside of the Standard America Speech Model, which can be corrected with intonation and some instruction.

When it comes to voice, speech therapists like to describe it in two categories, habitual and optimal pitch. Habitual pitch is your voice as you know it. It is your normal or social voice. You talk and go and never think about the sound quality. Optimal voice is the place in your lower throat where your voice functions at its best to deliver tones that are stronger and more powerful. Optimal or your best voice is physiology. It is a specific place in your lower throat where your vocal folds are at their best position for talking.

Voice is influenced culturally across the county. Behaviors for how voice is used come from different areas of the United States. Often a habitual voice can be described as thinner, higher and more nasal. For many people, there is a gap between the habitual and optimal voice placement. Individuals with a regional accent can learn how to speak from their optimal voice and reduce that regional accent.