Have you ever successfully changed something about yourself that is not under your conscious control?

[gardenmom5]

there are adult ballet classes - that could be an option for learning how to dance.  (it translates to many other styles.)

[Greta]

there are adult ballet classes - that could be an option for learning how to dance.  (it translates to many other styles.)

 

 

Thanks for mentioning this!  I can't find any (online) that are in my area, but I did find one place not too far from me that teaches ballroom, western, swing, and latin dance styles.  And they even have a nice little encouraging statement on their website for people like me who feel that dance is something we're not capable of!   :001_smile:

[retiredHSmom]

My daughter can not say all her R sounds properly (the only ones that she doesn't say properly are er, ir ur). my son had the same problem and at 16 years old he decided to fix it.  He began concentrating on how he said his words and a year later you cannot tell that he every pronounced anything incorrectly.  I am sure that na accent can be changed too.

[gardenmom5]

I

Accent - Born and raised in Oklahoma, but I haven't lived there since college.  So my accent is far less noticeable than my friends and family who still live there, but it is still noticeable.  It's basically the same as a Texas drawl.  My "I'll" sounds more like "all", for example.  And while I mean absolutely no offense or disrespect to Oklahomans, it is not an accent that sounds nice to me.  I'd really like to sound more "generic" American, like what you hear on tv (which is Californian, I suppose?).  Basically, I would just prefer that people not be able to pinpoint which region of the country I'm from after hearing me speak.  

 

 

this is more complicated than accent - it is also construction as well as what words you use.   e.g. pop vs soda vs coke.

 

I was standing in line at the airport (might have been here, might have been another) and listening to two (older) women speak. they sounded just like my grandmother.  even though she had moved to seattle when she was in her 30s and lived here for 50 years, the words/syntax/etc. (as well as accent) she used were not the same as a west coast native.  the women were also from missouri - and at least 20 - 30 years younger than her.

 

how other words are pronounced are not the same.  (drives me NUTS hear people say "or-e-gone".  it screams "NOT" west coast. doesn't matter how long that person has lived here  . . . .

considering how many actors are not from cali/west coast - don't let that lull you.

[Greta]

My daughter can not say all her R sounds properly (the only ones that she doesn't say properly are er, ir ur). my son had the same problem and at 16 years old he decided to fix it.  He began concentrating on how he said his words and a year later you cannot tell that he every pronounced anything incorrectly.  I am sure that na accent can be changed too.

 

That's encouraging!  Did he employ any particular technique, or just concentrate and try hard?

 

this is more complicated than accent - it is also construction as well as what words you use.   e.g. pop vs soda vs coke.

 

I was standing in line at the airport (might have been here, might have been another) and listening to two (older) women speak. they sounded just like my grandmother.  even though she had moved to seattle when she was in her 30s and lived here for 50 years, the words/syntax/etc. (as well as accent) she used were not the same as a west coast native.  the women were also from missouri - and at least 20 - 30 years younger than her.

 

how other words are pronounced are not the same.  (drives me NUTS hear people say "or-e-gone".  it screams "NOT" west coast. doesn't matter how long that person has lived here  . . . .

considering how many actors are not from cali/west coast - don't let that lull you.

 

 

Yes, word choice, certain key phrases, and syntax can definitely be big issues as well.  I am going to try to be more aware of this as well, to make sure I'm blending in.  I've lived in this state for 18 years now, but I know that I still have "tells" because people always know that I'm not a native.  Now I'm on a mission to figure out what those tells are so that I can change them!

 

Okay, now I have to ask a dumb question:  so how do people from the West coast pronounce Oregon?

[gardenmom5]

 

 

Okay, now I have to ask a dumb question:  so how do people from the West coast pronounce Oregon?

or -eh-gun.

this link is the easiest explanation . . .

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/oregon?s=t

I've heard the link in wikipedia - I don't like it.

 

oregon just comes up because as a state, it gets mentioned in various national media - both entertainment and news.  I've heard both actors and talking news heads mispronounce it. 

 

and here in wa . . . we have a whole list of words and names that we use as a trap to tell us someone isn't a native.  :rofl:   

spokane (spoe -can), yakima  (yak -im - ah) . .  . :001_tt2:   or one of the favorite's - sequim  (skwim) :tongue_smilie:

oregon has their share of words too . . . .

 

though my missouri grandmother and her "wore-sshhing-tun."  :svengo: she LIVED here!!! for 50 years! though she also said huh-why-uh. (and "miss-ur-uh".)  

[Greta]

or -eh-gun.

 

oregon just comes up because as a state, it gets mentioned in various national media - both entertainment and news.  I've heard both actors and talking news heads mispronounce it. 

 

and here in wa . . . we have a whole list of words and names that we use as a trap to tell us someone isn't a native.  :rofl:   

spokane (spoe -can), yakima  (yak -im - ah) . .  . :001_tt2:   or one of the favorite's - sequim  (skwim) :tongue_smilie:

oregon has their share of words too . . . .

 

 

 

 

Oh, whew, I've been pronouncing Oregon correctly.   :laugh:

 

I knew that Spokane was not pronounced the way it looks, but I never would have guessed that Sequim was "skwim"!   :lol:

 

 

though my missouri grandmother and her "wore-sshhing-tun."  

:svengo: she LIVED here!!! for 50 years! though she also said huh-why-uh. (and "miss-ur-uh".)

 

I've heard those too, and they sound like nails on a chalkboard to me!  I'll have to be more thoughtful about what I'm saying that might sound like nails on a chalkboard to the locals!!!

[Katy]

I've changed both. 

 

My southern accent first, but I still get it back when I've been talking to Southern family or get angry.

 

Posture I think is more a matter of muscle strength than consciousness.

[Greta]

I've changed both.

 

My southern accent first, but I still get it back when I've been talking to Southern family or get angry.

 

Posture I think is more a matter of muscle strength than consciousness.

I'd love to hear the details of how you did it, if you don't mind sharing!

[gardenmom5]

 

 

:svengo: she LIVED here!!! for 50 years! though she also said huh-why-uh. (and "miss-ur-uh".)

 

I've heard those too, and they sound like nails on a chalkboard to me!  I'll have to be more thoughtful about what I'm saying that might sound like nails on a chalkboard to the locals!!!

 

 

she was from missouri.   her grandparents were born in missouri - so, (given the year she was born) she was 'a local'.

 

I have ID other people from missouri because they also pronounce is "miss-ur-uh".

[Katy]

I'd love to hear the details of how you did it, if you don't mind sharing!

 

Posture- Take up sports where posture matters.  Horseback riding, martial arts classes, dance, do old Callanetics dvds.  Stand in front of the sink and lean backwards over it, stretching the inside of your spine.  Work towards doing a back bridge as if you're a child.  You have to do enough exercise to have a better understanding of where your body is in space, and enough to make it a relaxed position for you to stand up straight.

 

Accents are more difficult.  Find someone whose accent and voice you like, and try to speak like them. Someone in the media is useful, because you can repeat any words they say that they would pronounce differently than you and try to say it with exactly the same tones and inflections they do.  At least that's what I did.  When I heard someone say something differently than I did, I would repeat it later and try it out.  There are also vocal coaches that teach accents, but you probably have to live in a big city to find them.

 

There are YouTube videos on learning different accents that might help.

 

I will say though, that when you finally lose that Southern thing, people will complain.  A surprising number of people like it.  Even those who look down on it like it.  Especially in women.  I suspect this is a sexist phenomenon.

 

Also, it's helpful to be able to switch back into it when you're in the South.  You're treated better.

[TechWife]

I actually changed both my posture and my accent. 

 

When my son was born, I realized when I was chattering away to him, how deep my southern accent was. I decided that I was going to make sure I pronounced all of they syllables of the words I said to try to make sure he could one day understand what people were saying to him, no matter what their accent was like. Now friends from my hometown tell me I sound flat. I notice that when I spend time with my family, my accent comes out more strongly. I do, however, revert to what is now my normal accent when I return home. It helps that my southern accent was greatly influenced by my Chicago-born mother, who herself grew up in an international household hearing multiple languages (Hungarian and Dutch). So, in truth, my accent was never "deep south," but it was distinctly southern as I had been born and raised here. 

 

I became concerned about my posture as my mother began falling as she aged. I realized that she didn't pick her feet up all of the way when she walked, she had a slight shuffle. I realized that I did the same thing - like mother, like daughter. I started to consciously work on that and asked a PT I knew for some tips. One of the things she said was that I should also work on my posture as a good posture improves overall balance. I did some core exercises and worked on making sure my shoulders were down and back, not rounded. Rounding my shoulders pitched me forward slightly, which threw my balance off. As the PT explained it, the worse my balance was, the less likely I would be able to self-correct my position to prevent a fall should I loose my balance. Making sure I pick up my feet and improving my overall posture are things that I have done in an effort to live healthier as I age. Falls are very dangerous for elderly people, especially if they have osteoporosis. With osteoporosis, bones not only break more easily, they also heal more slowly and sometimes do not heal at all.  Treatment options can also be limited as some treatments are out of the question when a patient has severe osteoporosis. 

 

I guess for me, my motivation made all of the difference - I wanted to make sure my son could communicate well and I want to do everything I can to live a healthy life as I age. Getting old really stinks - I want to do what I can to make it more bearable as time passes. 

 

The accent I no longer think about, other than to laugh when my friends here at home look at me strangely when I return from my hometown. It takes me a couple of conversations and then I automatically self-correct. I still have to often think of my posture, especially when I am tired. I do need to go back to doing some of the core exercises again as they were very helpful. Shuffling my feet isn't an issue anymore, so that is good. I think wearing boots actually helped me because I can hear my heels strike the floor as I walk. If I'm shuffling my feet, I don't hear the heel strike.  I've always preferred bare feet, and I have noticed that I don't stub my toes or trip over things like I used to when I don't wear shoes.  I thought I was clumsy, but in reality, I just had a gait issue. 

 

 

[Greta]

Posture- Take up sports where posture matters. Horseback riding, martial arts classes, dance, do old Callanetics dvds. Stand in front of the sink and lean backwards over it, stretching the inside of your spine. Work towards doing a back bridge as if you're a child. You have to do enough exercise to have a better understanding of where your body is in space, and enough to make it a relaxed position for you to stand up straight.

 

Accents are more difficult. Find someone whose accent and voice you like, and try to speak like them. Someone in the media is useful, because you can repeat any words they say that they would pronounce differently than you and try to say it with exactly the same tones and inflections they do. At least that's what I did. When I heard someone say something differently than I did, I would repeat it later and try it out. There are also vocal coaches that teach accents, but you probably have to live in a big city to find them.

 

There are YouTube videos on learning different accents that might help.

 

I will say though, that when you finally lose that Southern thing, people will complain. A surprising number of people like it. Even those who look down on it like it. Especially in women. I suspect this is a sexist phenomenon.

 

Also, it's helpful to be able to switch back into it when you're in the South. You're treated better.

Thank you, this is a huge help! I haven't done a back bridge in many years -- that will be a fun challenge!

 

I don't think I'll mind too much if others disapprove of my accent change. I'm doing it for me. But I do appreciate the warning, and I think you're on to something regarding the sexism. When I lived in upstate NY, people talked to me like they thought I was sweet but stupid. Not cool. I don't get that here, though, so I'm grateful for that.

[Greta]

I actually changed both my posture and my accent.

 

When my son was born, I realized when I was chattering away to him, how deep my southern accent was. I decided that I was going to make sure I pronounced all of they syllables of the words I said to try to make sure he could one day understand what people were saying to him, no matter what their accent was like. Now friends from my hometown tell me I sound flat. I notice that when I spend time with my family, my accent comes out more strongly. I do, however, revert to what is now my normal accent when I return home. It helps that my southern accent was greatly influenced by my Chicago-born mother, who herself grew up in an international household hearing multiple languages (Hungarian and Dutch). So, in truth, my accent was never "deep south," but it was distinctly southern as I had been born and raised here.

 

I became concerned about my posture as my mother began falling as she aged. I realized that she didn't pick her feet up all of the way when she walked, she had a slight shuffle. I realized that I did the same thing - like mother, like daughter. I started to consciously work on that and asked a PT I knew for some tips. One of the things she said was that I should also work on my posture as a good posture improves overall balance. I did some core exercises and worked on making sure my shoulders were down and back, not rounded. Rounding my shoulders pitched me forward slightly, which threw my balance off. As the PT explained it, the worse my balance was, the less likely I would be able to self-correct my position to prevent a fall should I loose my balance. Making sure I pick up my feet and improving my overall posture are things that I have done in an effort to live healthier as I age. Falls are very dangerous for elderly people, especially if they have osteoporosis. With osteoporosis, bones not only break more easily, they also heal more slowly and sometimes do not heal at all. Treatment options can also be limited as some treatments are out of the question when a patient has severe osteoporosis.

 

I guess for me, my motivation made all of the difference - I wanted to make sure my son could communicate well and I want to do everything I can to live a healthy life as I age. Getting old really stinks - I want to do what I can to make it more bearable as time passes.

 

The accent I no longer think about, other than to laugh when my friends here at home look at me strangely when I return from my hometown. It takes me a couple of conversations and then I automatically self-correct. I still have to often think of my posture, especially when I am tired. I do need to go back to doing some of the core exercises again as they were very helpful. Shuffling my feet isn't an issue anymore, so that is good. I think wearing boots actually helped me because I can hear my heels strike the floor as I walk. If I'm shuffling my feet, I don't hear the heel strike. I've always preferred bare feet, and I have noticed that I don't stub my toes or trip over things like I used to when I don't wear shoes. I thought I was clumsy, but in reality, I just had a gait issue.

Thank you so much for this great post, TechWife! The hope of aging well is a big part of my motivation regarding the posture issue. There are a few elderly people at my gym who seem to be severely and permanently bent: one poor man in the lumbar spine, and several ladies in the thoracic spine. I admire them for going to the gym anyway, because it looks like it really would hinder their mobility. I would like to stay as mobile and functional as possible for as long as possible!!!