Accents

Hey - could you please help me out with tips and hints on perfecting
accents? All I can do is imitate them, but they are too exaggerated! I NEED
HELP!

Accents aren't my specialty. I think the best way to perfect them is to imitate them until they sound right. That's probably not the answer you wanted to hear. Once I had an audition for an Irish play and I could imitate the accent like you're doing but I didn't feel confident in it. So I went to a bookstore and in the Performing Arts section found a book--I forget the title and I really wish I remember it, for both oursakes. Anyway this book gave very detailed descriptions of the accents and how to position your tongue in your mouth. The note on where to put the tongue in the mouth was very helpful. The book also recommended finding the rhythm of the language and just focus on the rhythm while you're learning the accent. Of course you're going to have to find places to hear the accent as well to get a grip on it. I recommend watching the news of the country where the accent is that you're trying to copy or documentaries made in that country. I wish I remembered the name of that book. Maybe go to a performance arts bookstore and ask if they have a book on accents that gives detailed descriptions on how to form your mouth. You might feel weird, but if they work in a performance arts bookstore they're probably used to it.