Many students come to me for help because they want to sound more like a Canadian/American English speaker. Here's what I tell them...
Having an Accent is Different Than Bad Pronunciation
Pronunciation is your ability to pronounce words in a way that makes you easily understood.
Your accent, on the other hand, includes the sounds, intonations and rhythms that you adopted from your native language.
The sound /th/ is absent in many languages (including Korean and Portuguese) but is prevalent in English. If you say "ssank you" instead of "thank you"... that is a pronunciation error.
Additionally, if you go to the cafe and order a "BLACK" coffee but the barista hears "BLOCK" coffee, that is also a pronunciation issue.
Focus on improving your pronunciation, NOT eliminating your accent.
Remember: Your Accent is a Beautiful Thing...
Your accent makes you who you are.
You can still keep your native accent and have incredible English pronunciation.
When I speak Korean and Russian (very poorly... haha) I have a strong accent but I've been told my pronunciation is good.
Many of my students have a strong accent, but wonderful pronunciation. Please don't worry about eliminating your accent so you can sound just like a native English speaker. You need to focus on your pronunciation so you can be easily understood.
Besides, why do you want to sound just like a Canadian or American, anyway?
Your accent makes you who you are. Be proud of where you came from.
Be proud that you can speak more than one language. That is an amazing thing. You rock!
XOXO,
Jenny Mae
Thank you Mam.