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Whether it is for acting, or just to pull a prank at some friends, this article will instruct you how to re-create an Italian accent!
Things You Should Know
- Start by modifying your vowels: a sounds like "ah," e sounds like "eh," i sounds like "ee," and u sounds like "oo."
- Elongate double consonants in words like "azzurro," "pollo," etc. For example, you'd pronounce "better" as "bet-ter" rather than "bedder."
- Speak in very simple English phrases to create the illusion that you aren't fluent in English.
- End questions with "no?" to sound like an Italian native.
Steps
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1Start by modifying your vowels. Italian vowels are different than English vowels, and each letter stands distinctly as one sound.[1] It may sound complicated, but it isn't.
- A sounds like the ä in "Father"
- E is pronounced like è in "Vendor"
- I like ï in "Naive"
- U is ù as in "Goo".
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2Blend your "th". Many Italians have some difficulty in pronouncing the English "th", and so pronounce it as either "t" (as in "Think"), or "d" (as in "The"), respectively.[2]Advertisement
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3Use simple English. Since you are pretending to be a foreigner your working knowledge of the vocabulary would not be complete.
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4Elongate double consonants. In Italian, words such as "Azzurro", "Pollo", or other words with double consonants are pronounced twice as long as single consonants.[3] Thus, it would be "Bet-ter" and not "bedder".
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5End questions with "no?". This is an optional step, and obviously not done every time. The Italian language uses it, and thus, Italians are familiar with it. Example: "You are going later, no?"
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6Italians often drop the 'h' from the beginning of words.[4]
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7Occasionally mistake certain sounds. Be careful with this one, as too much of it will make you pretentious! But if you want to, remember this:
- GL is LL (as in "Million")
- GN is ñ (as in "Canyon")
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if I want to speak the language?Community AnswerLearn the language first, and then you can start adding the accent. You can also learn the language and the accent at the same time.
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QuestionWhat if I don't live near Italians?Community AnswerYou can talk to Italian people online, watch Italian videos or take Italian lessons.
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QuestionHow do I say boyfriend?Community AnswerYou pronounce "boy" as you would in English, except you exaggerate the "o". The "friend” becomes “fren”, with a subtle “d” sound. To make the subtle “d” sound, curve your tongue upward rather than downward in pronunciation.
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Warnings
- Do not exaggerate too much! As "Italian" as you may sound, exaggeration will only result in incomprehensible speech.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never try to fool the native speakers. Italians will instantly mark you negatively.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Use responsibly. For example, read this article to prepare for a theater play.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Italian people may get offended. Use with caution.⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References
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