What's the best way to get rid of international accents? [closed]

I have lived in the United States for more than five years now, and I am over 20 years old. Although I do not have that many problems with my verbal or written skills, it is not hard for people to notice my accents when I speak. I think I have failed to get rid of my accents because I have not completely surrounded myself with American people yet.

I want to sound as much "native" as possible. Besides trying to spend time with native people as much as possible, are there other things I can try to speak more naturally?

Solution 1:

It is very difficult to remove an accent, whether foreign or regional, after puberty, without the aid of intense speech therapy/training.

But without intense training, the trick is to, well, exaggerate what you think is the local accent you're trying to copy. Even though it may sound funny to your own ears, it'll turn out to be closer to locals than you think. Pick the kind of accent you want and listen to it over and over (internet recordings are easiest) and try to imitate it, exaggerating everything that you can hear that is different. This will get you pretty far.

This is not to say it is impossible. There are people who manage to do well (actors tend to have a good ear for imitation).

It is relatively much easier to get better at vocabulary, nuances of turns of phrase, and syntax than it is to get pronunciation just right. That just seems to be a fact of life that is borne out by the numbers.