How to Fake a Chicago Accent

Across the country, one encounters differences in the way people speak English. One of the accents that is easily recognized is the Chicago accent. This accent is a bit tricky to fake if you're from the East or the South, but it's doable. With this eHow, you can get started. Just don't say "da Bears."

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Work on making your voice sound flat when you are trying to fake a Chicago accent. Think of a toad and incorporate that sound into your speaking voice.

2. Emphasize the short "a" in words when faking a Chicago accent. "Law" becomes "lahw," "apple" becomes "ahpple" and so on.

3. Say "ah" instead of a short "o," so "shot" sounds like "shat."

4. Draw out your "s" when faking a Chicago accent. Think of snakes. "Rest" sounds like "ressst," anything plural sounds like even more.

5. Remember to call things by their Chicago names. Use "brat" for bratwurst, "hoagie" for sub or submarine sandwich, and "pop" for soda.

6. Listen to recordings of Chicago accents.

7. Practice talking with a fake Chicago accent. Tape yourself as you're doing so and play back your recording. Compare it to a real Chicago accent and work on your fake accent until you can't tell it from the real Chicago accent.

Resources

• Positive Anymore discusses Chicago dialects.
• Listen to the Chicago accent.

[Myshashi]

on 6/21/2009 It depends on which language influences your accent and which accent you wish to acquire. You need to find a specialist. Someone who knows why you speak the way you do, and how to speak the way you want to.
Book: http://www.neutralaccent.com
Fake properly. Thank you.