How to Speak with an Irish Accent

So, you decided to prepare for St. Patrick's Day this year by learning to speak with an Irish accent. Or maybe you're trying out for a role in a play or musical. If you want to be convincing, follow these tips, and practice, practice, practice!

Step 1 - Think and Reflect

Think about the way you speak. Analyze how you use your words. You'll find you will be better equipped to change your speech if you analyze your speech beforehand.

Step 2 - Soften Your Vowels

Americans have a tendency to harden their vowel sounds. For example, the letter A to an American is pronounced "aye." To give the letter a more Irish sound, pronounce the letter "ah." Notice the Irish sounding A is much softer. Some other examples with other vowels are: "Basil" should be "bahsil"; not "baysil." "Tomato" should be "tahmahtoe"; not "toemaytoe." The Irish will pronounce, vitamin, "v-ih-tamin" not "v-eye-tamin."

Step 3 - Focus on Your Consonants

The opposite rule is true for consonants. To sound more Irish, you'll want to harden your consonants, not soften them. To pull off any European accent you'll need to enunciate better and focus hard on your consonant sounds. Stay away from slurring your consonants together like coulda, woulda, shoulda, wanna, gonna. Clip your words into distinct entities, and emphasize your consonants. Instead say; could have, would have, should have, want to, going to. A good way to start practicing your consonants is to read aloud, making sure to enunciate each consonant.

Step 4 - Lyricize Your Inflection

One thing you'll notice about the Irish is that their speech is more musical. To have a convincing Irish accent, a deadpan American delivery will not work. Be conscious of your tone and inflection and watch movies to listen for vocal patterns. An Irish accent contains a varied inflection and is thus more musical and sing-songy than an American accent. This is probably the most difficult step as it is hard to teach a foreign ear the varied inflections common in an Irish accent. Notice your rhythm and tone of delivery.

Step 5 - Adopt the Irish Spelling