Accent & Dialect Coaching
Learning an accent does not have to be intimidating!
Adopt the accent of your character through curious exploration, under the guidance of a skilled coach.
When working with me, you are working with a lifelong language and accent nerd! I have been playing with language sounds since childhood. My curiosity will inspire your curiosity, and we will zero in on your target accent together! I have a doctorate in Linguistics and am a Knight-Thompson Speechwork certified teacher. That means you can expect the following when you work with me:
- I help you explore the target sounds in a way that helps you embody the accent accurately.
- I utilize authentic samples for listening and modeling
- I create a space that fosters curiosity and eliminates anxiety
Together we will use four principles when building an accent:
People
- What is the cultural context of the accent?
- What imaginative link can you make to your character's use of the accent?
Posture
- What is the articulatory "home base" of the accent?
- How can you travel to this place from your own native posture?
Pronunciation
- What are the key sounds (phonetics) of the accent and how are they distributed?
- How can you execute key sounds with precision and ease?
Prosody
- What is word or phrasal stress pattern of the accent?
- How can you layer this information over the more specific phonetic detail?
Which accent* do you need?
- General American
- New York (various)
- Boston
- U.S. Southern (various)
- U.S. Midwest & Inner North
- U.S. West & Plains
- UK: RP, Estuary, Midlands
- Multicultural London English
- Scottish
- Irish
- Australian & New Zealand
- Russian
- Ukrainian
- French
- Italian
- German
- Spanish (all geographic varieties)
- European and Brazilian Portuguese
This geographical listing is to give an idea of the broad variety of accents I can coach, but does not convey the variety that might be found in any one of these areas. An analysis of character, place, people, and authentic accent samples will better define the precise sounds you need.
"Love Dr. Leslie's range of speech and accent coaching." - T. Brooks, The Empowered Actor Initiative, LLC
"A calm, caring, empathetic and knowledgeable teacher who knows what she's doing and does it well." - M. Dallas, Accent & Dialect Coach at Talk Like That
"[Leslie's] presence in the class was calm and grounding." - L. Fereday, Actor, Accent & Dialect Coach
"Leslie was so accessible when I needed an accent for an audition. She coached me over the phone and I felt so prepared." - G. Jones, Actor
"I appreciate you - you really are an epic wonder of a human being." - K. Higinbotham, Actor, Director, Accent & Dialect Coach