How concerned do we have to be about properly mastering the accent in a foreign language?  It may be all but impossible to speak a foreign language without any trace of an accent if you learn that language as an adult.  However, it is important to try to mimic the accent of the language you are studying. It will help you to communicate better, since accents and emphasis form an important part of any language.

As you are learning a language, either in a classroom setting or independently via tapes and books, you should add to the experience and improve your accent by listening to the language as much as possible. If you are able to listen to music tapes or radio and T.V. shows or go to plays and performances conducted in the foreign language, do so as much as possible. Even if you do not understand everything, you will be attuning your ear to the sounds of the language and helping yourself understand it better in the future.

An excellent beginner way to learn an accent is in children’s songs.  They are typically simple and repetitive which will allow you to hear the same sounds over and over and to be able to practice and master them.  A large book or record store will probably have a selection available, or you can get them online. It is a good idea to get ones that have a transcript so that you will also learn the words as well as the sounds.

Many companies produce audio tapes in foreign languages that allow you to listen to a magazine format of items currently being discussed in a particular country or culture. There is a great advantage to using these, since frequently the topics may frequently be current events you have already heard about, and so you can pick out relevant words and concentrate on the pronunciation. Since the tapes can be stopped and rewound, unlike radio, T.V. or performances, you can concentrate on a certain sound or word until you master the pronunciation.  Champs-Elysées (French), Puerta del Sol (Spanish), Acquerello italiano (Italian) and Schau ins Land (German) are some examples of these audio magazines.

Using any of these methods, practice your accent by listening and repeating the words you hear. Pay close attention to tone and delivery. Some languages have a sing-song pattern to them, while others are pronounced in a heavier way, with the accent on the last syllable of the word, which brings the voice down. Using these tonal qualities in the ways native speakers use them will make your words easier to understand.

You probably will be understood if you speak your newly learned language with a foreign accent, but if you try to accent it correctly, you will increase your chances that you will be understood and you will avoid a lot of trouble and repetition in the long run.