Pronounciation. From North London living in North Wales I find that my aural ability to enunciate Welsh correctly is abysmal. I had speech therapy as a child maybe 55 years ago when success was not as it is now! When speaking Welsh (I work in schools) often get correct, sometimes kindly, sometimes with mirth (can take it!). Also, as I’m recognised as English, Welsh speakers automatically speak English to me. One told me she would speak Welsh when I could! I need to find a way to effectively absorb the correct pronounciation, starting I guess with the alphabet and associated sounds. As a musician I can empathise with the pain I might be causing, just a wrong or out of tune note affects me! Any suggestions?
I’m quite a fan of people speaking languages with their own accent - it’s nicely personalised, I reckon. To me, the only real problem is if you just can’t be understood, otherwise I would say don’t worry about it! But if “accent reduction” is still your goal, have you tried recording yourself? I know, it sounds hideously painful but it might help you to hear what you’re doing differently, and you can compare it to a recording of someone’s accent you like.
One told me she would speak Welsh when I could!
I know responses like this are probably in the minority overall, but they make me so annoyed! Learners are key to the future of the language.
As far as your concern goes, I would say that listening loads - immersing yourself in the sounds of the language - will definitely help your pronunciation, especially the vowels.
Also, I read something recently that said your pronunciation will improve if you watch the mouths of native speakers as they speak, carefully noting the shapes they make and muscle movement. One for the telly rather than face-to-face, I think. 
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Edit: I agree with Amy, though. The world would be such a boring place if we were all exactly the same. Translated into SSiW context: don’t worry about it!
My biggest problem of making myself understood was that I’d been stressing words wrongly. Iestyn pointed out to me that the stress is put on the last but one syllable. This one correction made a huge difference and Welsh speakers started to understand more of what I was saying…A small change which made a huge/massive difference.
On advice I started to record my speaking so that I could become conscious of my pronunciation as well.
It isn’t a problem at all - well to me - but some people say they can hear a little Thames estuary in my accent. I like to think it’s a hybrid of, Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine: “Not alotta people know that…”
In my experience, SSiW learners have accents that are much, much better than the norm, because they spend so much more time listening to the language - are you doing the course at the moment, Richard?
Unfortunately, it’s often the case that learners need to be quite firm with Welsh speakers who switch into English for them - it’s a long-term social thing, because Welsh speakers have been lead to believe that speaking Welsh to people who don’t speak it (which becomes ‘anyone they don’t know’) is at best offensive and at worst racist - so you will very, very often need to ask them specifically NOT to speak English to you. If you take that step, though, you’ll find that they’ll usually be impressed and very willing to help…
I know what you mean about accent Richard. I’m trying to avoid saying anything in English as I know I have a Kiwi accent and people then automatically assume that I can’t speak Welsh. If I start with Welsh I have half a chance, though it got tricky recently where I had to give my phone number to a man selling raffle tickets. I tried to give it in Welsh and he was writing it, though I had noticed that the previous Welsh speaker reverted to English for the numbers. I didn’t want to do that, but he got so exasperated with my saying them in Welsh that he just handed me the pen and I had to write them!
The other funny thing was yesterday. I took my parents (English speaking) to Carmarthen and we were in the castle shop. I was browsing the cards and asked the women in Welsh about the words inside. She looked really surprised and said I didn’t LOOK LIKE someone who could speak Welsh! What are Welsh speakers supposed to look like??? I couldn’t get over that one!
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to share that I spent a week with an old friend who I have reconnected with in South Wales a month ago. I tried so hard to get my Welsh out and it was such a challenge. We haven’t seen each other for so long and the time it was taking to catch up with each other in Welsh was just too frustrating so we popped over to English again Also, when I did get my well settled Course One Southern phrases out - he answered!!! Celebration - he understood everything and was impressed by the pronunciation - but I couldn’t follow his answer. I tried ‘siarad yn arafach, plis’ of course - and he just popped back into English I try to write to him as much as possible in Welsh - and have resigned myself to the idea that I can better learn and practise with another SSiW’er. Having my dear old friend as a teacher is like being taught to drive by my partner. !!! Who is Dutch by the way - so he was getting totally confused
I love this language and how it rolls around my mouth and brain in a completly different way than English, French or Dutch. So I am in for the long haul - and hopefully a Bootcamp next year! Thank you SSiW team for inspiration, clarity and support!
Elkie
Da iawn, Elkie!
To go to a “pressure” situation - catching up with an old friend is full of time pressures - and use your Welsh succesfully is great, and the fact that he understood, and replied too fast (he forgot that you were a new speaker straight away!)
You’re right about having friends as tutors - sometimes they’re great, but the great ones are rare! Normal people are rubbish tutors at something that is so “basic” to them (there’s nothing more basic than your mother tongue!), yet so much of a challenge for others!
I know how you feel about a “totally different” feeling language. I love Slovak for that exact reason, and cant wait to get a bit of time to re-start getting SSiSlovak written!
Look forward to seeing you on bootcamp next year! See - you always have to be careful what you promise on the forum… 
I’ll be there