Is the midwest accent the standard accent in TOEFL and CNN?

Question

Of late I had somebody told me that midwest accent is the standard accent in TOEFL and CNN. If this is the case, then how to get used to this accent? CNN is a bit too fast for me now, so I want to find an alternative source for accustoming to this accent.

Incidentally, if this question is off-topic, please feel free to tell me directly and I would either delete it or make necessary revisions.

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 16 '14 at 13:17

4

Newscasts from National Public Radio tend to be rather less excited than the commercial networks, and represent a good range of standard US accents. If you want something really slow (and very funny), Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon stories might suit you.

answered Aug 16 '14 at 13:17

StoneyB on hiatus

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Keillor's own accent is rather neutral, but some of the characters in the show's sketches have comically exaggerated Upper Midwest accents. – Nate Eldredge Aug 16 '14 at 17:15
@NateEldredge Quite so, which is why I recommended Keillor's monologues. The Guy Noir pieces and Lives of the Cowboys are generally pretty moderate, too. – StoneyB on hiatus Aug 16 '14 at 17:52
This American Life also speaks reasonably slowly, with occasional dashes of genuine accents from outside the Chicago area. – Adam Feb 11 '15 at 18:01

Is the midwest accent the standard accent in TOEFL and CNN?

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