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What is Accent Reduction?
Accent reduction involves changing or modifying some of the sounds and patterns in your current speech to make you sound more clear and comprehensible to American listeners. By learning to recognize and change the sounds and patterns that you unconsciously transfer from your own language to English, you can learn to speak in a way that will allow American listeners to understand you more easily.
Continue reading...Using Thought Groups to Improve Your American English Pronunciation
21. November 2009
When Americans speak they divide longer sentences into sections called thought groups. In each thought group we emphasize the focus word and then briefly pause before the next thought group begins. Many non-native English speakers have never learned to use thought groups when they speak English. For some people this causes their speech too sound too [...]
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation: Seven Ways to Practice Outside of Class
30. October 2009
You will learn a lot of pronunciation and accent reduction techniques in your classes. But how should you practice at home or once your class is over? Keep reading to find out seven ways that you can practice American English pronunciation outside of class.
Continue reading...How Long Will It Take To Reduce My Accent?
18. October 2009
When people are thinking about signing up for accent reduction training they usually ask how long it will take them to reduce their accent. Here is my response to that very important question.
Continue reading...Sentence Stress in American English-Using Content, Focus & Function Words
1. September 2009
When Americans talk they stress the CONTENT and FOCUS words in a sentence or phrase because these words are integral to the meaning of the sentence. Americans reduce the function words in a sentence because these words are not key to meaning.
Continue reading...Voiced and Voiceless Sounds in American English
1. September 2009
When you are speaking English it is important to recognize the difference between voiced sounds and voiceless sounds. A voiced sound causes your vocal chords to vibrate. A voiceless sound does not cause your vocal chords to vibrate. American English has about 15 voiced consonant sounds and 9 voiceless consonant sounds. All of the vowel sounds are voiced.
Continue reading...Linking in American English Pronunciation
2. July 2009
American English speakers use linking to join words together so that they are easy to say and flow together smoothly. It often sounds like people are saying one long word since they don't leave spaces between words. Here are 2 common types of linking that we use in spoken American English.
Continue reading...American English Intonation Patterns
2. July 2009
Perhaps you have heard people say that intonation creates the music of spoken American English. That's because English speakers use different types of intonation or pitch patterns in sentences and phrases.
Continue reading...Syllable Stress in American English
2. July 2009
In English words one syllable always pronounced with more emphasis than the other syllables. The vowel in the stressed syllable is lengthened and clear. We call this emphasis syllable stress. Learning to use syllable stress is one of the very best ways to improve your English pronunciation.
Continue reading...American English: The Dropped T Sound
2. July 2009
When you listen to Americans talk in everyday conversations you may notice that the /t/ sound is often dropped after the /n/ sound. This is a very natural component of spoken English because it helps speakers to pronounce clusters of consonants more easily.
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6. January 2010
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