When they are speaking English, many Spanish and Chinese speakers fail to pronounce word final sounds correctly. If you do this, it contributes significantly to your accent.
One problem that arises are the sounds of the past tense “ed”.
In American English the past tense “ed” has three different sounds.
These sounds are: /d/ as in the word “loved”, /ed/ as in the word “wanted” and /t/ as in the word “stopped”.
Rule 1
The past tense “ed” is pronounced as /ed/ in words ending with the sounds /t/ and /d/.
For example: wait/ed/ and decid/ed/. This /ed/ adds an extra syllable to the word so it is easy to hear.
Rule 2
The past tense “ed” is pronounced as /t/ in words ending with the sounds /k/,/s/, /f/, /p/, /sh/, and /ch/.
For example: kiss/t/, stopp/t/ and push/t/. The /t/ sound is made by touching the tip of your tongue to the gum ridge behind your front teeth.
Rule 3
The past tense “ed” is pronounced as /d/ after all other sounds. The /d/ sound is also made by touching the tip of your tongue to the gum ridge behind your front teeth. Your vocal chords should vibrate when you say the /d/ sound.
In American English the correct pronunciation of grammatical endings is extremely important for effective communication.
In my Skype accent reduction coaching course I always teach my clients how to make these sounds correctly.That’s because when you pronounce the “ed” incorrectly your speech will be accented. It may even mark you as uneducated!
Mon, Nov 29, 2010
Accent Reduction Coaching, Accent Reduction Techniques, Skype accent reduction