Tag Archive | "american english pronunciation"
The Schwa Sound in American English
In order to reduce your accent effectively, it is absolutely critical that you learn to use the schwa vowel sound. In this post I will explain what the schwa sound is and why using the schwa will improve your accent. What is the schwa sound? The schwa sound is the most common vowel sound in North American English. The schwa sounds like “uh”. It is pronounced with the mouth and tongue in a very relaxed position. The schwa sound can be represented by any vowel. The IPA symbol for schwa is /ə/.
Continue reading...American English Intonation Patterns
Sunday, April 10, 2011
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. These intonation patterns, which are not visible in the written language, are extremely important because they convey meaning. If you are not aware of how Americans use these pitch or intonation patterns you could risk confusing or offending your listeners.
Continue reading...Voiced and Voiceless Sounds in American English
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
In order to speak English correctly 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...American English Pronunciation Tip-Use Idioms
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Every language has idioms and these often use everyday words to describe a message with a hidden meaning. In this lesson I describe three idioms that are commonly used in conversational American English.
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation: The Sounds of C & S
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Since English is not a phonetic language there is not always a one-on-one relationship between the letters in the English alphabet and spoken sounds. This can cause problems when you want to pronounce English words. The 26 letters in the English (Roman) alphabet make more than 26 spoken sounds.
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation- Why Do You Have an Accent?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Most non-native English speakers have an accent when they speak English but they don’t understand why and they don’t know what steps they can take to change this. In this article I will tell you why you have a an accent when you speak English. Then I will explain four things you must do if you want to reduce your accent.
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation Tips- Part 2
Sunday, March 8, 2009
This is the second in a series of articles that describe accent reduction strategies you can use to improve your American English pronunciation. Here are two more key strategies you can use to reduce your accent.
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation Tips-Part 3
Saturday, March 7, 2009
This is the third in a series of articles that describe accent reduction strategies you can use to improve your American English pronunciation. Here are two more great tips for improving your American accent.
Continue reading...American English Pronunciation Key Vocabulary
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Here are some important vocabulary words you will need to know as you are learning to improve your pronunciation and American English accent. I have added the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciation next to each word for your reference.
Continue reading...Syllable Stress in Proper Nouns
Thursday, February 5, 2009
In this lesson you will learn the correct American English pronunciation of common names. After this lesson you won't be embarrassed by pronouncing American names incorrectly again!
Continue reading...
© 2009 Copyright Accent Reduction Classroom. All Rights Reserved. 
Thursday, April 28, 2011
0 Comments