Last week, I was working on vowel sound articulation with one of my accent reduction coaching students. We were working on the tense /iy/ sound in the words feet & leave and the lax /I/ sound in the words fit & live.
My student, a project manager at an international communications company, said “but Susan, I can’t even hear the difference between these two sounds.”
It’s very common that non-native speakers can’t hear the subtle differences between American English vowel sounds. But native speakers can hear the difference and if you pronounce vowel sounds incorrectly it contributes to your accent and leads to breakdowns in communication.
So, if you can’t hear the difference between sounds such as /iy/ & /I/ (a big problem for many Spanish and Chinese speakers) how can you improve the way you say them?
The truth is that you probably need some help to get started.
An accent reduction coach can tell you exactly what sounds and patterns are contributing to your accent. A coach can teach you how to hear the difference between the vowel sounds in fit & feet and live & leave.
Once you become aware of these sounds (and how they are different) you will begin to notice them in your environment. You will hear native English speakers using these sounds and you will wonder why you never heard them before!
This happens all the time.
Shari from the American Accent Course says that students of accent reduction need
“to recognize and become aware of these new sounds in everyday life. Then, after you start entering this new world of sound, you need to train your mouth and your brain to consistently use them. ”
I couldn’t agree more!
Professionals who are serious about improving the way they communicate in American English should consider working with an accent reduction coach or taking an online accent reduction course.
A coach or a course will teach you how to hear the difference between vowel sounds and how to articulate these sounds using the correct tongue placement and muscle movement.
Once you can hear the difference you must train yourself to articulate these sounds correctly with focused daily practice.
Tags: accent reduction course, Accent Reduction for Chinese Speakers, American English Pronunciation, american english vowels, Spanish & Portuguese Speakers
