Welcome back! Have you checked out my Accent Reduction classes yet? Will you ever be able to totally eliminate your foreign accent when you speak American English? The truth is, probably not. However, you can improve the way you speak so that people will understand you. To do that you need to learn the [...]
Posts under ‘American English Pronunciation’
The Importance of the Schwa Sound
WOW! This week many people have emailed to ask me to explain the English schwa vowel sound. This vowel sound is found in both American and British English and it is the most common sound in the English language.
The best place to learn about the schwa is here on the BBC website. Be sure to [...]
American English Pronunciation: The Importance of Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
In spoken American English there are many pairs of consonant sounds that are articulated using the same tongue and mouth shape. The difference between these pairs of sounds is that one sound is voiced and the other is voiceless.
Voiced sounds cause the vocal chords to vibrate. Voiceless sounds are softer and do not cause the [...]
IPA for American English
Many of you have written and asked me questions about the IPA and how to read phonetic transcriptions of English words.
I did some searching on the web and found this page from the Antimoon site. The page shows you how to read and write phonetic transcriptions. Each word and transcription has an audio recording using [...]
Learn the Rhythms of Spoken English with American Accent Training
One of the best books for learning and practicing the rhythms of spoken American English is Ann Cook’s American Accent Training. The book includes 5 CDs. You can read the reviews of this best selling book here American Accent Training
Syllable Stress in Nouns & Verbs
A couple of days ago I explained that heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are stressed determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: OBJECT.
The way you use syllable stress say the word ‘object’ changes the meaning of the word.
When the stress is on the first syllable the word [...]
Why You Need to Use Syllable Stress Correctly
One reason that you need to use syllable stress correctly when you are speaking is because English has many heteronyms.
Heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are pronounced determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: ADDRESS.
When you say the word ‘address’ the way you use syllable stress changes the [...]
American English Pronunciation Practice-Mirroring
Lots of people will tell you to watch American television shows to hear authentic examples of American English. That’s an excellent idea but you can take it a step further to get some serious pronunciation practice.
Instead of simply watching your show, choose a character to imitate. As soon as your character starts to speak, try [...]
American English Pronunciation: Linking and Liasons
Here is some excellent information from Ann Cook about how to improve your American English pronunciation using linking or liaisons. If you use liaisons like native speakers do your speech will sound smoother and less choppy to American listeners.
Liaisons in American English
Here is a link to reviews of Ann Cook’s book American Accent Training.
Syllable Stress Patterns: Compound Words
Those of you who read my blog frequently know that using syllable stress correctly is one of the very best ways to improve your comprehensibility when you speak English. That said, here are a few syllable stress patterns for compound words that you may find useful.
Compound nouns are stressed on the first word in the [...]
