Welcome back! Have you checked out my Accent Reduction classes yet? Continuing on my theme of American English vowels I’m going to write briefly on the pronunciation of the vowel combination ou.
This vowel combination can be pronounced 3 ways in American English. Here are some examples.
ou can be pronounced like /oʊ/
shoulder
soul
though
doughnut
although
ou can be pronounced like [...]
When Americans speak they link many words together, especially function words. Linking creates smooth transitions between words in a phrase or sentence and give your speech a smooth sound.
Here are 3 rules for linking words when you are speaking English.
1. When the same consonant sound is found at the end of the first word and the [...]
One of the most notable features of spoken English is its rhythm. Native English speakers alternate between using stressed and unstressed syllables in words and sentences. They do not pronounce all words and syllables with the same emphasis.
One way that non-native English speakers can improve their accent is to learn to use the rhythms of [...]
There are many English words spelled with the letter o in which the o is pronounced like /ɑ/ as in the word father.
To make the /ɑ/ sound relax your lips and your tongue. Your tongue should be low in your mouth when you articulate this sound. Here is a list of words in which the letter [...]
One way for native Russian speakers to reduce their accent is to change the way they make the R sound. The Russian R is very distinctive because it is trilled or rolled as the tongue taps quickly on the gum ridge behind the upper teeth.
American English speakers do not tap their tongue on the gum [...]
In spoken American English the letter combination TH makes two different sounds. One of these sounds is voiced and the other is voiceless.
The IPA symbol for the voiced th sound looks like this /ð/.
The IPA symbol for the voiceless th sound looks like this /θ/.
While both of these sounds cause problems for non native speakers [...]
