American English Pronunciation Blog » Russian Speakers

Pronunciation of the Vowel Combination ou

susan — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:00:45 +0000

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 schwa /ə/

cousin
enough
country
tough
couple

ou can be pronounced like /aʊ/

loud
sound
south
found
house

If you want to learn more about how to articulate American English vowel sounds you might want to check out Mastering the American Accent with Audio CDs

This excellent book uses illustrated text with an audio CD to show you where to put your mouth, tongue and lips to form each sound.

Linking in Spoken English

susan — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:04:57 +0000

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 beginning of the next word pronounce them as one long sound (Consonant +Consonant). For example:

team mate sounds like teammate
that time sounds like thattime
bus stop sounds like busstop

2. When a consonant sound ends one word and is followed by a vowel sound make the consonant sound part of the second word (Consonant +Vowel). For example:

save it sounds like savit
called up sounds like calledup
turn around sounds like turnaround

3. When a vowel sound is at the end of one word and the beginning of the next word add a /y/ or a /w/ sound between them (Vowel + Vowel). For example:

sounds like do/w/ it
sounds like see /y/it
sounds like I/y/ am

Here is some more information on linking and liaisons in spoken English.

Syllable & Sentence Stress in American English

susan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:20:49 +0000

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 spoken English. In my accent reduction classes and coaching sessions I spend significant time working with stress and rhythm because these features of English are key to comprehensibility.

Here are a few tips to remember:

In every word with two or more syllables, one syllable is stressed or emphasized.

The vowels in stressed syllables are pronounced with a higher pitch and longer duration than the other vowels in a word.
The vowel sounds in unstressed syllables often have a schwa sound.
The stressed syllables of content and focus words create stress within a phrase or thought group.

If you are interested in learning more about my accent reduction classes click on the Contact Me tab above and send me a question.

Here is some more information and a syllable stress practice activity.

When O is Pronounced With the /ɑ/ Sound

susan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:00:25 +0000

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 o has an /ɑ/ sound.

1. hot

2. lot

3. stop

4. job

5. office

6. modern

7. confident

8. clock

9. dollar

10. doctor

To see the detailed articulation of this sound go to the University of Iowa Phonetics site and choose Vowels, Monothongs, Back.

American English Pronunciation for Russian Speakers

susan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:09:29 +0000

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 ridge or on the roof of their mouth when they make the /r/ sound.

To articulate the American English /r/ pull your tongue back in your mouth with the tip of the tongue curled up. Your tongue should not touch the roof of your mouth.

Practice by saying: er, er, er. Notice how your tongue feels as it sits in the middle of your mouth.

Now say: run, read, farther, card, & lawyer. Remember that your tongue should not touch the other parts of your mouth when you make the American English /r/ sound.

American English Pronunciation:The Voiced & Voiceless Th Sounds

susan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:37:10 +0000

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 of American English, the /ð/seems to be the most problematic.

The /ð/ is the sound you hear at the beginning of frequently used words such as the, this, that, those. You also hear this sound in the middle of many common words such as: mother, father, brother and rather.

To make the /ð/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching. Since this is a voiced sound you should feel your vocal chords vibrate when you make the sound. That vibration will extend all the way to your tongue.

Most people find that the /ð/ is not comfortable sound to make and it takes a lot of practice to get it right!

To make the/θ/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching lightly. When the air flows out of your mouth it should feel gentle.

The /θ/ is the sound you hear in words such as: thanks, Thursday, birthday and month.

To see a detailed articulation model for these sounds click below and choose Consonants–>Fricatives

American English Pronunciation: The Voiced & Voiceless Th Sounds