Accent Reduction for Indians | American English Pronunciation Blog

Archive for Accent Reduction for Indians

Accent Reduction Tips for Spanish Speakers

Image via Wikipedia One of the most problematic American English vowel sounds for Spanish speakers is the /ı/ sound. I call this sound /ı/ as in Silver. The /ı/ is a relaxed sound. That means that you need to relax your facial muscles in order to say the sound correctly. Spanish speakers often over pronounce

How to practice the /w/ sound

Many of my accent reduction clients from India, Turkey, Germany and Russian speaking countries need some instruction on the American /w/ sound. I teach them that the /w/ sound in American English is articulated with the lips rounded. The teeth do not touch the lips to make this sound! ~ Here’s a short exercise

My iPad book for the American Accent

You are probably here on my ConfidentVoice blog because you are one of those motivated people, looking for the very best resources for learning to speak with a clear American accent. ☝ There are tons of websites, books, CD’s and podcasts that you can use to improve the way you speak American English. Some of

Do I need to know the IPA to improve my American English pronunciation?

I receive lots of questions from people about the IPA symbols used for American English vowel and consonant sounds. Here is some basic information. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system that was developed to represent the sounds of spoken languages. The system uses characters from the Latin and Greek alphabets. IPA symbols include

American English Pronunciation: The Best Pronunciation Dictionary

Each week I receive lots of questions from people asking about the best online dictionary for American English pronunciation. I usually use Merriam Webster, but I don’t love it.☹ The dictionary’s audio voice articulates the sounds at the ends of words too strongly. There are also LOTS of advertisements….but it’s free so we can’t complain.

Why don’t people understand me when I speak English?

All of the people who I work with in my accent reduction coaching program are: well educated professional career oriented successful ✪ Still, many of them speak English with an “accent” that American listeners find difficult to understand.✪ They are working with me in order to understand WHY American listeners don’t always understand them and

Lose or Loose? What’s the difference?

This morning one of my accent reduction coaching clients asked me: What’s the difference between the words lose & loose? Here is my step by step answer: Phonetically, the verb lose sounds like luwze. The vowel sound is /uw/ as in Blue. The S has a /z/ sound. Phonetically, the adjective loose sounds like luwse.

American English Pronunciation for Technology Professionals

In my accent reduction coaching program I’ve worked with 100+ professionals who work in the field of IT. ✔ Many of these “IT guys” (and a few women) were in the process of MOVING UP from a programmer position … to a sales, managerial or other more interactive position. ✫ They understood that improving their spoken English

How do you pronounce Democrat (and related words)?

As I always tell my accent reduction coaching clients, learning to use the correct syllable stress is one of the most effective ways to improve your American accent and be understood! Syllable stress involves emphasizing one vowel in a word, while reducing the sounds of the other vowels. Some vowels are so reduced that they

How do you pronounce April?

While April may seem like an easy word to pronounce, I find that many of my accent reduction coaching clients say this word incorrectly. Let’s take a look at this word ☂ When you say the word April~ The letter A sounds like /ey/ as in Gray. The /ey/ sound is long. ➝ The letter