American English Pronunciation Blog » South Asian Language Speakers

The Most Common Sound in Spoken English

susan — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:09:17 +0000

Linguistic research indicates that the most common sound in spoken English is the schwa vowel sound. This is because native English speakers pronounce the vowels in most reduced syllables with the schwa sound. The phonetic symbol for schwa is /ə/.

Here is an example. When I say my name, Susan, the first syllable is stressed so the vowel has a long high sound. The second syllable is reduced so the vowel has a schwa (uh) sound. Spelling using phonetic symbols my name would look like: ‘su:-zən.

The most commonly spoken English word is the and it is frequently mispronounced by non-native speakers because it starts with the troublesome voiced th sound. The phonetic symbol for the voiced th is /ð/. Using phonetic symbols it would look like ðə.

You simply must learn to use the schwa vowel sound in order to reduce your accent!

One accent training book that provides lots of lessons on the schwa vowel sound is Mastering the American Accent. You can see the details and reviews at this link.
Mastering the American Accent with Audio CDs

American English Pronunciation: Linking and Liasons

susan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:00:38 +0000

Linking happens in every English sentence. We connect two words together when the first word ends in a vowel sound and the next word begins with the same vowel sound.
that table sounds like thattable
next time sounds like nexttime

We also connect words when the first word ends with a consonant sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound.
about it sounds like aboudit
passed out sounds like passdout

If you use liaisons like native speakers do your speech will sound smoother and less choppy to American listeners.

Ann Cook’s book American Accent Training does an excellent job of teaching you to use linking to improve your accent.

Here is some more information about how to improve your American English pronunciation using linking or liaisons.
Liaisons in American English

American English Audio Lesson: The 2 Sounds of TH

susan — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:00:47 +0000

One problem that many or most non-native English speakers face in speaking American English is how to make the two sounds of ‘th’.

Here is a link to a lesson on these two very common sounds. At the end of the lesson is an audio practice activity for you to use.
American English Audio Lesson-The TH Sounds

If you like the lesson, be sure to sign up for my free four week accent reduction course on the page. This is a free introductory course with no obligations!

Syllable Stress Patterns: Compound Words

susan — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:31:07 +0000

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 compound.

bedroom
someone

Compound verbs are stressed on the second word in the compound.

outsmart
overdue

In compound adjectives the stress is on the second part of the compound.

bad-tempered
old-fashioned

Hyphenated compound words often have short words in the middle. Some of these are stressed on the first part of the compound such as:

mother-in-law
free-for-all

Click here to read more about syllable stress in American English.

American English Pronunciation: R Colored Vowels

susan — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:00:41 +0000

The American English r is a very difficult sound for many non-native speakers to articulate correctly!

The American English r sounds like /ɚ/. The sound is made by bunching the middle of the tongue high in the back of the mouth and rounding the lips. The tip of the tongue curls up a bit, but it never touches the roof of the mouth.

When a vowel is followed by an r, the vowel sound changes. These are called r-controlled vowels, or r-colored vowels. Here are some of the phonemes you will hear.

The letters ar can sound like /ɑɚ/ as in: car, guitar & star.

The letters ear can sound like /iɚ/ as in: near, fear & beard.

The letters or usually sound like /ɔɚ/ as in: or, more & course.

The letters ir, er and ur, sound like /ɚ/ as in: bird, were, & fur.

Since the sounds of r-colored vowels are so complicated, many pronunciation books and courses simplify these. One great resource is the American English Pronunciation exercises from the Kelly brothers at Many Things.

The best book that I know of for learning the r-colored vowel sounds is Ann Cook’s American Accent Training. You can see the book by clicking on the link below.

American Accent Training (Book and Audio CD, 2nd Edition)

American English Pronunciation: Phrasal Verbs

susan — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:15:15 +0000

This week in class one of my students said that he needed to catch up on his work. Uh, oh….
When I showed him this picture he understood his mistake.

In order to improve your American English pronunciation you must know how to use syllable stress and word stress. One pattern that you must follow is this: in phrasal verbs the stress is on the participle or second part of the verb.

Here are a few examples:
put down, not put down, that’s like an insult
stand up, not stand up, that’s a type of comedy
turn on, not turn on, that’s a sexual term
turn over, not turn over, that’s type of pastry
catch up, not catch up, (ketchup) that’s for french fries

We use many phrasal verbs in English. To read more about phrasal verbs check out the Longman Pocket Phrasal Verbs Dictionary. This great little resource is only $6.00 and it’s easy to carry around with you.
Longman Phrasal Verbs Dictionary

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: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

American English Pronunciation Problems for Indians

susan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:10 +0000

Thanks to all the nice people from India who read this blog. I am very happy that you found this website and I hope you find it helpful.

I recently came across a website that featured 10 Tips on English Pronunciation & Accent Improvement (for Indians). I think that the following tips on the website are the most accurate and important.

1. Using the tapped T sound.

2. Articulating the /v/ & /w/ sounds.

4. The voiced th sound.

8. Using syllable stress correctly.

9. Daily practice.

You can find the list by clicking on the link below.

English pronunciation problems for Indians