Many non-native English speakers sound “choppy” when they speak American English. Choppy rhythm can create accented speech that is difficult for native speakers to listen to. One effective accent reduction technique you can use to correct choppy speech is to use linking.
American English speakers link many words together, especially the smaller function words. Linking creates smooth transitions between words in a phrase or sentence and gives 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 American English.
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Tags: Accent Reduction for Chinese Speakers, accent reduction for Spanish speakers, Accent Reduction Techniques, linking in American English, linking words
