Since you can’t learn about intonation without listening to native speakers, you MUST use audio courses or CDs to practice this skill.

One of the best ways to learning and practice the rhythms and intonations of spoken American English is to use an audio course.

My favorite one is called Best Accent Training. This course comes with transcripts and mp3 audio files that you can use to listen and practice.

You don’t need to buy all the lessons. You can just get the lessons on intonation. Prices start at $7.00.

Sheri’s new audio course on American Accent audio course is also really good for intonation practice.

This course is very affordable!

To read related posts on intonation click on the links below. The 0 means closed for comments.

Here is an example. When a word that ends with an /s/ or /z/ sound is followed by a word that starts with a /y/ sound the linked blended sound is a /sh/. Examples include:

that’s your, what’s your, how’s your

When a word that ends in a /t/ sound is followed by a word that starts with a /y/ sound the linked blended sound is a /tch/.

Examples include: put your, cut your, got you

Linguists call these palatalized sounds because your tongue moves over the hard palate on the roof of your mouth when you say them.

Remember that English consonants and vowels can have many sounds. The sound they make depends on their location in a word or phrase.

If you are trying to improve your American English speaking and communication skills you must learn to use the correct types of intonation.

The most common type of intonation in American English is called rising-falling intonation. Rising-falling intonation is found in sentence types such as statements, commands and questions that begin with the ‘wh’ words; what, where, when, why, who & how.

Another type of intonation is called series intonation. This is when you describe a series of choices as in the question below:

Would you like coffee, tea, water or soda with your meal?

In this question you should use rising intonation when you say the words coffee, tea & water. Your intonation should fall on the last choice, soda.

Learning to use intonation on your own or from an accent reduction book is not easy. The best way to learn to use intonation patterns and communicate effectively  in American English is to work with an accent reduction coach.

Keeping in mind that Singaporeans come from many language backgrounds, here are a few problems that Singaporean English speakers often have when they speak American English.

Syllable Structure and Stress

American English pronunciation patterns are based on syllable stress patterns. You must know and use these stress patterns if you want to sound more “American”.

American English speakers also delete syllables in many multi-syllabic words. Singaporean English speakers tend to pronounce all the syllables in a word and that sounds strange to Americans.

Vowel Lengthening

In spoken American English we lengthen the sounds of vowels in stressed syllables. We also lengthen the sounds of vowels that occur before voiced consonants. Many Singaporean English speakers do not lengthen their vowel sounds enough and this makes their speech sound choppy to American listeners.

These are just a couple of examples that I’ve heard when I’ve done accent coaching with professionals living in Singapore.

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

Here is a link to Nina Weinstein’s Voice of America episode on reduced speech. Nina is the author of the book Whaddaya Say. You can see the book by clicking on the link below.
Whaddaya Say? Guided Practice in Relaxed Speech, Second Edition

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.

To articulate this sound your tongue should be flat and very low in the front of your mouth. Your lips should be open. Many non native American English speakers us the /ɜ / sound when they should use the /ae/ sound. That means that:

• man sounds like men
• sad sounds like said
• had sounds like head

Try to pronounce these phrases using the /ae/ sound. Remember to keep your tongue low, forward and flat in your mouth with your lips open when you make the sound.

1. That was your last chance.
2. That is an angry man.
3. The bad cat made me mad.

I have not personally used the course but I have heard from many people that the instructor (Shari) is a great teacher! You can check it out by clicking on the link below.

Learn American Accent

Spoken French does not employ syllable stress in this way. French syllables are evenly stressed until you reach the last syllable in a phrase or thought group. The last word in a phrase or thought group will be stressed.

Given that correct syllable stress is key to a good American English accent, how can you learn to use it?

There are some rules or patterns you can use to determine which syllable to stress in American English words.

Here are the two “rules” that students find easy to remember:

1. 90% of two syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable (STU-dənt, NOTEbook, COF-fee)

2. 60% of two syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable (rə-TURN, də-LAY, əf-FEND)

Also, remember that the vowel sound in unstressed syllables is frequently reduced to schwa.

Here is a Syllable Stress Chart that you can use to practice syllable stress in 2 syllable, 3 syllable and 4 syllable English words.