Welcome back! Have you checked out my Accent Reduction classes yet? Last week, I was working on vowel sound articulation with one of my accent reduction coaching students. We were working on the tense /iy/ sound in the words feet & leave and the lax /I/ sound in the words fit & live.
My student, a [...]
Posts Tagged ‘american english vowels’
American English Vowel Sounds-How Can You Tell the Difference?
American English Pronunciation: The /iy/ and /I/ Sounds
One of the American English vowel sounds that non-native speakers frequently mispronounce is the /iy/ sound as in the word sheep.
They frequently shorten this sound so that it sounds more like the /I/ sound as in the word ship.
This means that when non-native speakers (especially Spanish & Portuguese speakers) say the word cheap, it sounds [...]
American English Pronunciation: Words that Begin with Schwa
This week I received LOTS of questions about the schwa vowel sound. Let me explain a few things about this KEY American English vowel sound.
In spoken English the schwa (see the image above) is the relaxed vowel sound that is frequently used to articulate the vowel sounds in unstressed syllables. Click here to read [...]
Pronunciation of the Vowel Combination ou
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 [...]
EyeSpeak English Pronunciation Software
Lots of people write to ask me about English pronunciation software. One that has recently come to my attention is called EyeSpeak English.
This program teaches English pronunciation through carefully designed content. Words build to sentences using common everyday themes that contain the language you need to know to speak English effectively with friends and in [...]
American English Pronunciation Problems for Speakers of Haitian Creole
Haitian Creole speakers and French speakers have some of the same problems with spoken English.
One of these is the tendency to delete the /h/ sound at the beginning of words. Word initial /h/ is almost always pronounced in American English. That means that the /h/ must be articulated clearly in words such as: hat, here, [...]
Linking within Words for Smoother Speech
If you are an advanced student of American English pronunciation you have probably learned about linking (or liaisons). Linking refers to the connections between words. Ann Cook, author of American Accent Training, says that these connections “allow us to speak in sound groups” instead of word by word.
Spoken English has linking between words and also [...]
When O is Pronounced With the /ɑ/ Sound
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 [...]
Why You Have an Accent When You Speak American English, Part 2
This week I am writing about factors that contribute to accented speech. Yesterday I wrote about syllable stress and intonation. Today I will talk about lengthening your vowel sounds.
When you are speaking American English you must lengthen the duration of vowel sounds in stressed syllables. You must also lengthen vowels that come before voiced consonant [...]
Accent Reduction Tips for Korean Speakers
Many non-native English speakers, including Koreans, often mispronounce the words woman and women.
Both words are stressed on the first syllable as indicated in ‘ bold. However, the vowel sounds do not sound how you think they should!
The word woman is pronounced ‘wʊ-mən.
The word women is pronounced ‘wɪ-mɪn.
Here is a short video from Tarle Speech and Language [...]
