They CONtact me because they realize that their clients (and sometimes their colleagues) don’t always understand what they are saying in the workplace.

Their breakdowns in communication occur with both technical terms and in everyday phrases.

Here is some of the advice that I give them.

1. Learn to use syllable stress in technical words such as:

• ENterprise, INtegrate, SOFTware, SYStem, deVELopment & INterface

2. Learn to use sentence stress and intonation in everyday phrases such as:

• HowAReyou?  HowizGOwing?  Keeping BUSy?  Lets TALKaboudit.

If you are an IT professional who wants to improve your American English communication style, check out my accent reduction coaching program at Learn American Accent Online.

I can help you improve the way you speak American English.

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A voiced sound causes your vocal chords to vibrate. A voiceless sound does not cause your vocal chords to vibrate.

American English has 8 voiced/voiceless consonant pairs such as /z/ & /s/ and /v/ & /f/. Here are a couple of examples:

Put your fingers lightly on your throat and say “zoo”. You should feel a vibration when you say the /z/.

Keep your fingers on your throat and say “Sue”. You should not feel a vibration when you say the /s/.

Now put your fingers lightly on your throat and say “save”. You should feel a vibration when you say the /v/.

Keep your fingers on your throat and say “safe”. You should not feel a vibration when you say the /f/.

When you are speaking English it is very important to recognize the difference between voiced sounds and voiceless sounds. If you say these sounds incorrectly it will both mark your grammar as incorrect and contribute to your foreign accent.

A great book for learning about voiced and voiceless sounds in American English is:

Pronunciation Pairs Student’s Book with Audio CD

Click on the link to see this fun and educational book for learning American English pronunciaton.

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I call this “accent reduction coaching” and I teach primarily over Skype video.

In my course I teach you the syllable stress rules, linking rules, intonation patterns and vowel and consonant sounds that you need to use in order to speak American English more clearly.

Most of my clients are professionals working in IT, finance, engineering and academics. Using Skype, I’m able to meet them at times that fit into their busy schedules.

One on one coaching is absolutely the best and most effective way to improve the way you speak American English. To find out more you can visit my website at

Learn American Accent Online

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These resources include:

• The University of Iowa Phonetics
• The Merck Medical Pronunciations
• The Color Vowel Chart
• A syllable stress game from Oxford
• The BBC page on the schwa vowel sound

These are great audio resources that you can use to improve the way you speak American English online.

To use these resources just click on the arrow next to the RESOURCES area in the middle right hand section of this blog.

Thanks for visiting my site.  I add new posts every week so come back often! You can download my app by scanning the code at the bottom of the page.

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Why is this?

It’s because they had a communication problem at work. This communication problem is bothering them so much that they can’t sleep.

So they are up in the middle of the night, searching the internet for a solution. They know that their communication problems are due to their foreign accent, but they don’t know how to change this.

Has this ever happened to you?

If this type of situation sounds familiar, there is a good chance that you fit this profile:

1. You are highly educated with a Masters Degree (maybe 2) or a PhD.

2. Your English reading, writing and vocabulary are above average.

3. You are very, very good at the technical or content aspects of your job. In fact, your company or university hired you because of your knowledge and expertise.

BUT….the way you speak North American English is holding you back. The people who you work with, clients, colleagues, and managers don’t always understand what you are saying.

You get reactions such as: “Could you repeat yourself?” or blank looks and fake smiles. You accent keeps your from effectively share your expertise.

You know that you aren’t communicating clearly but you don’t know what to do about it.

If this sounds all too familiar, you should seriously consider working with an accent reduction coach to improve your spoken English.  I’m an accent reduction coach and I’d be happy to talk to you about your accent. You can read more about me and my services here-Learn American Accent Online

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The archive contains 1,500 recordings of people from around the world reading the same paragraph in English. There are recordings of both native English speakers and non native English speakers along with their age, gender and country of origin.

I started using the tool when I taught English pronunciation in Washington, DC. It helped me to learn more about the accents of my students.

These days, the tool is used around the world by pronunciation and accent teachers, linguists and others.

Click here to listen an English language audio story about the Speech Accent Archive from the VOA.

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Accent reduction  is a process of listening, noticing sounds and patterns, learning accent reduction techniques and applying those techniques in real life situations.

My clients sometimes ask me how actors are able to learn to speak with different accents. The answer is; working with an accent or “dialect” coach and practicing for a couple of hours every day.

Here is s link to a story about an actress from India who is trying to learn an American Accent.

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Examples of commonly used phrasal verbs include:

• break up
• take off
• turn it on
• work out

Here is a great audio story on American English phrasal verbs from the Voice of America.

Pronouncing phrasal verbs

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In order to make this sound correctly, your tongue is forward and your facial muscles are relaxed. Here are some practice sentences.

• Where does he live?
• Fill it up.  Could you fill it up?
• Give her a gift. I want to give her a gift.
• Make a list.   It’s on the list.
• Are you still sick?
• It’s a pity!
• Sit in the middle.
• It’s too little.
• Is it expensive?
• Yes, it is.

If you are a Spanish speaker, check out this audio course for learning the American Accent.

Best Accent Training

You can download the lessons on the /I/ sound and other problem sounds for Spanish speakers. You can start learning today.

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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!

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