Will you ever be able to totally eliminate your foreign accent when you speak American English? The truth is, probably not. However, you can improve the way you speak so that people will understand you. To do that you need to learn the accent reduction strategies that will help you and practice those strategies [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Syllable stress’
Syllable Stress in Nouns & Verbs
A couple of days ago I explained that heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are stressed determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: OBJECT.
The way you use syllable stress say the word ‘object’ changes the meaning of the word.
When the stress is on the first syllable the word [...]
Why You Need to Use Syllable Stress Correctly
One reason that you need to use syllable stress correctly when you are speaking is because English has many heteronyms.
Heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are pronounced determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: ADDRESS.
When you say the word ‘address’ the way you use syllable stress changes the [...]
Syllable Stress Patterns: Compound Words
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 [...]
Syllable & Sentence Stress in American English
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 [...]
American English Syllable Stress Patterns
If you are a frequent reader of my blog you know that one of the best ways to improve your American English pronunciation is to use syllable stress correctly.
In spoken English words with multiple syllables, one syllable is always more prominent than the others. We call this the stressed syllable.
Stressed syllables are pronounced:
with a [...]
Why You Have an Accent When You Speak American English, Part 1
Do you speak American English with a foreign accent? Many highly educated people read and write English perfectly. However, when they speak they have an accent that causes communication problems.
There are a number of factors that contribute to accented speech and this week I am going to describe five factors that may be causing you [...]
American English Pronunciation: Syllable Stress Rules
This week I have been teaching many of my students how to improve their English pronunciation by using syllable stress. Here are two rules that you can use to apply syllable stress correctly.
1. Compound nouns are stressed on the first syllable (or part). Here are a few examples:
CLASSroom
LIVing room
POST office
PARKing lot
BIKE rack
2. Compound verbs are [...]
Syllable Stress in Acronyms or Initialisms
While teaching an accent reduction class last week I noticed that my students were not pronouncing acronyms (or initialisms) correctly. This caused some communication confusion!
In spoken English acronyms are stressed on the last syllable or letter. That means you must lengthen the last letter and pronounce it with a higher pitch. After the stress your [...]
American English Pronunciation Problems for French Speakers
One key feature of good spoken English is syllable stress. In spoken English one syllable is each word is stressed. The vowel in the stressed syllable is lengthened and pronounced with a higher pitch.
Spoken French does not employ syllable stress in this way. French syllables are evenly stressed until you reach the last syllable in [...]
