Image credit: splatter.com, HBO An impressive range of British regional accents can be heard in the television series Game of Thrones. Many characters are portrayed with an accent that matches their upbringing and heritage. For those in the know, this adds an element of authenticity to the character and allows the viewer to make associations about them based on the way they speak. But just how accurately are accents being used? Gawker writer’s Max Read’s take? It’s a mixed bag. Read the details here.
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Every accent has its own distinct character, but often one of the elements that can make you hard to understand has to do with the ends of words. In American English, we usually pronounce sounds at end of a word, unless the word ends with a silent “e” (such as in the words name, goose, slice) or the word has been adopted into English from a foreign language (such as the words bourgeois, gourmet). A common error found in many foreign accents is de-voicing final consonants (for example, saying “bet” instead of “bed”), saying the final sound of the word too softly or leaving it off entirely. This error can be compounded by the speaker’s lack of confidence and desire not to call attention to his or her accent. Practice reading aloud, and slow down enough to say all of the sounds you see in the written words. You will feel your mouth moving more than you are used to. Next, try having a short conversation using this same technique. You may find that people can understand what you are saying better because you are putting the end sounds on your words. Regional varieties of American English are still going strong in this country, despite the homogenization of “broadcast speech” heard on the tv news. You might be interested to learn what your own biases are when it comes to labeling regional accents as “standard.” While linguists believe that every region has its own standard, there are socio-linguistic trends and preferences that make people believe one American accent is more typical than another. When you are trying to make yourself understood, your best approach is to strive for an accent that is comfortable for you, matches those with who you communicate the most, and has some of the elements used in American accent training such as slow rate and clearly pronounced consonant sounds.
Chances are, if you are not a native speaker of English, you have some words you are uncertain about pronouncing. You might even avoid using them, even though you know what they mean, because you don’t want to say them incorrectly. One excellent resource for checking your pronunciation is using online dictionaries. They have the advantage of recordings to play back, to hear a native speaker say the word. This is preferable to a digitized recording (computer generated), because the stress and intonation will be natural sounding and correct. If you are also working on acquiring new vocabulary, you may like the simplified definitions and examples you will find in Merriam Webster’s Learner's Dictionary. When trying new words, record yourself and compare your pronunciation to what you hear on the website. You may notice differences in the recording that you cannot hear when you are speaking. Did you know? Many native speakers of American English mispronounce the word "probably." You might have learned an incorrect pronunciation from people around you. Check out the correct pronunciation here.
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