Speech Modification Blog - American Accent Training Blog

Learning the American Accent: How to Pronounce Nouns and Verbs

10/2/2015

In some cases, the same word can be a noun or a verb. We pronounce it differently depending on which way we are using it. A rule that applies to some of these words is that the stress falls on the first syllable when it is a noun, such as in the word produce: The produce is fresh at that store. The stress falls on the second syllable with the word is used as a verb: They produce microchips in Silicon Valley. Because the stress pattern is different, the vowel will also sometimes change. We use a vowel schwa (sounds like "uh" as in "cup") to mark an unstressed syllable. Listen to the example below:

Notice how in the first sentence, produce sounds like pro-dooce, but in the second sentence, it sounds like pruh-dooce. We call this vowel clarity - the stressed syllable retains its vowel, whereas the unstressed syllable is reduced to a schwa vowel. In addition, notice how the first syllable in the noun is much longer than in the verb. We use a longer vowel on a stressed syllable than an unstressed syllable. Try some of these phrases, making sure to use a long, clear vowel on the stressed syllable.

Project: I have to finish the project. (noun)
I need to project my voice. (verb)
Increase: We've seen an increase in sales. (noun)
I'd like to increase my salary. (verb)
Conflict: I have a conflict at that time. (noun)
Their schedules conflict. (verb)
Details: I sent the details via email. (noun)
The book details the events of last year. (verb)

Here are some additional words which follow this noun/verb stress rule:

decrease
import
discount
desert
refund
present

object
subject
contract
protest
insult
permit

escort
upset
conduct
reject
record
contest

When in doubt, it's a good idea to check the pronunciation using an online dictionary.

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How to improve your American accent: Reduced sounds

8/24/2015

When working on speaking English correctly, we often focus on correctly pronouncing all of the sounds in words. Mispronounced sounds can make your speech difficult to understand. It's important to understand which sounds in your speech contribute to your accent. (To learn more, try a free screening or sign up for an assessment of your speech.) When you want to sound more natural when speaking English, however, it is helpful to know that in flowing speech, native speakers leave out or reduce some of the sounds. Pronouncing everything can make you sound unnatural. Just like linking, where sounds run together, reducing is a way that speech flows more easily. Here are some examples:

to becomes t': today = t'day, tomorrow = t'morrow, to go = t'go
We run the word "to" into the following word or syllable, dropping the vowel oo. Listen to the examples below.

the jumps on to the next word: the store = th'store, the matter = th'matter, the weather - th'weather
We shorten the word the and run it onto the following word when the word after "the" is stressed. We use vowel schwa on this word in most contexts, not vowel ee (the = thuh, not thee). You can hear this in the recording below.

are loses its vowel sound, or sounds more like er: what are = what'r, who are = who'er, those are = those'r
We reduce the word are and tack it on to the previous word in some cases. It sounds more like a short vowel er. Listen to the recording below.

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How to Pronounce the American L

7/24/2015

The American L sound can be challenging for many non-native speakers of English. Part of the difficulty may be that we make a different sound when L is at the start of the word versus the end of the word. To make the L at the start of the word, lift the tip of your tongue and place it behind your front teeth. If you have trouble feeling where this is, you can say the words "tot" and "tight" and feel the tongue tap up for the "t" sounds. The L sound is made with the tongue tip in the same place. Try saying "tot, lot" and "tight, light." Use the recording below to practice.

When L is at the end of the word, we add an extra sound before the l, and hold this sound into the L sound. This extra sound is the vowel schwa, which sounds like "uh." To get this sound, try slowing down and sliding from one vowel to the next. For example, try the following words using the recording below:

tool (too-w-uh-l) tail (tay-y-uh-l) feel (fee-y-uh-l) fuel (fyoo-w-uh-l)

American Accent Training for Portuguese Speakers

7/8/2015

The sound system of your native language affects how you hear and pronounce other languages. When speaking American English, native Portuguese speakers have accent patterns based on first hearing and speaking Portuguese. You can use this chart to learn more about the Portuguese accent in English. Click on the individual sounds for recordings and help with pronunciation.

How to Speak like an American: Linking for smooth sentences

6/4/2015

Improving our American English pronunciation often involves a focus on correctly producing sounds at the ends of words. For example, many accents leave off certain consonants at the ends of words or devoice those sounds, resulting in mispronunciations and misunderstandings. In general, making sure the ends of your words are clear is a good strategy for being understood.
But what about typical American English? The truth is, we have patterns of reducing some sounds at the ends of words, and sliding into the next word. This is called linking. There are several different types of linking. To introduce the idea, let's look at a few common sayings and how we link the words in these sayings.

Nice to meet you. This phrase contains an example of consonant linking. The t at the end of the word meet runs together with the y in the word you. We start to say the "t" sound, but instead of releasing the puff of air, we slide into the word you. Listen the the recording below. You can hear this sentence with and without linking. Both are correct, but when the sounds are linked the sentence sounds more typical of American speakers.

Try these phrases with the same linking pattern: Eat yogurt. Bright yellow. Not yet.

Is he in? This phrase demonstrates a dropped h. We leave out the h sound at the beginnings of the word he, and run the z sound from is into the "e" sound of he. This phrase sounds more like "Izzy in?" The recording lets you listen to this phrase with and without linking.

Here are some additional phrases with a dropped h. Is he going? Call him. I've seen her.

Common Error Patterns for Indian English when learning the American accent: a Resource

6/1/2015

If you learned to speak English in India, your pronunciation of American English will be affected by both your native language(s) and the Indian English Dialect. Whether you first spoke Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali or another language, it is likely that you have some of the following pronunciation patterns that contribute to your accent when speaking English.

You can use this chart to identify which pronunciation targets you can work on to improve your American Accent. Many sounds link to practice materials or further information.

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Pronouncing American English: the W and V sounds

5/31/2015

Pronunciation errors on the "w" and "v" sounds are common for those with a variety of language backgrounds. For most, learning how to clearly differentiate the two sounds is an important step in pronouncing them correctly. These sounds can be distinctly identified and produced by how they are formed with the mouth.

The American W

The American V

The American W is made with pursed, rounded lips. The lips should have no contact with the teeth. Make sure your lower lip protrudes as much as your upper lip as you make this sound.

Use the recording below to try making the w sound in the syllables wah, wee, woo, why and woah.

The American V is made with the top teeth touching the lower lip. Lips should not round. Make sure you can feel your teeth against your bottom lip as you make this sound.

Use the recording below to try making the v sound in the syllables vah, vee, voo, vai and vo.

Next, try these minimal pair words with w and v. Make a clear distinction between rounded lips w, and lip on teeth v. Practice with the recording below.

wet    vet
wary    very
worse    verse
wine    vine
wiper    viper
west    vest
wheel    veal
whale    veil
rowing    roving
while    vile
whim    vim
wiser    visor
went    vent
wow    vow
Walt     vault

Having trouble remembering that new word? Sing it!

5/29/2015

Not only does signing your favorite American song help you make subtle changes in your American Accent (see this post for details), but you might do well with remembering new words by singing them. We all have pop songs, advertising jingles and tv theme songs from our childhood taking up valuable memory space in our brains, but perhaps we can harness our ability to remember words set to music to our own advantage. Researchers in Scotland set up an experiment which involved teaching groups of people words in Hungarian. Those who were taught using a method of signing the words had the best results when asked to remember them later. You can read more details here.

When you come across a new word you'd like to remember or a word for which you need to change your pronunciation, if you can find a song with the correct rhythm, you can sing the word to store it for later. For example, let's say you need to learn the stress pattern for the word technology. This word has the stress on the second syllable, technology. Take the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and change the words to "Now I sing technology, now I sing technology." Tying the correct word stress and pronunciation to a tune might help build pathways in your brain to correctly pronouncing this word in running speech. And it might also be fun.

Listen to the "technology" song here:

How to pronounce American English: Voiced vs. voiceless sounds

5/23/2015

Vowel sounds are always voiced (the vocal folds buzz when saying these sounds). Consonant sounds can be either voiced or voiceless, and they come in pairs called cognates. Why is it helpful to know about voiced and voiceless cognate sounds? A frequent error in accented speech is the de-voicing of final consonants. What this means is that the speaker does not use any or enough voicing (buzzing of the vocal folds) on the last sound of the word, so it sounds like the voiceless cognate. This occurs for various reasons. The speaker's native language may not have words that end with voiced sounds. The speaker may be listening to American English speech, and not really hear or notice the voicing on the ends of words when listening to Americans. Or the voiced sounds might be part of a group of consonants at the end of the word, and the challenge of producing this consonant cluster makes using correct voicing difficult.

Whatever the reason, attention to this error is important because you may sound like you are saying a different word than you are. Your listener will likely understand based on the context, but having to interpret what you are saying puts an increased cognitive load on the listener, and they may struggle to follow what you are saying as a result.

The pairs of consonant sounds are as follows:
voiceless: t    voiced: d     Examples: to, do
voiceless: p    voiced: b     Examples: poor, boor
voiceless: k    voiced: g    Examples: came, game
voiceless: f    voiced: v        Examples: fan, van
voiceless: s    voiced: z       Examples: sip, zip
voiceless: sh    voiced: zh    Examples: mesh, measure
voiceless: ch    voiced: j       Examples: choke, joke
voiceless: th (IPA /θ/) voiced th (IPA /ð/) Examples: thigh, thy

One helpful way to ensure you are pronouncing the final consonant with the correct voicing is to lengthen the vowel sound before the voiced consonant. For example, when we say the word "bead," we hold the vowel ee for a little step down because the "d" is voiced. When we say the word "beat" we don't hold the vowel ee for any additional length. Listen to the pairs below and try making a longer vowel and voiced sound to end the word. Then try some of the words in the list on your own.

beat   bead
bop    Bob
pick    pig
leaf     leave
bus     buzz
mesh    measure
rich    ridge
breath    breathe

Learning American Accent: how to change pronunciation

5/21/2015

Do you have some words which you find difficult to say? Do you know which sounds are different in your accent? Whatever your pronunciation difficulties, understanding the approaches to changing pronunciation can help you address your goals.

While accented speech is comprised of several elements, pronunciation is one aspect which many speakers and listener can identify as sounding different. Some sounds in American English are infrequent or nonexistant in other languages and must be learned and practiced in a hierarchy to develop the sound. Others are easier to say, but hard to use in running speech. Understanding the levels of practice is an important step to changing your speech.

1. Sound level (phonemes): This level is single sounds. Practicing at this level is usually only necessary when the sound is new to you, but knowing how to say a sound by itself correctly is helpful and can be used as a tool when working at more challenging levels. Use the recordings below to try some of the American English phonemes which are most frequently mispronounced in accented speech.

Voiced th. IPA symbol: /ð/ Example words: those, that, breathe. Tongue between teeth, air flowing, voice on. Common error patterns: stopping (sounds like d) or alveolar tongue placement (sounds like z).

Voiceless th. IPA symbol: /θ/ Example words: thing, this, bath. Tongue between teeth, air flowing, no voice. Common error patterns: stopping (sounds like t) or alveolar tongue placement (sounds like s).

Vowel ɪ. IPA symbol: /ɪ/ Example words: it, is, different. Common error pattern: use of vowel ee (IPA /i/), the vowel in the words eat and need.

Vowel er. IPA symbol; /ɚ/ or /ɝ/. Example words: third, word, her, paper. Common error patterns: rolled r, use of vowel schwa (uh sound).

2. Syllable level: This level is target sound plus an additional sound. If the target is a consonant, the additional sound is a vowel, and vice versa. While two sounds together can make a word, syllables can also be part of a word or just a nonsense word. Practice at this level is useful when breaking down difficult words, integrating a difficult target into words, or changing a habitual pattern with the target sound. The recording below demonstrates how to add various vowels to the challenging target voiceless th (IPA symbol: /θ/).

3. Word level: This level is the target sound in real words. The target could be in the beginning, middle or end of the word (initial, medial or final position). Depending on your native language, you may only need to practice one word position. Sometimes speakers have an accurate phoneme in the initial position, but make errors when the target sound is in word-final position. For example, you may be able to use your voiceless th sound correctly in the word "think," but have an error pattern on the word "teeth."

You can try some words with initial, medial and final voiceless th sounds using the recordings below.

4. Phrase or Sentence level: The next step to changing a pronunciation pattern is to use the target sounds at the phrase or sentence level. Once you have achieved accurate productions at the word level, you can imitate or create sentences using the same words you practiced at the word level. This is more challenging because you are having to hold the new target in your mind as you say the sentence. If needed, you can practice at different levels within this step. Easiest, imitate a sentence with the target word at the beginning of the sentence. Next easiest, imitate a sentence with the target word in the middle or end of the sentence. Next, create your own sentence with the target word at the beginning of the sentence, and last, create a sentence with the target word in the middle or the end of the sentence. Use the recordings below to try the target voiceless th in imitated sentences. Then make your own sentences with voiceless th words.

5. Conversational level: This is the goal and the final step in changing pronunciation. Sometimes transitions between steps 4 and 5 are necessary, such as practice while reading aloud. There are many techniques to moving from the sentence to the conversational level, including raising awareness of where your targets occur and repeat motor practice to gain automaticity.

Tips for Indian English Speakers: How to pronounce the Short I vowel

5/16/2015

One of the most common errors for those learning the American accent is the vowel in the words it and him, referred to on this site as “Vowel I" or /ɪ/. This sound is frequently confused with the vowel in the words eat and seem, “Vowel ee or /i/.”

These two sounds are similar, but Vowel ee /i/ has a more exaggerated smile posture for the lips, and the front of the tongue is slightly higher in the mouth. Vowel ee /i/ is a tense vowel, meaning that the muscles in the face are engaged. Vowel I /ɪ/ is a lax vowel, meaning the lips and face need to be relaxed. Practice going from one sound to the next to feel the different postures for your lips and tongue. Use the video to help you.

One way to solidify the distinction is to practice with minimal pairs, or words that differ only by this vowel sound. Listen to the following sets of words, and practice making a clear contrast between vowel ee /i/ and vowel ɪ.

For even more practice, use these short phrases which contrast the ee and I vowel sounds.

Learning the American Accent: How to pronounce "H."

5/16/2015

Some English speakers leave off the “h” sound at the beginnings of words. This is typical of some British English accents, Nigerian English, speakers in Australia and New Zealand, Caribbean English and some Indian English accents. The American accent almost always pronounces the “h” sound, with a puff of air. You can hold your hand in front of your mouth to feel whether the air is flowing if you’re not sure whether you’re making this sound or not.

One way to practice adding this sound to your words if your accent tends to leave it off is to say pairs of words with and without initial h. Listen to the words below. Say each pair, making a clear distinction between the word with the “h” and the word without. Then try the rest of the list for extra practice.

have    ave
he         E
how    ow
hate    ate
heat    eat
hi       I
his         is
hey        A
hoe       O

hold    old
heel    eel
heart    art
hedge    edge
had    ad
hand    and
has     as
hear    ear
hair       air

Pronouncing American English: Words that end with NG.

2/2/2015

When the letters “ng” are together at the ends of words, they sound different than when they are in the middle of the word. In the middle of the word, they are usually pronouncing with the “ng” sound, plus a hard “g” to start the next syllable. For example, the words hunger and finger can be broken into two syllables: hung+ger and fing+ger. At the ends of words, however, the “ng” combination only makes the single sound “ng.”

A common accent error in American English is to add an extra sound to the end of ng, similar to ng in the middle of words. This makes words sound like thingk or doingg, and is a noticeable error. To change this accent pattern, try listening to the following pairs of words. Notice how the ng words do not have a stopped k or g sound at the end. Next, try saying the words, making a distinct difference between the nk word and the ng word.

bank    bang

think    thing

sink      sing

dunk    dung

rank     rang

Learning American Accent: Words with S

12/30/2014

Many words in English begin with an “s-blend,” which is when the letter s is followed by another consonant. For example, the words state, space, school, and special all begin with s-blends.

Some non-native speakers of English have difficulty with combining consonants because they don’t use this construction in their native language. In Spanish, words with these sounds begin with an “e,” such as especial, escuela, and estado. Consequently, a common accent pattern in English is to add an additional “e” sound before s-blend words.

Listen to the following pairs of words. Note that the words are similar, but the Spanish word has and "es" and the English word has only "s."

space/espacio
special/especial
state/estado
stamp/estampa

To avoid this problem, start by practicing s-blend words alone. Then slowly add words before your s-blend word, being careful to start your target word with an “s,” not an “es.” It might help you to draw out the “s” sound a little longer.

After saying s-blend words by themselves, slowly add more words to your phrase until you are able to say the s-blend word correctly in a sentences. For example, use the recording below to try this exercise:
special
special service
provide special service
we will provide special service

American Accent: Tips for Mandarin speakers

11/15/2014

Words that end in “n” and “ng” can be difficult for some people to differentiate, especially those whose native language is Mandarin. Both sounds are made by closing off the path of the air in the mouth. The difference is that the "n" sound is made with the tip and blade of the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth at the ridge behind the teeth (see illustrations below) and the "ng" sound is made with the back of the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth in the middle back of the palate. Try saying "t" and then "n" to feel the location of the tongue in the front of the mouth. Now try saying "k" and then "ng" to feel the tongue in the back of the mouth. Listen to the recording below, and try saying the words with contrasting sounds at the end.

N and Ng contrast words: listen here

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Learning American Accent: Tips for Spanish Speakers for the Final "J" sound

11/2/2014

Final "j" is sometimes mispronounced as the voiceless "ch" sound. "J" is made in the same location in the mouth as "ch," but you use your voice on the "j" sound. Listen to the contrasting words on the audio file below to hear the difference between the "ch" and "j" sounds at the ends of words.

Still having a hard time? Can you say "j" at the beginnings of words, as in the word "jump?" If so, try the phrase "a jump" (ay-jump), running the two words together. Say it slowly, then speed up. Eventually, leave off the "-ump" and you will be saying the word "age" with a final "j" sound. Use the recording below to practice.

Learning the American Accent: How to Pronounce Past Tense Verbs

10/30/2014

You’ve mastered the past tense verbs. You’ve changed see to saw, am to was, and added the “-ed” for the regular past tense. You’ve read, learned, written, and spoken: but did you say it correctly? Even though we add two letters (“ed”) to make a verb past tense, we usually only add one sound. Sometimes, it’s a voiced “d” sound, as in played or listened. Sometimes, the “ed” is pronounced as the unvoiced “t” sound, as in “looked.” When the sound preceding the “ed” is voiceless, like the “k” in “look,” the “ed” will also be voiceless. When it is a vowel or voiced consonant, such as in play or listen, the “ed” will also be voiced. But when the verb ends with a t or d, we add a syllable, pronouncing the “e” as well as the “d,” and is “treated” or “headed.” Look at the lists below for more examples, or listen to the recording to practice the correct pronunciation.

Past tense verbs with a voiceless “t” sound:

liked

looked

worked

helped

stopped

talked

washed

noticed

Past tense verbs with a voiced “d” sound:

called

showed

lived

moved

answered

turned

learned

played

remembered

dried

rained

snowed

happened

named

Past tense verbs with an added syllable (sounds “e” and “d”):

ended

sounded

wanted

landed

needed

pointed

waited

wanted

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Learning English: Tips for Spanish Speakers

10/28/2014

When a native Spanish speaker speaks English, they are likely to have some difficulty producing the “v” sound. In Spanish “b” and “v” make the same sound. In English, “v” has its own distinct sound. To make an American-sounding “v,” try placing your upper teeth on your lower lip. Use your voice and blow air over your lip. Looking in the mirror can help you see if you are making the sound correctly. Now try an American “b” sound – put both lips together, then use your voice and pop your lips open. These words are good for practicing the difference between “v” and “b”: vote, boat; vend, bend; vat, bat; dove, dub; vase, base. Click on the audio file to hear the difference and try for yourself!

Click here to hear words with the v and b sounds.

"b" mouth shape vs. "v" mouth shape

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Chicago, Boston, Seattle: How Do We Sound?

9/20/2014

Ever wonder how people sound in different parts of the United States? PBS’s extensive website, “Do You Speak American?” has a wealth of information about regional variation in American English. Not only do we use different words in different parts of the country, but our accents are different. You can listen to recordings from different cities across the US here. How does your city sound compared to the others?

Image credit: Robert Delaney

Regional Accents - How do you say "Pork Chop?"

3/21/2014

Americans speak with a wide variety of regional accents. American accent training will help you have a Standard American Accent, but there's no reason not to enjoy hearing the different accents people speak across the United States. Here's an audio clip from Robert Blumenfeld's "Accents, A Manual for Actors," where he demonstrates regional differences in the pronunciation of the words "pork chop."

photo from porkbeinspired.com