Category: Indian English

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)

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The American R

6/6/2015

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The American R can be a challenging sound for non-native speakers, even those who speak other English dialects. In some accents, the r sound is rolled or trilled. In others, it sounds more like vowel schwa, or the sound "uh." Did you know that the "r" sound is different depending on where it falls in the word? You may have no trouble saying the "r" in red or really, but struggle with the "r" sounds in bird or forever.

Whatever your difficulty, this may be a sound that needs practice at the phoneme and syllable level. Rather than trying to start by saying words with r, practice the sound by itself and in nonsense syllables. You might find the trouble is not with making this sound, but rather with breaking the habits of your old pronunciation in words. Use the recordings below to try the sound, syllables, and words in a new way.

r sound, vowel ER

R syllables

R words

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

6/1/2015

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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.

Want to learn more about the American Accent? Subscribe to our special online practice site for speakers of Indian English. Videos, audio recordings and more, all designed for native speakers of Indian Languages. Subscribe today!

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Pronouncing American English: the W and V sounds

5/31/2015

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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

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Learning American English for Indian English speakers

5/30/2015

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Your native language background will affect your American English in terms of pronunciation, intonation, grammar and vocabulary. Whether you first spoke Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi or another language, what you heard and learned first shapes your phonological development (your sound system for listening and speaking). Indian English is a dialect of English and it might have been the first English you heard and spoke. The patterns of Indian English will also affect your American English pronunciation and intonation.

Here are some things you might expect if you are a speaker of Indian English:

Pronunciation: You may have difficulty with the w and v sounds. Your "th" sounds may sound like t or d. You may have trouble with the sounds at the ends of words, especially b, d, g, ng, and z. Your r sounds might be rolled at the beginnings of words and might sound like "uh" in the middle and at the ends of words. You might use pure vowels "ah, o, oo, ay and ee" and have trouble with American short vowels and diphthongs (gliding from one vowel to another).

Intonation: While you are likely able to understand American Intonation and how different patterns change the meaning of a sentence, you might speak with intonation that is difficult for the American listener to understand. This could include stressing the incorrect word in a sentence or syllable in a word.

Rate: You might feel that speaking quickly is a more American style, or that you will be perceived as more intelligent if you speak faster. In reality, speaking too quickly can lead to more pronunciation and intonation errors. More important than a fast rate is using appropriate suprasegmentals, such as linking, blending and liaisons between words.

Understanding what your accent is comprised of is the first step in making changes to increase how well you are understood when speaking American English. Take a free screening for information about your accent here.

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How to Pronounce the American L

The American R

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

Pronouncing American English: the W and V sounds

Learning American English for Indian English speakers

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