SPEECH MODIFICATION AMERICAN ACCENT TRAINING
  • Home
  • Our Training
    • What is Accent Modification?
    • Corporate Accent Training
    • Accent Training for Health Care Professionals
    • About
  • Online Courses
  • Free Resources
    • Podcast
    • Online Practice Free Trial
    • Blog
    • Free Screening
  • CLIENT AREA
    • Online Practice
    • Assessment
  • Contact
  • Store

How to Pronounce the American L 

7/24/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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)
0 Comments

The American R

6/6/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
0 Comments

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

6/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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!

0 Comments

Pronouncing American English:  the W and V sounds

5/31/2015

0 Comments

 
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
Picture
Picture
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


0 Comments

Learning American English for Indian English speakers

5/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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.



0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Subscribe to Speech Modification's YouTube Channel!
    Subscribe to this blog:

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    On Sale

    On Sale

    Trial Lesson

    Shop

    Individual Accent Training (4 session package)

    Shop

    Online Courses

    Shop

    Categories

    All
    Accent
    Accent And Career
    Accent And Technology
    Accent In The Media
    Accent Research
    Apps
    Arabic
    Audio Files
    Bias
    Business English
    Class Calendar
    Culture
    Grammar
    India
    Indian English
    Intonation
    Japanese
    Living Abroad
    Mandarin
    Nigerian English
    Online Resources
    Pop Culture
    Portuguese
    Pronunciation
    Regional Accents
    Russian
    Seattle Area Classes
    Spanish
    Ted Talks
    Tips And Tricks
    Videos
    Vocabulary
    Vowels

    Archives

    March 2021
    January 2021
    September 2020
    May 2020
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Copyright 2020
    Christine Dunbar
    


    Want Feedback on Your Speech?  Take a Free Speech Screening Now!
    Free Screening

    Have Questions?
    Get A Free Consultation

    We offer a free 30-minute phone consultation. Schedule yours now.
    Schedule My Free Consultation
Privacy Policy
Copyright 2024 Christine Dunbar, All Rights Reserved
Terms and Conditions of Use
Photos from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, Harshil.Shah, dno1967b, Mr Moss, garryknight, Cosmic Cine, niyam bhushan, Kris Krug, North Carolina National Guard, SJU Undergraduate Admissions, 13winds, waitscm
  • Home
  • Our Training
    • What is Accent Modification?
    • Corporate Accent Training
    • Accent Training for Health Care Professionals
    • About
  • Online Courses
  • Free Resources
    • Podcast
    • Online Practice Free Trial
    • Blog
    • Free Screening
  • CLIENT AREA
    • Online Practice
    • Assessment
  • Contact
  • Store