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 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.
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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. Linguist Justyna Kozyra-Bober recently investigated the likelihood that the main characters in the FX hit “The Americans,” Russian-born spies living a 1980’s suburban American life, would speak with no trace of a Russian accent. (Read her article in Language Magazine.) While her conclusion was that the show’s realism is flawed by the fact that as adult emigrants, the Russians would not be capable of native proficiency in their pronunciation, we should not be discouraged by this information. Instead, it is a good reminder that the goal of accent training is not to lose one’s accent entirely, but rather to improve pronunciation for clear communication. Interestingly, the male lead, Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, who was educated in Welsh-medium schools and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. His ability to speak with a near-perfect American accent is a testament to what one would have to presume was a great dedication on his part to his American accent training. One of the most commonly mispronounced sounds in American English is the "th" sound. This is likely due to the fact that the “th” phonemes are rare sounds, not found in most European and Asian languages. When we do not have a sound in our own language, the natural tendency to substitute a similar sound, such as “z,” “d” or “t.” Unfortunately, this has a big impact on accent, because the “th” sound is found in 20% of the 25 words we say the most in English. The most commonly used word, “the,” begins with this sound. So when we mispronounce “th,” it is very noticeable in everyday speech. Common mispronunciations of this sound involve improper tongue placement. To make the “th” sound, the tip of the tongue needs to rest between the teeth. Try making the “th” sound by itself. First make the “quiet th,” as in the words “think” and “with.” Then add voicing to make voiced “th,” as in “that,” “them” and “the.” |
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