accent reduction

Easy way to memorize vocabulary?

2012-01-25T00:42:00.000-08:00

A student, Mohammad Ali Mohammad, asked me the following question:

Madam Lisa, I try to memorize vocabulary but I cannot. What is an easy way to memorize?

My answer:

1. Try to use the word immediately by creating your own sentence. Say it aloud. Don't just read the word from a book or a dictionary. Saying the words aloud is very powerful for memorization.

2. Make a word list and study the same words every few days until they are imprinted in your mind.

3. Google the word to see how it's used in different contexts.

4. Have a dictionary. (not just an online dictionary, but an actual book) When you learn the meaning of a new word, underline it. Then, once in a while scan your dictionary looking for the underlined words and check to see if you still remember the meaning. It's a nice way to see your own progress. I used this method with learning French. It was so exciting to look through my dictionary and to see how many words I didn't know just six months before. It encouraged me to keep learning and to become fluent.

Do you readers have any other suggestions?

Confusing English Words

2011-12-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

When you pronounce a word, do you worry that it sounds like a different word? Have people been confused or have they misunderstood you?

Here are some that my students often confuse:

can and can't
Doug and dog
Brett and Brad (men's names)
series and serious
staff and stuff
sheet and shit
this and these
of and off

Which ones can you add to this list?

Great New Site for Practicing your Pronunciation

2011-12-14T22:43:00.001-08:00

An English teacher from Brazil, whose name is Mayli Brasil (yes, that's really her last name!), came to LA to take American Accent classes with me for a few weeks. (that's a photo of Mayli and me.) She told me about a great new website which can help you with practicing your pronunciation. It's wonderful because it's got many video clips with captions that you can pause after each line. There is a great feature for you to record your voice after each sentence. Then it gives you a score. You can click on the individual words to hear the pronunciation or to see the meaning. You can also enter your TOEFL score and it will give you videos which are at your proficiency level.

I highly recommend this site for practicing your pronunciation! It has so many interesting videos to watch.

Thanks Mayli! It was great meeting you. Say hello to your English students in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Here is the site. Let me know how you like it:

http://www.englishcentral.com/

Does "Siri" on your IPhone 4S understand your accent?

2011-11-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

Some of my accent reduction clients have complained that the new voice recognition technology doesn't understand their heavy accent. I would like to hear your experiences with Siri and other similar applications.

Here is an excerpt from an article on Huffingtonpost:

"It can be frustrating because Siri forces me to pronounce my questions over and over again and sometimes the app won't understand me at all," said Latina Sandra Ortiz, new owner of the iPhone 4S, after recording the video, "but it always understands my husband!"

Here is a comment from Apple:

"The more you use Siri, the better it will understand you. It does this by learning about your accent and other characteristics of your voice. Siri uses voice recognition algorithms to categorize your voice into one of the dialects or accents it understands. As more people use Siri and it’s exposed to more variations of a language, its overall recognition of dialects and accents will continue to improve, and Siri will work even better."read whole article

What are your experiences?

Accent Reduction Tip

2011-10-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

Find good role models of speech. Don't imitate just any American. Some Americans mumble, they have "lazy lips" and don't make an effort to speak clearly.

For example, in your native language a poet and a computer programmer may speak very differently. Right?

Same thing in English. Who are your role models for American English speech? A football player being interviewed on TV often speaks differently from a lawyer in court. What are your goals? Do you want to sounds like an American rapper or like an American CEO?

20 Reasons for taking accent reduction lessons

2011-07-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

This is what my student have said. Why do YOU want to reduce your accent?

1. “My boss told me that some clients are complaining that they don’t understand me.”

2. “I am an actor and I my agent told me I have to get rid of my accent.”

3. I am tired of always being asked “Where are you from?”

4. “People treat me differently because I don’t sound like them.”

5. “I am ambitious and driven in every area of my life. I believe in self-improvement and I know that I can improve the way that I communicate in English.”

6. “My American friends are not able to correct me. I need a professional to help me. I know the mistakes that I am making but I don’t know how to fix them.”

7. “I went to an audition and I didn’t get the part in the film because my accent was too strong.”

8. “I think people have negative stereotypes about my accent.”

9. “I get the impression that people take me less seriously at work because of the way that I speak.”

10. “I am a nurse and sometimes my patients complain to my supervisor that they don’t understand me.”

11. “I love the American culture and the way the accent sounds. I want to learn to sound like that.”

12. “My boss told me I need this class. He told me to call you and that he would pay for the classes.”

13. “I want to feel more confident when I give presentations in English.”

14. “I get nervous to speak at work meetings because of the way that I sound.”

15. “Everyone else in my company is American. I feel that I am seen as different.”

16. “I am a college professor. My students complain that they don’t understand me. Sometimes they also use it as an excuse for not doing their assignments.”

17. “My kids make fun of my accent.”

18. “People love my foreign accent and I don’t want to lose it, but I just want to reduce it a bit.”

19. “I want to learn the rules of correct English pronunciation.”

20. “I hate speaking on the phone in English.”

Video Lesson - How to reduce vowels

2011-06-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a new video that I just posted on YouTube. It will teach you the very important rule vowel reduction. English vowels can be pronounced differently, depending on whether they are stressed or reduced.

Some books I recommend for advanced speakers of English

2011-05-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

My accent reduction students usually have an advanced knowledge of English, but they still occassionally make mistakes with English grammar or vocabulary usage. Here are some books that I recommend that they purchase to perfect their skills. I have also included the links to Amazon.com where you can purchase the books. I have used these books when teaching college ESL classes as well as with my private clients who need to brush up on their skills.

"Understanding and Using English Grammar" by Betty Azar. This is an excellent grammar book. I have used it in my classes for many years. Very detailed.

The Article Book by Tom Cole and Three Little Words by Elizabeth Claire. I recommend buying these together. If your native language does not have articles (a, an, the) these two books will be helpful to you. They are pretty short but they cover a lot of the rules and exceptions of article usage.

Speak Business English Like an American by Amy Gillett. This book has very useful idioms and expressions that are used in the workplace. Great self-study and audio.

More advice for reducing your accent

2011-03-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

1. Slow down your speech. Actually, you can speak as quickly as you wish, as long as you are pronouncing every sound of every word and you are following the rules of good stress and melody. You will notice that newscasters often speak quickly but clearly. If you cannot do that, you need to practice. Meanwhile, slow down!

2. Make sure your articulators fully touch. What are your articulators? Your lips and your tongue - the parts of your mouth used to create sounds, specifically consonant sounds. Don't get lazy and don't allow them to touch only half way. For example word "general" if said quickly and in a lazy way can be very unclear. The sounds, N R and L in the word "general" require the tongue tip to be in the front for the N, and then curled back for the R and then in the front again touching the top of your mouth for the L. That's a lot of work! Good speakers do that quickly and correctly. If you practice your tongue will get stronger, and some of these difficult sounds will require a lot less effort to produce.

To learn the correct mouth movements of the most difficult American English sounds, you can get my DVDs, "American Accent Course - 50 Rules You Must Know."

3. Dont' stop practicing!! Read aloud every day for 20 or 30 minutes. Record your voice. How does it sound? Are you pronouncing every word clearly or are you mumbling?

Best wishes!
Lisa Mojsin

American Accent Course for Japanese Speakers

2011-02-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

The new DVD course is available. It helps Japanese speakers of English speak more clearly and learn to fix all of the most common pronunciation mistakes. Learn to correctly pronounce the difficult American consonant sounds. Fix the most common mistakes. Purchase the videos here:

http://accurateenglish.com/dvds_for_japanes_speakers.htm

Good Online Dictionary for Pronuncation

2010-08-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

I recommend this dictionary for looking up the pronunciation of words: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/.

I like the fact that it has two different accent options - one American Accent and one British. The vowels and consonants are mostly pretty authentic to an American Accent. Many other online English dictionaries are confusing in this regard.

Also, if you have studied British English in your country, it's useful to hear both versions of the same word. Just for fun, look up the words, "better," "student" and "awful."
Big differences in the two different accents!

Don't Give Up!

2010-07-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

How is this about accent reduction? Well, I believe that any time we have a goal, sometimes we will feel like giving up. I try to encourage all of my students to keep trying, to follow their dreams. It brings me much joy to see them succeed. Some are Hollywood actors trying to get a part in a movie, some are recently graduated MBA's going on their job interviews and others are people who are simply tired of always being asked to repeat themselves and what country they come from. I post these quotes by famous people to inspire you to keep going. Never let your dreams die! :)

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
-- Mark Twain

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. ~Albert Einstein

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
-- Dale Carnegie

Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. ~Author Unknown

"Studies indicate that the one quality all successful people have is persistence."
-- Joyce Brothers (1928-) U.S. psychologist and talk show host

"All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going - is the man who is there when the good luck comes - and is ready to receive it."
-- Robert Collier

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."
-- Confucius

"Our greatest joy is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
-- Confucius (551-479 BC), (K'ung Fu-tse) Chinese philosopher "

"Decide carefully, exactly what you want in life, then work like mad to make sure you get it!"
-- Hector Crawford

Most Common English Words

2010-07-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

Below is a link to a list of the 100 most common English words. These 100 words make up about one half of all written material. Learn to pronounce them perfectly and your accent will sound much better!!

Here are some from the list that are very commonly mispronounced by non-native speakers:

1. the
2. of
3. were
4. water
5. some
6. look
7. could
8. other
9. from
10. this
11. these
12. word

Can you say the above words perfectly?
Click here for the whole list.

pronunciation of the article "a"

2010-06-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Many accent students are confused about the correct pronunciation of the article "a." Why do some people say /ei/? You can pronounce it both ways, either as /ɘ/ or as /ei/. It just depends on how quickly you are speaking and whether you pause before the "a." /ei/ is usually used in slower speech and for special emphasis.

So, there's no right or wrong, but you will hear most people say: /ɘ/.

pronunciation of numbers - common mistakes

2010-05-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a video lesson I just made about some common mistakes in pronouncing some difficult numbers, such as "fifty" versus "fifteen."

click here to view video.

Don't Stop Practicing

2010-04-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their champion character.” T Alan Armstrong.

The above quote inspires me and reminds me of one the students that I worked with today. She had spent an hour and a half at home just practicing one particular vowel sound that she had been struggling with. She recorded herself over and over again until she got it right. Then she played the recording for me and it sounded perfect!! I was so impressed with how good her accent was. If you have the discipline to work hard, you will see great results!

Listen to Famous Speeches for Practicing your Accent

2010-02-08T15:54:00.001-08:00

A wonderful way to work on improving your accent is to listen to famous speeches. I found this great website which contains hundreds of famous speeches. You can hear the audio and sometimes see the video of the speech. The best part is that each speech has a transcript with it. That way, you can practice reading it out loud.

I recommend that you listen to the whole speech several times while reading it. That way you can learn the pronunciation of some new words. Then, I recommend that you listen again, clicking on pause after some short phrases. Try to repeat the rhythm and intonation of the speaker. Pay attention to how the speaker is linking words together.

This website includes all of Obama's major speeches and speeches from some classic American films. It can be a fun way to practice. Enjoy!!

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

(To learn all the rules of linking, rhythm and intonation, I recommend that you purchase "The American Accent Course:50 Rules You Must Know" available at: accurateenglish.com/dvd's.htm)

pronuncation of "TH" + "S"

2010-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Paolo asked the following question:

I bought a copy of your dvds.. you mentioned that sometimes the "th sound" is silent, in words such as: "months" or "clothes" so that months sounds like mons am i right? and clothes should sound like close.. but there are also other words you haven't mentioned... like deaths,, truths, smiths.. so my question is: how should i pronounce these other words? and also is there a steady rule for the silent th?
thanks
Paolo

Hi Paolo,

Good speakers of English always pronounce the "th" followed by an "s" as in words like "strengths" and "Smiths." This is a very difficult combination of sounds to create. You have to practice moving your tongue quickly and smoothly from the tip of the tongue for the "th" (with a vibration of air) to the position slightly behind your upper teeth (the gum ridge) for the "s."
However, in today's speech it has become pretty standard to not do this with the words "months" and "clothes." Most people drop the "th" and just say "mons" and "close." Those are the only two words that I can think of where it's standard and acceptable to take short cuts in pronouncing both of these consonants. Otherwise, standard, educated speech requires that you not take those short cuts.

10 Tips for Public Speaking

2010-01-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Make a New Year's resolution to improve your speaking skills. I recommend that you join Toastmasters.

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Find one in your area.

The organization has nearly 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience.

Here is an article from Toastmasters to help you gain confidence speaking in front of people:

Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids. Read the rest of the article here: http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp

Accent Reduction Practice with Audio Books - part 2

2009-12-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

A reader of my blog asked the following question:

Hi Lisa,

My name is George, I just read your blog, could you please recommend me which audio book is better for learning English? Could you please give me some names of these audio books?

I appreciate it.

George:

Regarding your question about which audio books I recommend for learning English and reducing your accent:

I don't have any recent names of books that I recommend. There are so many good ones available. It's best to find a topic that you enjoy and that will hold your interest.

But here are some tips to keep in mind:

It's best to get a non-fiction book, preferably a "self-help" or a "how to" type of book. With such topics, the speaker usually speaks at slower rate. It's still very natural, but not as rushed as in fiction books. The speech can also be more clear because it's got a more instructional tone. It could also be beneficial if you are able to find books related to your field of work. For example, if you are in the business or financial field, you might be able to find audio books related to that topic. This way, you will come across a lot of words that you need to use regularly at the workplace.

Stay away from fiction books. These sometimes have an actor who does too much "performance" with his voice, or they might use British actors/readers.

I hope that helps.

Best wishes with your accent.

Lisa Mojsin

Babies Cry In Their Mother Tongue

2009-11-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

An article in today's LA Times states that babies are found to cry in their native tongue. They hear the melody and intonation while they are still in the womb and imitate it once they are born.

Read the article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-baby-cry7-2009nov07,0,3709302.story

The Benefits of Speaking Two Languages from a Young Age

2009-11-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Do you have young children who are learning both English and your native language? Here's a very interesting article which discusses the benefits of speaking two languages.

For adults, it also states: "New research even indicates that the onset of Alzheimer's disease in bilinguals is, on average, delayed by four years compared to monolinguals."

Read it: http://tinyurl.com/q757lm

How to improve your accent with audio books

2009-10-26T00:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a great way to work on improving your American accent:

Buy a book on audio. I suggest a non-fiction topic because the speech is generally better suited for this type of practice.

Listen to a sentence or a phrase, then pause it and repeat what the speaker said. At the same time, record this so that you can listen back and compare how you sound versus the speaker on the audio. Keep in mind that this is not a memory test. If you don't remember things word for word once in a while, just keep going. Some phrases will be longer than others.

It's a good idea to also have the hard copy of the book so that you can sometimes just play it while reading the text. This is especially valuable if you read the text first, only a few pages for example, and underline the difficult or new words. That way you can later pay close attention to how these words sound in context. Also try to listen to the intonation and word stress. Do this often. It will help you a lot!

I DON"T recommend Amazon's product, Kindle, which seems to be a computer generated voice and not an actual human reading. The speech sounds artificial without any rhythm nor melody.

S or Z?

2009-10-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

Alex asks:

Hello Lisa,

You say in your book that the final "s" in the words "is" and "has" is pronounced as /z/. Then what if when "it is" and "it has" are contracted to "it's", does the "s" remain /z/ sound?

Many thanks,
Alex

Hi Alex,

When "it is" is contracted to "it's" the S sounds like /s/, not /z/. This is because it comes after the "t", which is a voiceless consonant. (Rule #1 on page 59 of my book, "Mastering the American Accent.") Good observation Alex. Make sure you memorize that list (on page 60) of common words that end in /s/ which is pronounced as a /z/. I regularly have students that make this mistake. Even today I was correcting my Italian student who was saying "wasss" instead of "wazzz."
I wish it were simpler. In most other languages these kinds of changes don't occur.

Accent Reduction Practice with Singing

2009-10-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

Paolo asks:

Is singing songs a good way to improve my pronunciaton or not? I'm just asking because sometimes rappers or singers tend to pronounce words with a different "cadence" just to make them rhyme with one another, what do you think?

Yes, singing is a great for improving your accent. Just be careful not to pick up the bad grammar and the over-use of slang is many songs, especially rap. I remember the Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction." They sing, "I can't get no satisfaction." That's a double negative. Some of my students end up talking that way.

I have reminded you in the past, but it's worth repeating: BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHO YOUR ROLE MODELS OF SPEECH ARE!!" Obama... yes, Rock 'n' roll and rap... NO!

Good question Paolo.

how to pronounce "WORLD" and other similar words

2009-09-06T00:34:00.000-07:00

Take a look at my new video that will teach you how to correctly pronounce the word "world." Almost all of my students have a hard time with this word. It consists of combinations of sounds that don't exist in other languages.

Celebrities Talking About their Accents

2009-08-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some interesting quotes from some famous people discussing how their accents have affected their lives:

I learned to change my accent; in England, your accent identifies you very strongly with a class, and I did not want to be held back.
Sting

I guess when I first started speaking with an American accent, there's a tendency to create a caricature of the accent because you just exaggerate the pieces that stand out to you.
Radha Mitchell

I am trying to make my accent so it won't bother anyone, but I am not going to drive myself crazy trying to pretend I am an American girl when I am from Colombia.
Shakira

I think it's sort of a rite of passage for a British actor to try and get the American accent and have a good crack at doing that.
Orlando Bloom

I used to say that whenever people heard my Southern accent, they always wanted to deduct 100 IQ points.
Jeff Foxworthy

I will buy any creme, cosmetic, or elixir from a woman with a European accent.
Erma Bombeck My accent depends on whom I'm around.

My accent remained terrible. It was very hard for me to initiate any conversation with someone I didn't know.
Lawrence Welk

My own dreams fortunately came true in this great state. I became Mr. Universe; I became a successful businessman. And even though some people say I still speak with a slight accent, I have reached the top of the acting profession.
Arnold Schwarzenegger

No, no, no. Your accent is so beautiful.
Maya Rudolph

Only very rarely are foreigners or first-generation immigrants allowed to be nice people in American films. Those with an accent are bad guys.
Max von Sydow

You know what? I'm really attracted to British women, there's something innately proper about them. However badly they behave their accent is so cute that it makes up for everything!
Josh Hartnett

DVDs and YouTube videos

2009-08-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

Nouman from India wrote:

I dont find your Course DVD's in India. Is there a way I can order them?
Thank you and wish to see more of your videos in Youtube
- Nouman

Hi Nouman,
I will be making more YouTube videos soon. You can buy the DVDs "Mastering the American Accent" - (over 4 hours of instructional video) by going to the website: accurateenglish.com. You can pay by credit card and they will be sent to you on the following day. However, if you don't have a credit card, you can send a check to the following address:

Accurate English
13101 Washington Blvd, suite 231
Los Angeles, CA 90066
USA

"warm" and "worm"

2009-07-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

I often get asked how to pronounce these two words. Are they the same or different?

They are different. Here is how to pronounce them:

For "worm" say "were" and then add a "m" sound at the end.

for "warm" say "wore" (past tense of wear) and then add an "m" at the end.

So "warm" actually has an "o" sound in it, but "worm" has an "er" sound like the words "her" or " "bird."

Practicing the American Accent with TV scripts

2009-07-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

You can find a lot of different film and TV scripts on line. An excellent way to practice your American Accent is to have the script while you are watching the show/movie. That way, you can underline difficult words and sounds and make various marks for melody and intonation.

Pay close attention to how the actors are speaking. Then try to read the lines the same way.

Warning! Certain types of films have a lot of slang and bad words. Be careful about who you imitate. Is the character a gangster or a lawyer? Of course, the language they use would be very different.

The American Accent Videos Are Here!

2009-06-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

The videos are available for purchase finally. Go to AccurateEnglish.com and click on the DVD's link.
The video course is called: "The American Accent Course - 50 Rules You Must Know"

There are 4 different videos:
1. Vowels
2. Consonants
3. Rhythm Stress and Intonation
4. Advanced Section

In total, there is more than 4 hours of instruction - all the rules you need to know to speak English with an American accent!

Of course, all four topics are important elements of learning pronunciation/accent reduction. However, I would say that learning the rules of Video 3, rhythm, stress and intonation, is the quickest way to sound more like a native speaker. These topics are almost never discussed in an English classroom.

Once you learn the correct music or melody of English, your speech will sound so much clearer and native-like.

The American Accent Course DVD's

2009-06-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your patience regarding the release of the American Accent Training videos. There have been a few delays related to the production/uploading on the website etc.

The technical side of things often takes longer than expected.

They should be available for purchase in a week or two!!

Check back on the website: accurateenglish.com Send us an email expressing interest, and we will contact you as soon as the videos are available.

Czech quote about language:

Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.

"You live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once."

grammar book I recommend

2009-05-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

Paulo from Italy wrote and asked which grammar book I recommend. My favorite advanced book is "Understanding and Using English Grammar." by Azar. When I taught at Santa Monica College I often had students buy that book. I love it. I have never found a better grammar book in all my years of teaching.

Go through all of the exercises in it. Make sure you know all the rules. It's a good review for those of you who have been out of school for a while.

As I said in a previous post, people will sometimes think they hear an accent when you are making grammar mistakes. Something about your speech will sound foreign to them.

Pronunciation of "mirror"

2009-05-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Paolo asked:

hi, i'm italian and i have trouble pronouncing "mirror", any suggestion?
paolo

My answer:

There are some words that are hard to pronounce even by native speakers. "Mirror," "horror" and "murderer" are examples. In my opinion, "mirror" rhymes with the word "nearer," but you will hear variations of that in different parts of the US and also depending on whether someone is speaking carefully and clearly or just rushing through a sentence.

Take a look at the link below. A native speaker asked this same question and a lot of people commented on how they say this word. So you see, even Americans hear variations of this word and they wonder which one is correct.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1044863

American Accent Video

2009-05-15T01:34:00.000-07:00

My new American Accent instructional video will finally be available for sale in about a week. Students have been asking me to make one for years. They want to be able to see the mouth movements rather than just hear them on CD. Well, finally it's been done! I think you will like it.

You will be able to either download it or purchase the actual DVD and have it sent to you.
Please check the website: www.accurateenglish.com. It's coming soon.

held consonants (stops)

2009-05-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

Alex asks another question:

You mention in the book that many of the final stops are not realeased. Are they "p", "b", "t", "d" and "g" only? Also are they still not released in the plural form of words that ends in "s" e.g. "stops"?

Hi Alex,

Yes, those are the primary ones you need to worry about.

It's particularly important not to release a stop sound when it's followed by another consonant, even if it's part of the same word, as the final S in the word "stops." If you release the P before the S, then the word will sound something like "stopus." A good example of that is the word "apartment." Don't release that middle T. Otherwise it will sound like "apartament." Pay attention to these consonant clusters. The opposite error would be to skip that middle T completely and say "aparment." This is actually a more common mistake and is often made by native speakers of Spanish, Portuguese and most Asian languages.

"CAN" or "CAN'T"?

2009-04-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

A reader named Alex asked the following question:

"Hello Lisa, I find one of the biggest differences between the British and the American accents is how "can't" is pronounced which I also find the trickest for us trying to learn the American accent. I just can't really tell the American "can't" from the American "can". So I have to say the British "can't" instead so as to avoid confusion even though I know it sounds awkward when I am trying to imitate the American accent. Could you please give me some tips on how to cope with it? Thanks so much!"

Here is my answer:
This is a common problem. I discuss this issue in my book "Mastering the American Accent" on page 35. You need to know that negative auxiliaries (such as can't, won't, wouldn't, isn't, etc) are stressed, but affirmative ones are not. Therefore, because "can't" is stressed, the vowel "a" is longer than in the word "can." "Can" is reduced and sounds kind of like "kn." This reduced vowel is short and neutral (schwa sound).

Practice this:

I kn go. (can)
I caaan't go. (the phonetic symbol is /ae/ so it's not actually the British sounding /a/.)

If you only listen for the "t" at the end of the "can't" you might still be confused since that final "t" is usually held. It's kind of like a silent, half T.

This is why it's important for you to know the rules of English word stress and rhythm. Also, following these rules will create a native sounding melody in your speech.

Good luck!

Asking Americans to help you with your accent?

2009-04-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

Native speakers of English will usually gladly help you to pronounce words that you are struggling with or answer questions you have about the American accent. This is great and you should use this opportunity. But here are some things you consider first:

1. Most native speakers are not very aware of their own language. For example you may know more about English grammar rules than they do. So, if you ask them a rule about American pronunciation, very often they have never thought about it before and they won't really be able to help you. It's best to write down some difficult word and just have them pronounce the words for you. You can record the words and later try to imitate the way the sound. If you ask native speakers to analyze what you are doing wrong, they will hear a mistake, but don't expect them to teach you how to correct it. Do you really expect them to tell you something like this: "Well, you are not touching your tongue firmly enough on the gum ridge and you are releasing it too quickly." The average person never has to think about these things and often has no knowledge about really happens in the mouth to produce sounds.

Also, native speakers usually don't hear the "melody" of their own language. So if you are making mistakes in rhythm and melody which mainly has to do with stressing certain words and reducing others, Americans will not have the knowledge to tell you: "you should stress a noun more than an adjective" for example.

2. Also, keep in mind that native speakers are likely to "over-pronounce" words when you ask them to teach you how they sound. They might use a more exaggerated way of speaking because they have switched into their "teacher mode." It's funny, I have even heard people switch into a British way of speaking, thinking that this would be more helpful. Be careful about that.

So what is the solution? How should you practice?

You need to learn everything you can about the American accent by reading books on the topic. Then, you will have a good foundation and you will be able better direct your American friends when they are correcting you. You almost have to teach them what to listen for and how to correct your speech. Also, keep listening to natural American speech. Become a student of good speech. Be analytical about it.

I hope this helps.
By the way, I am now offering personal accent evaluations which will give you a diagnosis/report of your accent weaknesses and strengths and tell you which part of my accent reduction book you need to study the most. You send me an audio file of your speech. If you are interested, you can learn more on my website: accurateenglish.com

the American T

2009-04-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my response to a reader who asked the following question:

"Hello Lisa, its me Alex again. I have one more question about the American accent - I have ordered your book on amazon.com but it has not come yet so I am not sure if it is already mentioned in your book. Anyway, is it true that the final "t"s on words are always not released?Thanks!"

Alex: The T sound in English is very often not released on final words in American English. If you always release it, this will create a foreign sound. Non-native speakers tend to always release the T. I discuss this final T a lot in my book "Mastering the American Accent."

It's OK to occasionally release the T sound, especially to add more emphasis to a word and when the word is at the end of a sentence. For example, if you say: "I'm not that fat," you are more likely to release the T of "fat", but again, you don't have to.

I have listened carefully to Americans speaking and if I were to estimate, I would say that Americans hold (don't release) the final T about 80 percent of the time. Please be aware that the average native speaker is not aware of this rule. Americans automatically just do this, subconsciously. So, if you ask them to teach you to pronounce some words, they are likely to switch into a sort of "teacher mode" and their speech is no longer natural. So, they might talk differently. I have heard it happen a lot. You almost have to record them and have them listen to their own speech so that they can hear what how they actually speak.

It' best to try to listen to natural conversations. For example, when you hear someone say:"that's right", "at the bank," and "cut my hair." I bet they are not releasing it.

So, for those of you who are wondering what "not released T" means: it's when you start producing the T sound with the tip of our tongue touching behind the upper teeth. The tongue stops and is held there. No puff of air comes out and no sound is produced. You can hear this on the CD's of my book.

Good luck

Using idiomatic expressions

2009-04-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

As I have posted earlier, most people who are working on reducing their accents should also constantly be trying to improve their vocabulary. It's particularly important to focus on improving your understanding of and ability to use idioms, expressions and slang (when appropriate). Using this type of speech will give the impression that you have native-like experience with the language. This has a psychological effect on the listeners, making them "hear" a less strong accent.

Last week I was teaching a student who is an an actress here in LA. She was was working on a TV script that contained a lot of idiomatic expressions that she didn't understand. I told her I would look for a good book to help her and I found a good one that I would like to recommend to you. I just received in the mail today and I like it a lot. It's called "Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs." I got it on Amazon for a pretty low price.

It's a lot thicker than I expected. Just be careful, a few of the expressions are a bit old fashioned. You might hear them in old movies but young people don't use them today. However, most of them are very common and you should try to learn them. I think this will give you more confidence when speaking with native speakers.

The American R sound

2009-04-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest differences between the British and the American accents is that Americans always pronounce the letter R. In England the words "load" and "lord" would sound very similar since the R tends to be silent before another consonant. It's also silent at the end of a word in British English. If you first started studying English outside of the United States, chances are you are creating the British R. Take a look at this short video lesson that I just posted on YouTube yesterday. I think it will help you. I find that the majority of my students are not pronouncing this sound correctly when they first come to see me for accent reduction lessons.

Becoming truly fluent in English

2009-03-08T01:08:00.000-08:00

People who are working on reducing their accents and who want to sound more like native speakers must also continually work on improving their overall language fluency.

Never neglect other important skill areas of English. Make sure that you are constantly learning new vocabulary and trying to express yourself better in general. Look up any new words that you don't know and try to use them right away so that they will become a part of your new speech. Also, fix those final grammar mistakes that even the most advanced learners of English sometimes continue to make.

Become a perfectionist about all aspects of your speech.

Here is why:

Native speakers may think they "hear" an accent when in fact they hear a grammar error or the wrong usage of a word. They don't have the depth of experience to analyze the type of error they heard. It will simply sound "foreign" to their ear and your accent will suddenly appear stronger to them than it really is.

Remember, fluency means expressing yourself well in all aspects of language: vocabulary, grammar, accent, writing, spelling, idiomatic expressions etc.

Work on all of these areas. Which ones have you been neglecting, and what are you going to do about it?

Pronunciation of English Vowels - Avoiding Embarrassing Mistakes

2009-02-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a YouTube video I just posted regarding a very common mistake that almost all of my students make when they first come for lessons.

more details about the American "fast D" sound

2009-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

As I stated in a comment below, I didn't have time to cover all of the details of the American T in the YouTube video. Here are some more facts: This fast "d" sound occurs when a T is between two vowels but it also sometimes occurs when the letter T is before an R, as in "party", "forty" and "Marty" and sometimes when the T is before an L as in "little" and "bottle".

my new YouTube video for the American T sound

2009-02-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have just posted this video on YouTube to help you sound more American. The letter "T" is pronounced like a fast "D" sound when it's between two vowels. Here are some examples of words: "better," "city," "Italy," "matter." The "T" in those words changes and becomes a different sound. Watch this short video to learn more.

Speaking English faster to sound more American?

2009-02-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Usually this is not a good idea. Often speaking fast will make your accent sound stronger. Here's why:
There are specific rules that native speakers subconsciously follow when they speak quickly. If you don’t follow these rules your speech will be harder to understand. Americans reduce certain words and stress or emphasize certain others. This creates the rhythm of the language. Also, speaking faster might cause you to skip certain consonant sounds.

It’s better to speak slowly and clearly at first. Using a louder voice generally helps too. Then gradually increase the rate (speed) of your speech, making sure that you are still pronouncing every sound. Next, start linking the words. (connecting the final consonant of one word with the first vowel of the next word. For example, “move over” should sound like “moo vover”)

Be patient with your progress. Find good role models of speech. A TV newscaster or a radio talk show host would be good. Remember that not all Americans speak well.

American pronunciation of your foreign name

2009-01-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

How do Americans pronounce your name? Do they struggle to say it? What name do you give when ordering coffee at Starbucks, your real name or an Americanized version?

This is a common topic that comes up in my classes. Some of my students insist that Americans should pronounce their name the way it's pronounced in their native language. They say that Americans don't want to make an effort to do this.

I understand that your name is your identity. It's the name your mother and father chose for you. It's who you are.

If you are Korean and your name is Kim, you're lucky.

However, your name may contain a sound that does not exist in English. Therefore, it's possible that an American simply cannot imitate it or that a long pronunciation lesson would be required first. So, to expect them to say it the way native speakers do may be unrealistic. Imagine how hard it is for non-native speakers of English to say the name "Doug." It can end up sounding like "dog" since the vowel sound in "Doug" (neutral vowel) does not exist in many other languages.

So, you have three options:

1) You can pronounce your name like you do in your native language. You can try to help people to learn to say it like you do. Be patient with them when you teach them. Some will get it and some will always mess it up. It can depend on how gifted they are at imitating new sounds. If you work in the mainstream American corporate environment, this could be a disadvantage. People might feel uncomfortable using your name in conversation because they're afraid they cannot say right. Also, some people may actually mistakenly start to "hear" a strong foreign accent. It's a wierd psychological thing that actually happens sometimes if the sound of your name is too foreign.

2) You can start using an American name. Find one that you like, or one that sounds similar to your name. Make sure that you choose a name that's popular among your age group. For example, women with names like Dorothy, Mabel, or Doris are often around seventy years old. And Taylor and Tyler are usually under fifteen. I suggest doing an internet search for most popular babies' names of the year that you were born. I did that with my students when I was teaching in China. I was helping them find suitable names. They were speaking English on the phone with the US. Some of the poor students had chosen names from Shakespeare or from American literature of 200 years ago. No, no, no, don't do that!

3) Just Americanize the sound of your name so that it is familiar to the American ear. For example one of my Russian students in named Elena. She asked me why no one can say her name the way she does and why no one understands it when she says it. She thought it was such a simple name. However, to Americans it sounds like Russians add a short "y" sound in the front, and the "l" sound is different from the American L. That confuses them. I told her to pronounce it as "e - lay -na". This worked; she no longer gets puzzled looks from people when introducing herself. It just sounded more familiar.

I could go on and on with this topic. It comes up a lot. I know it's a bit controversial. My main intention was to give you some suggestions. I would love to get your comments and learn about your experiences.

free dowloads (response to a question)

2009-01-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

A recent blog reader asked:

"Do you know of any free downloads (listen and repeat type, if those exist)? I think those would help me a lot since I pronounce the individual words and short phrases really native-like but when I talk for a few minutes or say longer sentences in conversations my accent is evident."

Actually I haven't come accross anything of quality that you can download for free. Really the least expensive accent reduction audio materials that I know about are the ones that I have written which will soon be released by Barron's Educational Series. It's an accent reduction book with 4 cd's for only $19.99 on Amazon. The name of the book is Mastering the American Accent. It will also be available at all of the major bookstores for $29.99. You get over five hours of great quality digital audio with pauses for you to repeat. It has different male and female voices. They will also eventually sell it as downloadable MP3 audio only (no book).

Meanwhile, if you want to pre-order the book, you can get it at Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-American-Accent-Audio-CDs/dp/0764195824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232346196&sr=8-1

What Your Voice Says About You

2009-01-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting article on Career Builder. It confirms what I say to my students over and over again. Don't speak so fast. Not only will your accent be stronger, but you might be perceived as insecure or not careful about details. There's nothing wrong with speaking slowly unless your voice is monotonous. This is easy to fix when you learn the rules of word stress.

If you already speak quickly in your native language, your accent in English will be so much more difficult to understand if you don't slow down. You will be likely to swallow a lot of consonants.

Sometimes I record my students while they are speaking in class. Then when I play it back to them, even they don't understand what they said. Try recording your voice and then analyze how you sound. You might be shocked by what you hear.

This article also discusses other types of voices and speaking styles and how they are percieved, particularly during job interviews.

http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/what-your-voice-says-about-you/20080825161009990001?ncid=AOLCOMMjobsDYNLprim0001&icid=200100397x1215954317x1201107305

There's a good book on this topic called: "Change Your Voice, Change Your Life" by Milton Cooper.

response to comment about embarassing mistakes

2009-01-03T00:22:00.000-08:00

reader wrote: "Thanks very much for putting up this wonderful blog. I have been in the US for more than 7 years. My accent now is somewhat of a hybrid between American and Indian. Still at times I end up pronouncing some words (out of no where) in my native accent which in some cases is embarassing. Can you give some tips on how to avoid such awful untimely mistakes? Also, I always have this confusion about pronouncing words like "coke" and "cock" (I am sure you can see how this could be embarassing at times!). Mistakes like this kills my morale and confidence in speaking American English (creates like a mental block). I would greatly appreciate any tips on this."

First off, there's no guarantee that your American accent will always sound great. When you are tired and stressed, your foreign accent is likely to be stronger. Don't let this discourage you. You will keep improving if you are using English regulary around native speakers and if you practice "focused listening" when you are around Americans who use langauge well. If you do this, these errors that you mention will occur less and less frequently.

By the way, I do know about the "coke" and "cock" error. Here's what happened to one of my students: When she was in a restaurant ordering, she wanted to say to the waiter, "I want a large coke." But because she pronounced the "o" sound of the word "coke" incorrectly, you can imagine what the waiter thought he heard. She said he blushed.

The "o" of the word "coke" is actually an "ou" sound. Make sure that you pronounce both the "o" and the "u." The "o" of the word "cock" is an "a" sound as in "father" or "watch."

I have developped tons of practice exercises for these sounds in my new accent reduction book which will be available in book stores in a few months. You can already pre-order it on Amazon.com. It's called "Mastering the American Accent" by me, Lisa Mojsin. The publisher is Barrons. It comes with 4 audio CD's. It's only $19.99 on Amazon. I cannot believe how low they are pricing it.

I include a section in the book called "Warning, Dangerous Mistakes" that discusses the "coke/cock" issue and some other stuff that can be really embarrassing.

Happy New Year Everyone!!! I leave you with this quote:

"Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do." Albert Grey

Best,

Lisa

When your mouth hurts from speaking English

2008-12-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to write this because of what happened with one of my accent reduction students today. First I want to tell you about my personal experience with speaking French.

When I go to France, the first few days that I am there it’s a struggle to get the words out smoothly and my mouth literally hurts. The mouth muscles and lip movements used in speaking French are just so different, and sometimes it’s just exhausting. I want to give up and just go back to speaking English. But if I keep trying to imitate the sounds that exist only in French but not in English, after about four or five days it’s so much easier. At that point, I feel confident about speaking it again and it becomes really fun. (It may sound wierd to some people, but for me speaking foreign languages well is fun and very fulfilling.)

My Chinese student, a successful guy with an MBA, came in for a lesson today. I love his discipline. He generally practices every day when he first gets up. But this time he told me that he hadn’t practiced working on this accent for the past few days. In the beginning of the class, he said that his mouth wasn’t moving well and that he was struggling with creating the difficult sounds. By the end of the class it was a different story. He was warmed up and the sounds came out more easily and fluently.

Don't give up when your mouth feels "stuck." Work through it.

Some of you don’t have that many opportunities to use English a lot because you have a technical job where you don’t have to speak a lot. And then you go home to your family and you speak your native language. That doesn't help! This is what you need to do: Talk to yourself out loud in English when you are alone. Hear yourself saying your thoughts. If you don’t like how something came out, you can fix it by repeating. No one is there to hear you! I did this when I was studying French in LA and I had no one to speak it with.

I had one student who made amazing progress by doing this every morning. He is an actor and people are shocked about how American he sounds.

Okay, that's my motivational story for you. It's really cold in LA today. It feels like December in Paris, but without my mouth hurting. :)
Good luck!!!

Don't stop practicing! Here's how:

2008-11-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

1. Pick a topic that you can speak about for three to four minutes. Record yourself giving this speech. Listen to the recording and write down all of the errors that you have heard in your speech. Then, re-record the same speech, and try to correct the mistakes that you made before. Repeat this same speech 3 or 4 times, trying to sound better each time.

2. Watch an American film over and over again, rewinding certain scenes and repeating them out loud.

Be creative. There are so many ways to practice. The main ingredient to success is motivation. If you want to succeed, then you can succeed and you will succeed. If you are motivated to learn, you will automatically start listening to native speakers and trying to sound like them.

No Bad Words Allowed!!

2008-11-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my student said to me that he had a client in “Newport Bitch.” I told him not to use bad language in my office!!! Of course, he meant “Newport Beach.” He told me that his American client laughed a little when he said that word in front of him.

Have you made the same mistake? Have you confused the words “beach” and “bitch” and “sheet” and “shit?” That can be embarrassing!

OK, here’s how to fix the error:

First, don’t just assume that the first vowel is longer and the second one is shorter. It sometimes sounds that way, but technically that’s not the main difference. The phonetic symbol for the vowel of “beach” is /i/. This sound is considered a tense vowel. For “bitch it’s /I/ and it’s considered a lax or neutral vowel. For the tense vowel, your tongue is tense and raised up. It helps to also tense your lips and smile a bit when you say it. For the relaxed vowel, the tongue is completely relaxed and the lips are completely relaxed.

The spelling of the word will tell you if the vowel is tense or lax. Generally words spelled with “ee” and “ea” as in “feel” and “weak” have the tense vowel. In contrast, words spelled with “i” have the lax vowel. Compare these sounds and make sure that you don’t pronounce these words the same:

/i/ /I/
feel – fill
steal – still
green – grin
meat – mit
seen – sin

Who are your role models for good speech?

2008-11-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

In an effort to sound more American, some of my students try to imitate the speech of their native speaking friends, colleagues or spouses. While this is generally a good idea, you need to be aware of the fact that some native speakers may not be such great role models for you. Be careful of those who mumble (have lazy lips and don’t fully enunciate each sound). Generally talk radio show hosts and news broadcasters are good role models to imitate. Action movie heroes are usually not!

Also, pay attention to the differences between casual and formal speech. The speaking style that your friends use in casual situations may not be appropriate in a professional environment.

For example, I had a student who used the word “hey” instead of “hi,” even on her voicemail at work. “Hey, you have reached Jane” just doesn’t sound appropriate.” It’s OK to use “hey” as a greeting for your friends but not for business communication.

analyze your speaking style

2008-11-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here’s something that will help some of you quickly improve your accents.

Do a little self-diagnosis of your individual speaking style. Here are three questions to ask yourself:

1. Do you tend to speak quickly in you native language?

If yes, you probably speak fast when you are speaking English as well. This can cause your accent to sound stronger, particularly if you are not following the rules of American English word stress and intonation (The melody of the language.) Think about it; if you are speaking fast and not stressing the right words, people will have a very hard time understanding you.

You shouldn't sound mechanical by pronouncing every word seperately like a robot. Learn the rules of linking words together when speaking English. Linking and speaking fast are two completely different things.

2. Do you have a quiet, reserved or shy personality?

Are you more introverted than outgoing? This can also be cultural, by the way. If yes, people may have a harder time understand you. Outgoing people are more animated not only with their body language but also with the way they move their mouth and use their vocal cords. The loud voice often forces the jaw and lips to move more, creating a sound that is clearer. Imitate someone who is outgoing and has a “big” personality. Remember, Americans are generally not shy people. They are more expressive than people from a lot of other cultures. Asians and northern Europeans in particular are less outgoing in general. I’m sure they think we Americans are too loud. In fact, I don't think, I know they do. Imitate us and your accent will sound better!! :)

3. Do you tend to mumble in your native language?

Some of my students admit to me that when they speak their native language they are often asked to repeat what they said. They have what is called “lazy lips.” They don’t enunciate (pronounce fully) all of the consonant and vowel sounds in any language. This bad habit can be broken.

Try this: Imagine that you are speaking to a deaf person who has to read your lips. You will naturally move your mouth more to make it easier for the deaf person to catch every word you’re saying. Or imagine you are a theater actor or a poet reading his poetry out loud - every word is beautiful to listen to, every word matters. Fall in love with the beauty of words, pronounce them clearly and with energy. Don’t just mumble them as if they are not important. Your words are important so say them well; don't take short cuts. Just like a dancer moves beautifully and a singer sings beautifully, a speaker can speak beautifully!

Advice for Success in the American Corporate World

2008-10-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

A majority of my students are educated professionals. They are MBA’s, engineers, research scientists, lawyers. Some of them had already achieved a level of success and professional respect in their native countries before coming to the US. Others got their graduate degrees here.

They are able to express themselves in a sophisticated and eloquent way in their native languages. Even though Americans regularly compliment them on their fluent English, (and indeed, they are very fluent) they are secretly frustrated inside because they know that their ability to communicate in English limits them.

One of the common themes that I hear from them is their frustration about not being able to express themselves the same complex way in English. They struggle to search for the right word to accurately express their ideas and they worry that native speakers may not recognize their intelligence and expertise because of this. I get this question over and over again: “How can you help me to express myself more like educated native speakers?”

I have many suggestions about fixing this problem. For many years when I used to teach at Santa Monica College I focused on vocabulary development and business communication. I will share my suggestions to you in the coming blogs that I plan to write.

Right now I want to tell you about a product that I recently discovered when one of my students brought it to class. It’s the best vocabulary book for professionals that I have come across. I am very critical of language books and I don’t recommend them unless I really believe in them. So many books end up being a waste of money. I have a collection of ESL and business English books in my personal library, and I am familiar with the good ones and the bad ones. I used to sit on various book selection committees at the colleges where I taught.

If you are serious about improving your ability to communicate with more confidence in the American corporate environment, I strongly suggest that you get this book. It's got very useful vocabulary that is used by successful executives. The link is below. Actually, now they sell it as CD audio set so that you can hear the words and the example sentences. It’s great to listen while you drive. It also comes with software with exercises. (My student showed me the old version which used to be in book form. It’s the same material, but now just on CD)

It's actually designed for Americans who don’t feel comfortable about their ability to express themselves well due to a lack of powerful and educated vocabulary. So, you should already be an advanced speaker of English. Otherwise, don't buy it because it will be too advanced for you.

Here's a quote from the website that summarizes it:

"A Human Engineering Laboratory Study tested the vocabularies of thousands of people in various careers and age groups, and found that the people drawing the highest salaries scored highest on the vocabulary test. In fact, their results were so consistent that the researchers declared there was only one trait common to all successful people: A superior vocabulary."

Here is the website so check it out. It's kind of expensive but it's worth the price. If you get it, let me know what you think of it. http://www.executive-vocabulary.com/

Your Accent on a Job Interview

2008-10-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

When you are competing with other job applicants, all other things being equal, the person with good communication skills will get the job.

Many of my students are taking accent reduction courses because they want to be better prepared for job interviews. They are worried that they might not get hired if their accent is too strong. This is particularly true for sales positions or any kind of job that requires giving presentations or interacting with the public.

In today’s economy and competitive job seeking environment, working on your communication skills is a must.

During a job interview, it’s possible that your accent will be even stronger than usual. This is normal. When nervous, we all tend to speak faster or hesitate and stutter. But the more you prepare the better you will sound.

Here are some of my tips for preparing for a job interview if you are concerned about your accent:

1. You MUST learn to pronounce the name of the company correctly.

2. You MUST pronounce the name of the interviewer correctly. If you get his or her name in advance, learn to say it. So many of my students don’t know how to correctly pronounce common American names. For example, the female names “Joan” and “Joanne” are not the same. Also, “Susan” and “Suzanne” are pronounced differently. I once had a student whose boss’ name was Doug. My student pronounced it as “dog.” Not a good idea!!!

3. You need to become an expert at pronouncing the common words related to your field. You will have to use them during an interview. Make a list of these words and practice saying them. If you practice them in advance with a native speaker, you will feel more confident. Have a native speaker record them for you and then listen and repeat. Some of the errors that I have heard from my students include:

A student who had a job interview with the advertising firm Ogilvy and Mather who could not pronounce the name of this company.
A Russian doctor whose patients never understood her when she asked them if they would like a “refill.”
A Chinese structural engineer who could not say the word “structural” because of the dropped “r” and “l”.
A university professor of statistics who could not say the word “statistics.”
A Chinese pain doctor who pronounced the word “pain” as “pan” or “pen.”

In most situations, the fact that you have an accent won't be a problem. It's generally only a problem if the employer worries that your coworkers or clients won't understand you.

Do Singers Have Accents?

2008-10-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have several students who are singers. When they sing in front of an audience, generally no one knows that they are not American. Then, when they talk between the songs, people are shocked to hear their accent. This is common.

Here is a very interesting podcast discussion on this subject by several linguists. I think you will enjoy it.

http://www.waywordradio.org/do-singers-have-accents-minicast/

I love working with singers because they almost intuitively know how to produce the new sounds that I introduce to them. They understand how a slight change in tongue position can alter a vowel sound and they can easily understand the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants.

If you have no talent for singing, it does not mean that you will not be able to change your accent. Many people who cannot sing well also learn very quickly. Motivation and regular practice are the two most essential elements to success.

Which American Accent Should I Learn?

2008-10-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Your goal should be to learn the Standard American Accent. Some people call it "broadcaster English." It's the kind of standard, neutral speech you hear on CNN for example. It's a non-regional American accent, meaning that people don't associate this accent with any particular part of the United States. This is the accent that I teach.

Some people have opinions about accents that are non-Standard Americans. People from Brooklyn or Texas or Georgia all have a certain way of speaking. Some dialects can be charming and others rather annoying.

American versus British Accent

2008-10-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

A lot of my students ask me: "I studied the British accent in my country. How is the American accent different?"

Some of the major differences between the American and British accents are the pronunciation of several vowel sounds, and the pronunciation of the letters “r” and “t.” The pronunciation of the vowels /ɔ/ as in “all” “awful,” and /æ/ as in “last” and “class” are the most noticeable vowel differences.

Also, Americans pronounce all of the “r”s, whereas in British English the final “r” and an “r” before another consonant are often silent. For example, the words "for" sounds like "foe" in British, and the word "morning" sounds like "moaning."

The letter “t” in the words “better” and “water” is pronounced differently in the two accents. The "t" between two vowels usually sounds similar to a "d" in American English. Thus, "latter" and "ladder" sound exactly the same. Also, "atom" and "Adam" are pronounced the same in American English. (The second vowel in each of these words is reduced. That's why the "o" of atom and the second "a" of Adam sound exactly the same.)

Several verbs in the past tense are spelled with “ed” in American English and “t” in British English and are thus pronounced differently. For example Americans say “learned” and “burned” whereas British speakers say “learnt” and “burnt.”

accent reduction training

2008-10-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

I teach accent reduction in the Los Angeles area. I have a company called Accurate English. On this blog I will be giving tips on how to reduce your accent. I will be giving my advice to people who want to improve their accents and will be answering your questions about speaking American English.

I have taught accent reduction to students from all over the world. Most of my students are successful professionals who live in the LA area. They are MBA's working in the corporate world, medical professionals who need to communicate clearly with their patients, foreign born actors in Hollywood, graduate students, etc. They all really inspire me because they are driven to succeed. They want to be all that they can be and do not want their foreing accent to hold them back.