Expert English Pronunciation, Accent Reduction & Fluency
Q. Why is it difficult for native speakers to understand me when I talk with them in English? A. You are using the sound system of your first language when you speak English, which has it’s own sound system. Did you know Read More ...
If Arabic is your native language, you may be using the Arabic “sound system” when you speak English. There are some important differences between Arabic and English. There are many more vowels in English than Arabic, and the ones that aren’t Read More ...
If Japanese is your first language, you may be using a Japanese “sound system” when you speak English. Japanese has fewer vowels with very regular lengths, but English vowels can be stretched or shortened anytime, depending on the need. English Read More ...
If an Indo-Aryan language like Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Nepali, Sinhala, or Divehi, is your native language… you may be using its “sound system” when you speak English. The more you understand about the English sound system, the better you will sound Read More ...
If French is your native language, you may be using the French “sound system” when you speak English. The “mode” or starting position in French is different from English. English front vowels are longer and more tense than French vowels. Schwa exists Read More ...
If Korean is your first language, you may be using the Korean “sound system” when you speak English. But the Korean sound system does not use stress in words and sentences in the way English does. [bctt tweet=”the Korean sound Read More ...
If your first language is Russian, or a dialect of Russian, you may be using the Slavonic “sound system” when you speak English. You may not have learned much about this if you studied English as a foreign language. Some Read More ...
If Chinese is your native language, you may be using the Chinese “sound system” when you speak English. In Chinese, tone is word-specific, but in English tone is statement-based and must be adjusted for what’s new, what’s different, and what’s Read More ...
If Spanish is your native language, you may be using the Spanish “sound system” when you speak English. You may not be stretching and shrinking your English vowels to shape each word. You may be using a Spanish melody for your Read More ...
If you are difficult to understand when you speak English, you are probably using your first language sound system as you say English words. English is stress-based, and you must learn to “package” words and “package” phrases, using strategies that Read More ...
Written for ESL and EFL teachers, tutors, and accent reduction coaches, as well as advanced level English students who can read and understand the English on this website. Inside, you’ll discover how our languages differ and learn great strategies and Read More ...
Take Private Lessons. American Pronunciation Coach provides private, intensive, customized training to help you speak English more fluently and comprehensibly, and reduce your accent. We will work together to help you achieve your goals. I will diagnose your speaking habits in English and teach you Read More ...
Just as artists use charcoal or paints or clay to create an experience, teachers use research, best teaching practice and personal insights to craft the best learning experience for their students. I consider what I do to be an art Read More ...
If you’ve scrolled through earlier blogposts, you may have run across my “teaching principles”—realizations I’ve come to, after decades of teaching ESL and EFL, that have made my teaching of pronunciation (and student learning of it) more effective, more efficient, Read More …
With the anytune app you can control the speed of a spoken sample without changing the pitch (how high or low the voice goes). Or you can change the pitch up to an octave, and not change the tempo. Or Read More …
Just like Harvard gurus of business, Radical English teachers may espouse the notion of ‘disruptive innovation’. Watch this interview about a new take on innovation in the business world, and about planning future work from theories and principles. Do you Read More …
English Central is a great site for practicing your sound in English and getting valuable feedback about your accuracy. And they have soooo much stuff! Today I found this slide show on Slideshare; it was linked to eflclassroom.com I often Read More …
(At least…its one of your questions if your first language is Arabic, Burmese, Cebuano, Greek, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Marshallese, Navajo, Persian/Farsi, Spanish, or Tagalog Since B and V are the same in Spanish, but different in English, raising awareness Read More …
The third “principle” that I keep in mind, when I’m teaching pronunciation, is that speaking is unconscious and physical, so our solutions must address those two conditions. Analyzing what we’re doing and not doing (principle #1) is great, it feeds Read More …
You can’t teach what you don’t know. And as native speakers, we don’t have to “know” much about our L1 to be able to use it, do we? I learned about intonation by studying whatever I could find. As with Read More …
I learned to teach pronunciation well by reading these books, and taking apart all the pieces of English sound, laying them all out on the table (so to speak), and then putting the pieces back together in a way that Read More …
Surprise is a great tool for teachers because it makes learners pay close attention. When we introduce an idea or method that is incongruous to our learners previous conceptions, or use a method or tool that is unfamiliar or Read More …
Patterns are everywhere and we humans are experts as recognizing them, and even creating them. Our brains love patterns. Whatever you’re teaching, vowels sounds, syllable stress, intonation, teach it as part of a pattern. But patterns, our great strength, Read More …