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 ...
Judy Thompson’s interesting Venn diagram showing the mismatch between English’ Latin-based script system, and English’ phonetic sound system. Our poor students! [bctt tweet=”Vennglish! The mismatch between orthography and spoken English.”]
Teach Pronunciation? Dump the IPA! Get Judy Tompson’s truly ingenious, highly practical, totally student friendly EPA for teaching the sounds of English, free on her website.Click to Download Source: EPA Vowel Color Chart | Thompson Language Center [bctt tweet=”Dump the IPA! Make Read More …
One of the reasons it sounds different when you hear someone speaking a different language is because the actual sounds they use are different; they have a sound code that’s specific to that language Source: How bilinguals switch between languages Read More …
When presented with English words containing either of these sounds, brain imaging studies show that only a single region of a Japanese speaker’s brain is activated, whereas in English speakers, two different areas of activation show up, one for each Read More …
[bctt tweet=”For Japanese, hearing, producing differences between English sounds require rewiring of brain circuitry.”] Read more here. What happens in the brain when you learn a language? | Education | The Guardian
Source: English Laboratory | Thinking and Dreaming in English [bctt tweet=”While you are drifting off to sleep, tell yourself ‘tonight I will dream in English.’ When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you should do is write Read More …
Click on the image to view the video and see how Peggy helps students master the pronunciation of initial and final R sounds in English. [bctt tweet=”Must-See Teacher Training Video for English Pronunciation Challenge.” via=”no”]
This is how one can learn to be an expert teacher…invest your time at the start of your career in learning how to do something really well. Focus on it. Get good at it. Then get even better at Read More …
Hi All, I ‘m very excited to announce that I’ve uploaded Part 1 of the AMERICAN ENGLISH FOR JAPANESE SPEAKERS, A GUIDE TO TEACHING PRONUNCIATION. Part 1 covers how to teach Vowels and Consonants more effectively, so that everything else–stress, Read More …
I believe that teaching is an art, and I’ve strived my whole life to perfect my craft, which now is teaching pronunciation. It’s not perfection yet, but I keep working and learning from every teaching experience. My e-guides are my attempt Read More …