The /w/ sound is particularly difficult for Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, and Malayalam speakers. Indian speakers tend to substitute a sound similar to /v/ for /w/. This happens because the upper front teeth touch the lower lip. In the accent modification course, students practice pushing their lips forward into a tight circle, as if they are kissing someone. By focusing on the movement of their lips, students learn to avoid touching their bottom lip with their upper teeth.
When pronouncing the /w/ sound, your teeth and tongue do not block the airstream. Your lips are rounded and form a tight circle. At the same time, the back part of your tongue rises and approaches the soft palate. The front part of your tongue is forward in the mouth, close to the bottom front teeth.
Here is a tip for getting your lips in the right position for the /w/ sound at the beginning of a word: say ‘you’ and then immediately say the word ‘week’. Do not pause after the /uw/ sound in ‘you’. It’s best to prolong the /uw/ sound and the initial /w/ sound in the word ‘week’, for example, ‘yooouuuwwwweek’. You can do the same for ‘youwent’, or ‘youwant’, prolonging the /w/ sound which connects the two words. Again, do not pause between words. Remember to speak slowly. The goal is simply to place your lips in the right position in order to gain control of the /w/ sound.
Once you can pronounce the /w/ sound correctly, practice saying more challenging phrases like, ‘We went’, ‘When will’, ‘Which way?’, and ‘We would’.
Working with an English tutor is helpful because the tutor can give you immediate feedback on your pronunciation. He or she can also note the words and sentences that are challenging for you to pronounce and then create a recording of those words for you to listen to and practice again and again.
The process of accent modification takes time and dedication and is achieved through consistent practice.
