Category: Accent Modification
What do we mean by stress? Stressed syllables are louder, longer, and pronounced at a slightly higher pitch. English has three main levels of stress: strong stress (primary stress); light stress (secondary stress); unstressed. The difference between stressed syllables and unstressed syllables is greater in English than in most other languages. Why Is Word Stress Important? …
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 …
Many native speakers pronounce the word Toronto as tərɑnoʊ (Torono), dropping the second “t” sound. Other native speakers will pronounce the word as tərɑntoʊ, keeping the second “t” sound. Notice that in both pronunciations, the first “o” is reduced to the schwa sound /ə/. When the word Toronto is followed by another word, as in the …
The pronunciation of English vowel sounds in words like ‘dinner’, ‘river’, ‘image’ or ‘decision’ can be tricky to pronounce correctly. This is because the /ɪ/ sound doesn’t exist in most other languages. By comparing the /iy/ sound in ‘seat’, with the /ɪ/ sound in ‘sit’, speakers of any language can gain a greater understanding of how …
