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I have found that of all the vowels in Standard American English, my non-native speaking clients have the greatest difficulty hearing and correctly producing the long /ee/ sound as in leave and the short /ih/ sound as in live. If you are familiar with phonetics, the sound that Continue Pronouncing the Long /eee/ And The Short /ih/ | Difficult For Non Native Speakers I am a “texter”. I admit it and in fact, texting is often a very efficient and convenient form of communicating. However, one day, while listening to a radio program about texting and the effects it is having on personal interactions, I began to reflect on how texting In the words of Mark Twain, “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech”. How true! There are very few people who are naturally gifted public speakers. Most people who are successful public speakers realize that they must prepare and practice. For some, There has been an increase in the number of foreign physicians who are now practicing medicine in the United States. These physicians come from a variety of countries and they speak many different languages, but what they all have in common, is the need to speak clearly so Continue Accent Reduction for Physicians | Sankin Speech Improvement Non-native speakers need to perfect the vowels and consonants of Standard American English to sound less accented. However, another important aspect of accent reduction is using the appropriate rhythm and intonation. An important way to facilitate a smoother liason between words is to use contractions in everyday conversation. Continue How Do You Use Contractions? | Sankin Speech Improvement There is nothing wrong with accents. In fact, people often find accents to be charming, mysterious, or endearing. However, if an accent interferes with communication, it can become a problem. I’m in the business of reducing or eliminating accents and over the last nineteen years, I have heard One of the most frequently occurring sounds in the English language is the /th/ sound. The /th/ sound occurs in Standard American English, in certain forms of Spanish and in specific Greek dialects, but no other languages use the /th/ sound. Therefore, when most non-native speakers attempt to Continue Accent Reduction Tips for Non-Native Speakers: How Do You Pronounce The /th/ Sound? “Like” is a good word, a useful word. I like it. It has been in use since the Middle Ages. However, it has never been as ubiquitous in casual conversation as it is now. I must admit that excessive and unnecessary use of like has been a pet On a recent morning, while watching the Today show, I was quite surprised to hear that “glottal fry” has become a fashionable way of speaking. What we hear influences how we speak. Evidently, speaking with “glottal fry” has become popular with certain pop culture icons. What is “glottal Continue Glottal Fry | Raspy, Croaking, Frog-Like Voice Quality What happened to the simple declarative sentence? This is a legitimate question and therefore, it is appropriate and acceptable for my voice to rise at the end of this utterance. However, the tendency to make a question out of a sentence that isn’t a question is not acceptable. |
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