Category Archives: Accent reduction

• Autumn begins

  Autumn in the U.S. has begun! When the “t” sound is at the beginning of an unstressed syllable, it’s pronounced like a “d” sound. This frequently happens in the middle of a word. The word “autumn” is  pronounced “ah-dum”.

• How are you today?

  In American English, unstressed syllables are usually shorter than stressed syllables. Because unstressed syllables are said more quickly and less precisely, the vowel sound in these syllables is usually reduced to a more neutral sound known as the “schwa”. The schwa is pronounced “uh”, as in the word “a” (e.g., a book). It’s the most […]

• At last!

  The “ae” sound in American English is used in some common words that are pronounced with an “ah” sound in British English, such as “last”. The “ae” sound is the sound in the word “cat” and is made with the corners of the lips pulled back towards the ears, as if smiling. The expression “at […]

• Reduce!

  American English uses lots of reduced sounds — sounds that are more relaxed. These sounds are pronounced less fully, or not pronounced at all. One of the most common is the schwa sound, pronounced “uh”. Most syllables that are not stressed are pronounced with this vowel sound. So practice relaxed and lazy speech to sound […]

• Sing and stretch!

  The intonation of American English sounds somewhat like a song, with ups and downs. The stressed syllables are not only higher, but longer. Using enough contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables will help you sound more like a native speaker. So stretch the stressed syllables and say them higher to make the stressed syllables stand […]