Category Archives: Accent reduction

• 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 […]

• “H”appy “H”olidays!

  The “h” sound is made by opening your mouth and exhaling a huff of air from the lungs. To make this sound, pretend you are trying to fog up your glasses to clean them. If you’re a Russian speaker, make this sound a bit softer. The American “h” doesn’t have an audible friction sound.