English Accent Training The idea, if it was ever pitched to you or dawned on you at any time, that once you undergo your English Accent training would mean changing who you are is completely false. The fact is that having a slight accent is normal especially among Americans, because the United States is historically [...]
Should you enunciate or annunciate? Many native English speakers are unaware of the difference. Annunciate is to announce while enunciate refers to pronouncing a word properly so if you are planning in learning English focus on how to enunciate. It is a wise decision if you are living in an English-speaking country to learn English. [...]
American Dialect The long awaited dispute of what is the ‘right’ way to say a sweetened carbonated beverage is in, finally. Could it be soda, pop, or coke? And the answer,according to one graduate student's American dialect research is: All of the above! That is, depending on where you are in America-due to one's American [...]
American Accent by Dr. Suess Author Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Suess, has remained one of the literary world's most popular and respected authors due to his ability to deliver universal themes in anapestic tetrameter, a writing form that features four anapestic metrical feet per line. Two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. [...]
Chicago Accent: The Birth of a Stereotype On January 12, 1991, Saturdayy Night Live (SNL) debuted a recurring skit known as Bill Swerski's Superfans, which would come to define the so called "Chicago accent" for generations of non-native Chicagoans. The accent used in the skit continues to be bandied about to this day as a shorthanded representation of [...]
Accent Reduction Training: Increasingly Localized As was discussed in a previous article, the standard California accent is thought to be closest in tone to the standard American English spoken throughout the Midwest and emphasized in accent reduction training. A direct result of Midwestern settlers migrating to San Francisco during the gold rush period from 1848-1855. [...]
Cross your fingers Definition: To wish/pray for the best possible outcome. Example sentence: Jill waited for her exam results with crossed fingers. Origin: In the early days of the church, crossed fingers were used as a symbol for the cross. These were thought to invoke the power of the cross to guard against evil. This [...]
Does an ideal form of "standard English" exist? Foreign demand to learn American standard English , featuring distinct accent and pronunciation characteristics, continues to grow exponentially. This is due to the pervasiveness of American culture in forms of mass media. The question of whether a foreign student of world languages should learn Standard American English [...]
Cut Corners or Cutting Corners Definition: To take an alternative route or find a faster way to complete a task. Normally said with the implication that the outcome will prove to be detrimental because of the proposed shortcuts. It is commonly used in financial situations. Example Sentence : This is not a race; you have [...]
The Jury is Still Out Definition : An indication that a decision has not been reached on a particular issue, mainly due to lack of evidence. Example: The jury is still out on whether the majority of the office thinks Gatorade is superior to Powerade. Origin: The use of "the jury is still out" [...]
When you try to hide your accent, you become overwhelmed. When you become overwhelmed, you start to believe in fate. When you start to believe in fate, you seek out a palm reader. When you seek out a palm reader, you discover you have a repressed fear of driving. When you discover you [...]
The pronunciation of many words in the English language is sometimes puzzling to non-native speakers. One example would be the word "of". The word's history reveals interesting details about why it is pronounced with /v/ instead of an /f/. Its first known use is traced back to before the 12th century. By that time, people [...]
What is the VOA News Special English video series? Voice Of America (VOA) News Special English videos emphasize that individuals can observe the natural rhythm of the American Accent while learning about current events across a variety of subjects, including world news, business, entertainment and technology. Users can access the videos via VOA's website or [...]
The Roots of the California Accent The California accent is at a young stage of development. As late as 1941, David DeCamp believed the California accent to be similar to the non-rhotic speech of the east coast; however the accent is closer in tone to the Midwest accent. Upon moving to Los Angeles many actors [...]
1. When people find your accent funny, they start ignoring you. 2. When people ignore you, you become more assertive. 3. When you become more assertive, you feel compelled to declare your love. 4. When you feel compelled to declare your love, you name a star after your girlfriend. 5. [...]
With every existing American accent comes a different dialect as well as particular rules, patterns, and styles of intonation, stress, and rate of speech. If you speak with a foreign accent and you are looking to talk like an American, you must learn to speak with a standard American accent. You may be wondering what [...]
Individuals who speak standard American English are usually able to notice when someone else speaks with a different, more foreign accent. However, these American English-speaking individuals may sometimes believe their own way of speaking contains no accent at all, when in turn, it actually does. What most of these native English speakers don’t realize is [...]
When it comes to learning completely new pronunciation during speech, it is important to be an auditory learner. This simply means you will learn something new through listening, and you will depend on hearing and repeating as your primary way of learning. When improving your American English pronunciation, you must first be able to hear [...]
Books, lectures, and other learning materials are helpful resources when it comes to providing basic information on a specific topic. If you are looking to learn more about the sounds of the Standard American accent, you may find it most beneficial to first try out an American accent tutorial. Not only will a tutorial provide [...]
Linguists divide the U.S. Map into four distinct American accent regions, each with a corresponding American dialect: the inland north, midland, or northern region, the south, and the west, according to respective vowel shift patterns--the Northern cities shift, the Southern shift, and the western low back merger. Some linguists have advocated for an interpretation of [...]
