February 2011

Here are the 10 best tips to reduce your accent….

1. The sound (th) is one of the most important and most difficult to pronounce in English. It is important because it is present in 80% of English dialogue. So when you are correct – you will sound much clearer. It is difficult to master the muscle movement involved. To pronounce (th) put your tongue between your teeth and breathe out. Hint: Remember to feel the vibration of the th (voiceless) against your tongue. It is much more important to get the tongue placement between the teeth for [th] voiceless and [th] voiced than to say them differently.

2. The rhythm of your words in English is just as important as the pronunciation of sounds – master your rhythm by stressing each word on the right syllable – and reducing the remaining syllables. Stress only ONE syllable in each word. Most English words have one main stress point. The remaining vowels are de-stressed or lose their sound (schwa).