- Introduction
Section 1: OVERVIEW OF AMERICAN ENGLISH SPEECH PATTERNS
INTONATION & STRESS
- Intonation
- Stress
- At the word level
- Beyond the word level
- Falling and rising inflection
- Primary stress and final inflection
- Stress for emphasis
- Stress for emphasis and final inflection
RHYTHM
- Reductions
- Liking
- Practicing rhythm and stress
Section 2: THE ENGLISH VOWELS
Introduction to English vowels and diphthongs
The IPA symbols for vowels
Production and classification of vowels
Lengths of vowels and diphthongs
- The simple vowels /ʌ/, /ə/, /i/, /ɪ/, /ε/, /æ/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/ /ʊ/, /u/, /ər/, /ʌr/
- The diphthongs /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /oʊ/, /au̇/, /ɔɪ/
- Bonus exercises
- Minimal pairs – Vowels / Diphthongs
Section 3: WORD STRESS
STRESS AND MEANING
- Compound words
- Two- part verbs
- Two – part verbs and idioms
PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES
- Prefixes and word stress
- Suffixes and word stress
- Meaning determined by stress on the suffix
- Suffixes and word stress placement
- Proper names, titles, times
- Abbreviations
- Times and dates
- Bonus exercises
- Practice Word Lists: abbreviations, common prefixes
- Compound words: verb & noun stress patterns: two –three syllable words; three –four syllable words; three – five syllable words
Section 4: THE RHYTHM OF AMERICAN ENGLISH
IDENTIFYING SPEECH RHYTHM
REDUCED FORMS AND RHYTHM
- Reducing function word
- Simplifying vowels
- The English articles
- Simplifying consonants
- Bonus exercises
- Reduced word groups
- Combining consonants
- Linking with the tapped t
- Common Two-Word Reductions
- Bonus exercises
- Omissions of h and t
- Contracted forms
- Bonus exercises
- Reduced segments with contracted forms
- Putting it all together
- Conversational Exercise
Section 5 THE AMERICAN ENGLISH CONSONANTS: The stops & The continuants
INTRODUCTION
- The IPA symbols for consonants
- Classification of consonants
. Tongue Tip Placement
. Use of Voice for Consonants
. Aspiration
/ p, b/ /t, d/ /k, g/ The stop consonants
- Initial stop consonants
- Final stop consonants
- Middle stop consonants
. Middle t, d
. The Glottal stop
. The Tapped t
- Linking: Stop consonants – Vowels
- Linking: Consonants – consonants
- The suffix – ed
. Stop consonants + Suffix -ed
. Contrast: Voiceless –ed – Voiced – ed
. Linking: Suffix – ed – consonants
- Bonus exercises
- Minimal pairs – Final stop consonants
- Silent spellings: - p, b t, d k, g
The continuant consonants
/ θ, ð/ ( thin, then)
- Contrast: / θ/ - /t/ Contrast / ð/ - /d/
- Contrast / θ/ - /s/ Contrast / ð/ - /z/
- Sound clusters / θ, ð/
- Practice words
- Bonus exercises
/f, v/ (fine, vet)
- Contrast /f/ - /v/
- Contrast /f, v/ - / θ, ð/
- Suffix –s, suffix –ed
- Contrast /v/ - /b/
- Irregular plurals / lvz/
- Practice words
- Bonus exercise
Section 6 THE AMERICAN ENGLISH CONSONATS: The Sibilants
/s, z/
/ ʃ, ʒ/ (share, ruge) / tʃ, dʒ/ (chair, jam)
- Initial sibilant sounds
/s/ blends
Final sibilant sounds
. Contrast: /s/ - /z/
. Contrast: / ʃ/ - / tʃ/
. Contrast: / tʃ/ - /dʒ/
. Contrast / ʒ/ - other sibilant sounds
STOP CONSONANTS + S
Suffix – s
Contrast: Suffix – s Voiceless - Suffix –s Voiced
CONSONAT CLUSTERS WITH /s/
Contrast /s/ clusters
. /ps/ - /bz/
. /ks/ - /gz/
. / ks/ - /sk/
. / ts/ - /dz/
Suffixes
-es –ize – tion, sion, cian
- cial, -tial, cious, tious, xious
-sian, sion, geous, gious
- est
- ist
SIBILANTS + Suffix –ed
- Contrast: /st/ - /zd/
- Linking sibilants – other sibilants
- Linking sibilants + suffix –ed – vowels
- Conversational exercise
- Silent spellings of S
- Spelling “ch” pronounced / ʃ/
- Minimal pairs – final sibilant sounds
Section 7 THE AMERICAN ENGLISH CONSONATS: The Glides & The Nasals
/r/
/r/ BLENDS
- Contrast /r/ blends: voiceless – voiced
MIDDLE /r/ blends
FINAL /r/ Blends
- Contrast /rt/ -/rd/
- Contrast /rs/ - /rz/
- More Practice Words - /r/ blends
- Bonus exercises
/l/
THE CLEAR /l/
- Long vowel + /l/
/l/ BLENDS
- Contrast /l/ blends: Voiceless – Voiced
FINAL /l/
- A final consonant + /l/
THE BACK /l/
- Contrast: /l/ - /r/
- Contrast: /l/ blends – /r/ blends
- The suffix –ly
- Conversational exercise – sounds /r/ & /l/
- Silent l
- More practice words - /r/ & /l/
- Bonus exercises
/w/
- Contrast /v/ -/w/
- Bonus exercise
/j/ (yet)
- Contrast /j/ - /dʒ/
/h/
- Silent h
- Bonus exercise
THE NASAL SOUNDS
/m/, /n/
- Contrast: /m/ - /n/
- Contrast Voiceless – Voiced Endings
- Contrast: /l/ -/n/
/ŋ/
- Contrast /n/ - /ŋ/
- Contrast /nk/ -/ŋ/
- Contrast suffix endings –s,-d
- The suffix –ing
- Contrast endings –nking – nging
- Bonus exercise
Section 8 MORE ON STRESS AND INTONATION
INTONATION AND MEANING
- Polite Tones
- Mildly rising inflection
- Sharply rising inflection
- Swinging pitch inflection
- Sharply falling inflection
VARIATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS
- Yes / No question form with falling inflection
- Declarative form with rising inflection
- Wh questions with rising inflection
VARIATIONS IN STRESS
- Stress on descriptive words
- Degrees of stress
- Conversational exercise
- Stress with lower pitch
PRACTICING STRESS FOR EMPHASIS
- Clarifying and explaining
INTONATION AND PAUSES
- Messages that require pauses
. Addressing the listener by Name
. Responses beginning with Yes or No
. Messages with tag forms
- Pauses in longer sentences
. Compound sentences
. Parenthetical statements
- Stating options – two options
. Conversational Options
. More than two options
- Stating items or sequences
. Indefinite listings or choices
. Conversational Exercises
- Descriptions, directions or instructions
. Conversational Exercises – Putting it all together
. Bonus exercises
Resources:
- The American Accent Guide
- Pronounce It Perfectly in English
- Rosetta stone Version1 level 1, 2, and 3
- Clear Speech (from the start)
- Clear speech (pronunciation…)
- American Accent Training
- English Tutor: The ultimate way to learn English faster
- In Charge 1: an integrated skills course for high level students
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