good lesson !! I took some phonetic classes with a teacher from UCF once, it was impressive the way she taught us, and she was impressed with my american accent, that I got listening to americans talking. see you next class. Greetings from Brazil ;)
I'm loving your videos Rebecca! I'm a voice teacher in the land down under but I don't specialize in accents. I was looking for some interesting approaches regarding teaching American accents to beginner voice/acting students and instead I've found your work; which is innovative; inspirational and beautifully detailed. I look forward to viewing more and following up on more of your work. All the best Rebecca and thank you for your generosity of spirit too!
We offer sessions via WebEx, so you can be in NY, no problem. If you would like to request a consultation with a Coach and get some feedback on your speech, just visit my website, and we'll schedule it for you.
You can meet with an Accent Coach for a diagnostic at our website - englishhbythehour (just type in the 3 w's and then a DOT and com at the end) ... can't post websites here, but if you go there, you can request a first meeting!
let me tell the trurth, there always gonna be people that will criticize the way that you're teaching. but let me tell you what, i've been learing english for a long time and these are the most powerful technics that i have ever heard. because of your vidios now i have a much better performace in my job, thank you very much, i wish God gives you helth so you continue helping those ones who are in the process of english learning.
OMG, you are so gorgeous! ... ... And also right! Non-Native speakers tend to put too much effort into pronunciation thinking that "it's not the language I've been speaking whole my life so I need to try very hard to get it". And so they sound like non-native speakers who "try" to speak when native speakers of any language never put so much tension and effort in speaking... That's something nobody could teach!
Many English instructors who don't have any knowledge of how to teach Accents, even a person with an impeccable accent, commonly miss a really important point when teaching. They tend to adhere to a "Bottom-up approach", which means teaching how to pronounce each syllable, and moving up to bigger chunks step by step, words, phrases, and whole sentences. It seems quite logical at a first glance, but if we dive deep into the issue, it only produces some frustrated learners who can pronounce each word pretty correctly, but can't follow the rhyme and rhythm of a targeted language, especially English. We have to know Posturing, and on top of that, relaxation of articulation and the surrounding parts of our body.
As a French speaker, make sure not to nasalize any vowels in English. We have no nasalized vowels (that means keeping your soft palate high) when you speak. And of course, perfecting the American /r/, especially the /r/ in "park" and the /r/ in "person" are important .... as well as making your /th/ sounds effortless and smooth. For some French speakers, word stress is a big problem since many of our words are similar but stressed differently.
A couple of datapoints: what is your first language? People often hear and mimic sounds based on what their ear is trained to hear. For example, Arabic and Hebrew speakers can easily make "throat" oriented sounds, and so so some male Hindi speakers. Also, some people just have "throatier" voices than others (I'm referring to voice quality), so that could be a quality you may want to integrate if you have a good reason (like playing a role if you are an actor). Just a few thoughts!
Wow! I can hear the difference. The accent is still there but I sound more clear and understandable-which at the end of the day is my goal (not so much getting rid of my accent since people love it).
I think that is why asthma and other breathing disorders are not very prevalent in American population . Thanks for this great insight. It can really mean the world to people who carry a good vocabulary but have barriers of articulation.
I recommend attending ToastMasters ... find a club near you and go every week. They are great with "filler" language - both calling your awareness to it and also helping you hear it in others and counting the occurrences so you can monitor it and create change. Good luck!
My first language is French!! I just finished with my ESL program and they didnt teach me anything about how to get a smoother american accent. I am currently living in the USA and each time i interact with americans especially boys, it looks like they perform most of the time throatier sounds. On the other sides, girls and women don't use them at all, they have more like a "free throat" as you said in the video.
I don't think American English is characterized by a free air flow when producing it. I get the sense that people here in CA, above all men, use their throat to constrain the air flow quite a lot. To my ear, they speak like someone who just got up from bed and isn't awake quite yet. Perhaps you feel like English has less air control because you grew up speaking it, but I can tell that your Spanish is quite choppy between sounds and that isn't the way I speak it; I speak it with a freer air flow, to which English speakers aren't used. Thanks for posting this video anyway. It's so nice to be able to learn from people like you. Keep up the good work, Rebecca!
The goal is "optimal" speech ... true, lots of people do things wrong, but if you don't exhale when you speak,you'll tend to sound choppier and less fluid (in many languages). Thanks for your comments.
Rebecca Linquist Thanks for your prompt response, Rebecca. Not exhaling definitely hinders your words from coming out of your mouth clearly. The issue, however, is that I often end up talking to my friends as though I were giving them a speech or a lecture in casual conversations. As a Speech Communication & Rhetoric major, I'm really thankful with you, Rebecca (and other instructors) because I've been able to improve significantly my public speaking skills by watching your videos. On the other hand, I haven't found a way to talk casually with native speakers yet. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's not about vocabulary or grammar, but about paralinguistic features of my speech. Besides having a dull voice, which doesn't help for voice clarity, I find myself unable to communicate in English without having to use linguistic devices that a regular person would use only in public speaking.
I have a suspicion that if you spend lots of time with native speakers in conversation, this problem will remedy itself. Be vigilant, as you are already, and be sure to video record yourself so you can continue to detect areas to focus your awareness on!
Hi... I am working in a call center in India. So that i can speak local language Kannada, Hindi and English.. but i have Hindi and Kannada and Urdu accent.. its very difficult attend the International BPO/call center job.. really I want to get the job this is very difficult to pronounce the English American accent,, how would i accept to pronounce it i have little bit accent when i saw this video its really keen like very understandable and less complex thanks to doing it all the team..
So the american accent is all about the breath control and stuff? that's interesting i always flex my throat in order to make an american accent because when i watch movies i feel like people especially boys speak with their throat i mean they sound like what they say come off the throat and i started to work on my accent that way!! i was substantially misled by those movies apparently!!!
HI I have korean accent and i've no idea how to fix it. I live in New York, and people tell me i have korean accent. I'm also from Texas, so i also have some accents from Texas. Now, the sad fact is i actually don't know how i sould like! I'd love to have a conversation with you, and fix my accent!! Please reply!!
I am a Filipino and I can read/articulate American english properly. My problem is when I'm communicating, I intend to say a lot of "uhh" and "uhm" and I'm more nervous when I'm in a conversation rather than writing/reading. Please help me. Thank you.
I have managed to differentiate french and english sounds unlike in the past yet, my american accent is still not that good!! it takes 5 seconds for an american to know that am a foreigner!!!! there is still a lot to work on!!
SUDEEP GOSWAMI What do you mean by "check" ... if you want to do a diagnostic and work with a coach, you can, but there are fees involved. If you'd like me to schedule you for a consullt, let me know or check out www.englishbythehour.com!
good lesson !! I took some phonetic classes with a teacher from UCF once, it was impressive the way she taught us, and she was impressed with my american accent, that I got listening to americans talking. see you next class. Greetings from Brazil ;)
Well said ... it's much more about being yourself and communicating clearly and effectively to others than it is about changing your accent.
Rebecca, YOU ARE BLOODY AWESOME!!!! I LOVE YOUR CONFIDENCE, THE WAY YOU SPEAK!!! I LOVE YOU ALREADY!!! UGH
I'm loving your videos Rebecca! I'm a voice teacher in the land down under but I don't specialize in accents. I was looking for some interesting approaches regarding teaching American accents to beginner voice/acting students and instead I've found your work; which is innovative; inspirational and beautifully detailed. I look forward to viewing more and following up on more of your work. All the best Rebecca and thank you for your generosity of spirit too!
We offer sessions via WebEx, so you can be in NY, no problem. If you would like to request a consultation with a Coach and get some feedback on your speech, just visit my website, and we'll schedule it for you.
You can meet with an Accent Coach for a diagnostic at our website - englishhbythehour (just type in the 3 w's and then a DOT and com at the end) ... can't post websites here, but if you go there, you can request a first meeting!
let me tell the trurth, there always gonna be people that will criticize the way that you're teaching. but let me tell you what, i've been learing english for a long time and these are the most powerful technics that i have ever heard. because of your vidios now i have a much better performace in my job, thank you very much, i wish God gives you helth so you continue helping those ones who are in the process of english learning.
hey, this is amazing, i love the way you teach!
OMG, you are so gorgeous!
...
...
And also right! Non-Native speakers tend to put too much effort into pronunciation thinking that "it's not the language I've been speaking whole my life so I need to try very hard to get it". And so they sound like non-native speakers who "try" to speak when native speakers of any language never put so much tension and effort in speaking... That's something nobody could teach!
Many English instructors who don't have any knowledge of how to teach Accents, even a person with an impeccable accent, commonly miss a really important point when teaching. They tend to adhere to a "Bottom-up approach", which means teaching how to pronounce each syllable, and moving up to bigger chunks step by step, words, phrases, and whole sentences. It seems quite logical at a first glance, but if we dive deep into the issue, it only produces some frustrated learners who can pronounce each word pretty correctly, but can't follow the rhyme and rhythm of a targeted language, especially English. We have to know Posturing, and on top of that, relaxation of articulation and the surrounding parts of our body.
So true :-)
If you come to my website, you can request a consultation with a Coach. We do a 2.5 month program with 10 sessions for $995.
Very useful video I am an American English student from Venezuela South America.
It's really helpful, thanks a lot! Hope to see more videos.
As a French speaker, make sure not to nasalize any vowels in English. We have no nasalized vowels (that means keeping your soft palate high) when you speak. And of course, perfecting the American /r/, especially the /r/ in "park" and the /r/ in "person" are important .... as well as making your /th/ sounds effortless and smooth. For some French speakers, word stress is a big problem since many of our words are similar but stressed differently.
Great video. Thank you.
A couple of datapoints: what is your first language? People often hear and mimic sounds based on what their ear is trained to hear. For example, Arabic and Hebrew speakers can easily make "throat" oriented sounds, and so so some male Hindi speakers. Also, some people just have "throatier" voices than others (I'm referring to voice quality), so that could be a quality you may want to integrate if you have a good reason (like playing a role if you are an actor). Just a few thoughts!
Wow! I can hear the difference. The accent is still there but I sound more clear and understandable-which at the end of the day is my goal (not so much getting rid of my accent since people love it).
I think that is why asthma and other breathing disorders are not very prevalent in American population . Thanks for this great insight. It can really mean the world to people who carry a good vocabulary but have barriers of articulation.
How amazing... Is really working!! I started reading a new book and I'm recording myself to see my mistakes!! Thank you!!
It's really really nice. Hope to have a good American accent soon.
I learn a lot from you!! Love U
This is exactly what I'm looking for, thank you so much
Now i am feeling more confidence to clear TOEFL exam.
Thank you so much.
this is great stuff for spanish speakers too
I recommend attending ToastMasters ... find a club near you and go every week. They are great with "filler" language - both calling your awareness to it and also helping you hear it in others and counting the occurrences so you can monitor it and create change. Good luck!
My first language is French!! I just finished with my ESL program and they didnt teach me anything about how to get a smoother american accent. I am currently living in the USA and each time i interact with americans especially boys, it looks like they perform most of the time throatier sounds. On the other sides, girls and women don't use them at all, they have more like a "free throat" as you said in the video.
Mam you are too good! :) i wish i get to speak even 10% like you....
i hav a high British influence as i am an Indian.
Hi Rebecca :)
Thanks for all these videos, it's very valuable, but I want to ask, do you have branch in NY.
thanks for the heads up!!!
I don't think American English is characterized by a free air flow when producing it. I get the sense that people here in CA, above all men, use their throat to constrain the air flow quite a lot. To my ear, they speak like someone who just got up from bed and isn't awake quite yet. Perhaps you feel like English has less air control because you grew up speaking it, but I can tell that your Spanish is quite choppy between sounds and that isn't the way I speak it; I speak it with a freer air flow, to which English speakers aren't used. Thanks for posting this video anyway. It's so nice to be able to learn from people like you. Keep up the good work, Rebecca!
The goal is "optimal" speech ... true, lots of people do things wrong, but if you don't exhale when you speak,you'll tend to sound choppier and less fluid (in many languages). Thanks for your comments.
Rebecca Linquist Thanks for your prompt response, Rebecca. Not exhaling definitely hinders your words from coming out of your mouth clearly. The issue, however, is that I often end up talking to my friends as though I were giving them a speech or a lecture in casual conversations. As a Speech Communication & Rhetoric major, I'm really thankful with you, Rebecca (and other instructors) because I've been able to improve significantly my public speaking skills by watching your videos. On the other hand, I haven't found a way to talk casually with native speakers yet. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's not about vocabulary or grammar, but about paralinguistic features of my speech. Besides having a dull voice, which doesn't help for voice clarity, I find myself unable to communicate in English without having to use linguistic devices that a regular person would use only in public speaking.
I have a suspicion that if you spend lots of time with native speakers in conversation, this problem will remedy itself. Be vigilant, as you are already, and be sure to video record yourself so you can continue to detect areas to focus your awareness on!
Will do! Thanks, Rebecca. Looking forward to your next video.
loved it :) thank you
Hi... I am working in a call center in India. So that i can speak local language Kannada, Hindi and English.. but i have Hindi and Kannada and Urdu accent.. its very difficult attend the International BPO/call center job.. really I want to get the job this is very difficult to pronounce the English American accent,, how would i accept to pronounce it i have little bit accent when i saw this video its really keen like very understandable and less complex thanks to doing it all the team..
brilliant!
I wasn't wearing an ao dai there, but that's a great idea ... I have several :-)
So the american accent is all about the breath control and stuff? that's interesting i always flex my throat in order to make an american accent because when i watch movies i feel like people especially boys speak with their throat i mean they sound like what they say come off the throat and i started to work on my accent that way!! i was substantially misled by those movies apparently!!!
HI I have korean accent and i've no idea how to fix it. I live in New York, and people tell me i have korean accent. I'm also from Texas, so i also have some accents from Texas. Now, the sad fact is i actually don't know how i sould like! I'd love to have a conversation with you, and fix my accent!! Please reply!!
I am a Filipino and I can read/articulate American english properly. My problem is when I'm communicating, I intend to say a lot of "uhh" and "uhm" and I'm more nervous when I'm in a conversation rather than writing/reading. Please help me. Thank you.
I have managed to differentiate french and english sounds unlike in the past yet, my american accent is still not that good!! it takes 5 seconds for an american to know that am a foreigner!!!! there is still a lot to work on!!
Thank you :)
mam please include hindi in your languages.
i love american accent
is this a physical training or pronunciation training?
so voice and speech work is very physical if you want to change how you sound ... your body is the instrument!
👏👏👏👏👏
Hello Miss are u wearing long skirt of Vietnam?
mam why no more videos
I'm on Vimeo now ... vimeo.com/ondemand/learnamericanaccent
check it out!
Rebecca Linquist mam is it is free after log in...
SUDEEP GOSWAMI $30 if you want to see the whole series
Rebecca Linquist is there any way to check that my pronunciation is correct or not
SUDEEP GOSWAMI What do you mean by "check" ... if you want to do a diagnostic and work with a coach, you can, but there are fees involved. If you'd like me to schedule you for a consullt, let me know or check out www.englishbythehour.com!
too much details and etc,,,,make it direct...grrrr boring