able avoid f of stew fac pressure pleasure garage two not oke gaucho ethel either tooth smooth come um bicker bigger pig wer now late collect towel ate correct tower me SwImmer same ne connect man finger ring Pronunciation points other oy dictionaries, you may find a character that looks like an upside down V,[A] and another character that is an upside-down e a], the schwa. There is a linguistic distinction between the two, but they are pronounced exactly the same. Since you can't hear the difference between these two sounds, we'll just be using the upside-down e to indicate the schwa sound. It is pronounced uh. 2. The second point is that we do not differentiate between [a] and [o]. The [a] is pronounced ah. The backwards C o is more or less pronounced aw. This aw sound has a "back East ound to it and as it's not common to the entire United States it won t be included here 3. R can be considered a semivowel. One characteristic of a vowel is that nothing in the mouth touches anything else. r definitely falls into that category. So in the exercises throughout the book it will be treated not so much as a consonant but as a vowel 4. The ow sound is usually indicated by [au], which would be ah ooh. This may have been accurate at some point in some locations, but the sound is now generally [aeo]. Town is [taeon how is hao], loud is [laeod and so on 5. Besides voiced and unvoiced, there are two words that come up in pronunciation. These are sibilant and plosive. When you say the [s] sound, you can feel the air sliding out over the tip of your tongue-this is a sibilant. When you say the [p] sound, you can feel the air popping out from between your lips-this is a plosive. Be aware that there are two sounds that are sometimes mistakenly taught as sibilants, but are actually plosives: [th] and v] 6. For particular points of pronunciation that pertain to your own language, refer to the Nationality Guides on page 172 Throughout this text, we will be using three symbols to indicate three separate actions Vv Indicates a command or a suggestion 9+ Indicates the beep tone Indicates that you need to turn the Cd on or off, back up, or pause
viii Pronunciation Points 1. In many dictionaries, you may find a character that looks like an upside down V, [A] and another character that is an upside-down e [ə], the schwa. There is a linguistic distinction between the two, but they are pronounced exactly the same. Since you can't hear the difference between these two sounds, we'll just be using the upside-down e to indicate the schwa sound. It is pronounced uh. 2. The second point is that we do not differentiate between [ä] and []]. The [ä] is pronounced ah. The backwards C []] is more or less pronounced aw. This aw sound has a "back East" sound to it, and as it's not common to the entire United States, it won't be included here. 3. R can be considered a semivowel. One characteristic of a vowel is that nothing in the mouth touches anything else. R definitely falls into that category. So in the exercises throughout the book it will be treated not so much as a consonant, but as a vowel. 4. The ow sound is usually indicated by [äu], which would be ah + ooh. This may have been accurate at some point in some locations, but the sound is now generally [æo]. Town is [tæon], how is [hæo], loud is [læod], and so on. 5. Besides voiced and unvoiced, there are two words that come up in pronunciation. These are sibilant and plosive. When you say the [s] sound, you can feel the air sliding out over the tip of your tongue—this is a sibilant. When you say the [p] sound, you can feel the air popping out from between your lips—this is a plosive. Be aware that there are two sounds that are sometimes mistakenly taught as sibilants, but are actually plosives: [th] and [v]. 6. For particular points of pronunciation that pertain to your own language, refer to the Nationality Guides on page 172. parry bury apple able mop mob ferry very afraid avoid off of stew zoo races raises face phase sheet pressure pleasure crush garage two do petal pedal not nod choke joke gaucho gouger rich ridge think that ether either tooth smooth come gum bicker bigger pick pig accent exit tax tags yes player day wool shower now his ahead late collect towel rate correct tower me swimmer same next connect man finger ring Throughout this text, we will be using three symbols to indicate three separate actions: V Indicates a command or a suggestion. + Indicates the beep tone. + Indicates that you need to turn the CD on or off, back up, or pause. Стр. 16 из 185
Telephone Tutoring Preliminary Diagnostic Analysis CD 1 Track 3 This is a speech analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your American accent. If you are studying American Accent Training on your own, please contact toll-free(800)457- 4255orwww.americanaccent.comforareferraltoaqualifiedtelephoneanalystThe diagnostic analysis is designed to evaluate your current speech patterns to let you know where your accent is standard and nonstandard Hello, my name is I'm taking American Accent Training. There's a lot to learn but I hope to make it as enjoyable as possible. I should pick up on the American intonation pattern pretty easily, although the only way to get it is to practice all of the time 1. all, long, caught 5. ice, I'll, sky 9. come, front, indicate 13.out h 2. cat, matter, laugh 6. it, milk, sin 10. smooth, too, shoe 14. boy, oil, toy 3. take, say, fail 7. eat, me, seen 11. took, full, would 8. work, girl, bird 12. told, so, roll E 1. staple stable cap 1. cab 2. fear 2 2. refe 2. reverse 2. half 3. sue 3. z00 3. faces 3. phases 3. race 3. raise 4. sheer 4. din 4 4. rush 4. rouge 5. tin 5. gin 5. metal 5. had 6. chin 6. then 6. catcher 6. cad 6 6 7. thin 7. gut 7. ether 7. either 7. bath 7. bathe 8. cut 8. race 8. bicker 8. bigge 8. tack 9. yellow 9. breed 9 illie correction 9 sore 10. would 10. man 10. coward 10. surprise 10. how 10. peeper 11. him 11. name 11. reheat 11. summer m 12. 12. collection 12 12. people 12 13. bleed 13. supplies 13. kingdom 13.si 1. Go upstairs betty bought a bit of better 2, I am going to the other room
ix Telephone Tutoring Preliminary Diagnostic Analysis CD 1 Track 3 This is a speech analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your American accent. If you are studying American Accent Training on your own, please contact toll-free (800) 457- 4255 or www.americanaccent.com for a referral to a qualified telephone analyst. The diagnostic analysis is designed to evaluate your current speech patterns to let you know where your accent is standard and nonstandard. Hello, my name is______. I'm taking American Accent Training. There's a lot to learn, but I hope to make it as enjoyable as possible. I should pick up on the American intonation pattern pretty easily, although the only way to get it is to practice all of the time. 1. all, long, caught 5. ice, I'll, sky 9. come, front, indicate 13. out, house, round 2. cat, matter, laugh 6. it, milk, sin 10. smooth, too, shoe 14. boy, oil, toy 3. take, say, fail 7. eat, me, seen 11. took, full, would 4. get, egg, any 8. work, girl, bird 12. told, so, roll A B C D E F 1. pit 1. bit 1. staple 1. stable 1. cap 1. cab 2. fear 2. veer 2. refers 2. reverse 2. half 2. have 3. sue 3. zoo 3. faces 3. phases 3. race 3. raise 4. sheer 4. din 4. cashew 4. casual 4. rush 4. rouge 5. tin 5. gin 5. metal 5. medal 5. hat 5. had 6. chin 6. then 6. catcher 6. cadger 6. rich 6. ridge 7. thin 7. gut 7. ether 7. either 7. bath 7. bathe 8. cut 8. race 8. bicker 8. bigger 8. tack 8. tag 9. yellow 9. breed 9. million 9. correction 9. say 9. sore 10. would 10. man 10. coward 10. surprise 10. how 10. peeper 11. him 11. name 11. reheat 11. summer 11. soul 11. palm 12. lace 12. collection 12. runner 12. people 12. can 13. bleed 13. supplies 13. kingdom 13. sing 1. Go upstairs. 1. Betty bought a bit of better butter. 2, I am going to the other room. Стр. 17 из 185
3. My name is Ann beddy bada bida bedder budde 4. It is the end of the bad 5. Give it to his owner 3. Italian Italy 1. Go(upstairs 4. attack 2. I(v )am going f thee(y)ather atomIc atom room 3, My nay mi Zaen photography hotograph 4. Idiz the(y)en d'v th'bael dyearz 5. G to(wi zon'r bet Chapter 1 American Intonation The American Speech Music CD 1 Track 4 What to do with your mouth to sound american One of the main differences between the way an american talks and the way the rest of the world talks is that we don't really move our lips. (So, when an American says, "Read my lips! "what does he really mean? We create most of our sounds in the throat, using our tongue very actively. If you hold your fingers over your lips or clench your jaws when you practice speaking American English, you will find yourself much closer to native-sounding speech than if you try to pronounce every single….ound….very…, carefully If you can relate American English to music, remember that the indigenous music is jazz. Listen to their speech music, and you will hear that Americans have a melodic, jazzy way of produc sounds. Imagine the sound of a cello when you say, Beddy bada bida beader budder (Betty bought a bit of better butter) and you' ll be close to the native way of saying it Because most Americans came from somewhere else, American English reflects the accent contributions of many lands. The speech music has become much more exaggerated than British English, developing a strong and distinctive intonation. If you use this intonation, not only will you be easier to understand, but you will sound much more confident, dynamic, and persuasive Intonation, or speech music, is the sound that you hear when a conversation is too far away to be clearly audible but close enough for you to tell the nationality of the speakers. The American intonation dictates liaisons and pronunciation, and it indicates mood and meaning. Without intonation, your speech would be flat, mechanical, and very confusing for your listener. What is the American intonation pattern? How is it different from other languages? Foa egcampuru, eefu you hea ah Jahpahneezu pahsohn speaking Ingurishu, the sound would be very choppy, mechanical and unemotional to an American. Za sem vey vis Cheuman pipples, it sounds too stiff. A mahn frohm Paree ohn zee ahzer ahnd, eer intonashon goes up at zee end ov evree sentence, and has such strong intonation that he sounds romantic and highly emotional, but this may not be appropriate for a lecture or a business meeting in English American Intonation do's and don'ts Do Not Speak Word by word Bob... is..on.the.. phone
x Chapter 1 American Intonation The American Speech Music CD 1 Track 4 What to Do with Your Mouth to Sound American One of the main differences between the way an American talks and the way the rest of the world talks is that we don't really move our lips. (So, when an American says, "Read my lips!" what does he really mean?) We create most of our sounds in the throat, using our tongue very actively. If you hold your fingers over your lips or clench your jaws when you practice speaking American English, you will find yourself much closer to native-sounding speech than if you try to pronounce every ... single ... sound ... very ... carefully. If you can relate American English to music, remember that the indigenous music is jazz. Listen to their speech music, and you will hear that Americans have a melodic, jazzy way of producing sounds. Imagine the sound of a cello when you say, Beddy bada bida beader budder (Betty bought a bit of better butter) and you'll be close to the native way of saying it. Because most Americans came from somewhere else, American English reflects the accent contributions of many lands. The speech music has become much more exaggerated than British English, developing a strong and distinctive intonation. If you use this intonation, not only will you be easier to understand, but you will sound much more confident, dynamic, and persuasive. Intonation, or speech music, is the sound that you hear when a conversation is too far away to be clearly audible but close enough for you to tell the nationality of the speakers. The American intonation dictates liaisons and pronunciation, and it indicates mood and meaning. Without intonation, your speech would be flat, mechanical, and very confusing for your listener. What is the American intonation pattern? How is it different from other languages? Foa egzampuru, eefu you hea ah Jahpahneezu pahsohn speakingu Ingurishu, the sound would be very choppy, mechanical, and unemotional to an American. Za sem vey vis Cheuman pipples, it sounds too stiff. A mahn frohm Paree ohn zee ahzer ahnd, eez intonashon goes up at zee end ov evree sentence, and has such a strong intonation that he sounds romantic and highly emotional, but this may not be appropriate for a lecture or a business meeting in English. 1 American Intonation Do's and Don'ts Do Not Speak Word by Word 3. My name is Ann. 2. Beddy bada bida bedder budder. 4. It is the end of the bad years. 5. Give it to his owner. 3. Italian Italy 1. Go(w)upstairs. 4. attack attic 2. I(y)am going f thee(y)əther room. 5. atomic atom 3, My nay mi Zæn. 6. photography photograph 4. Idiz the(y)en d'v th' bæ dyearz. 5. G' v' to(w)i zon'r. 7. bet bed Стр. 18 из 185
Connect Words to Form Sound Groups ba bizan the foun Use staircase intonation foun lllllllll/ bi ∥ lllllll///llll// zan lllllllll/ llllll///lllllll/ the Start a new staircase when you want to emphasize that information, generally a noun Do not speak word by word. If you speak word by word, as many people who learned printed"English do, you'll end up sounding mechanical and foreign. You may have noticed the same thing happens in your own language: When someone reads a speech, even a native speaker, it sounds stiff and stilted, quite different from a normal conversational tone Connect words to form sound groups. This is where you're going to start doing something completely different than what you have done in your previous English studies. This part is the most difficult for many people because it goes against everything they' ve been taught. Instead of thinking of each word as a unit, think of sound units. These sound units may or may not correspond to a word written on a page. Native speakers don't say Bob is on the phone, but say [babizan the foun]. Sound units make a sentence flow smoothly, like peanut butter- never really ending and never really starting, just flowing along. Even chunky peanut butter is acceptable. So long as you don't try to put plain peanuts directly onto your bread, you'll be Ok +Use staircase intonation Let those sound groups floating on the wavy river in the figure flow downhill and you'll get the staircase. Staircase intonation not only gives you that American sound, it also makes you sound much more confident. Not every American uses the downward staircase. A certain segment of the population uses rising staircases--generally, teenagers on their way to a shopping mall: " Hi, my name is Tiffany. I live in La Canada. I'm on the pep squad. What Exactly Is staircase Intonation? In saying your words, imagine that they come out as if they were bounding lightly down a flight of stairs. Every so often, one jumps up to another level, and then starts down again. Americans tend to stretch out their sounds longer than you may think is natural. So to lengthen your vowel sounds, put them on two stairsteps instead of just one Were here. I llll/ lll/l re l m y m The sound of an American speaking a foreign language is very distinctive, because we double sounds that should be single. For example, in Japanese or Spanish, the word no is, to our ear clipped or abbreviated m
Connect Words to Form Sound Groups Use Staircase Intonation Start a new staircase when you want to emphasize that information, generally a noun. + Do not speak word by word. If you speak word by word, as many people who learned "printed" English do, you'll end up sounding mechanical and foreign. You may have noticed the same thing happens in your own language: When someone reads a speech, even a native speaker, it sounds stiff and stilted, quite different from a normal conversational tone. + Connect words to form sound groups. This is where you're going to start doing something completely different than what you have done in your previous English studies. This part is the most difficult for many people because it goes against everything they've been taught. Instead of thinking of each word as a unit, think of sound units. These sound units may or may not correspond to a word written on a page. Native speakers don't say Bob is on the phone, but say [bäbizän the foun]. Sound units make a sentence flow smoothly, like peanut butter— never really ending and never really starting, just flowing along. Even chunky peanut butter is acceptable. So long as you don't try to put plain peanuts directly onto your bread, you'll be OK. 2 + Use staircase intonation. Let those sound groups floating on the wavy river in the figure flow downhill and you'll get the staircase. Staircase intonation not only gives you that American sound, it also makes you sound much more confident. Not every American uses the downward staircase. A certain segment of the population uses rising staircases—generally, teenagers on their way to a shopping mall: "Hi, my name is Tiffany. I live in La Canada. I'm on the pep squad." What Exactly Is Staircase Intonation? In saying your words, imagine that they come out as if they were bounding lightly down a flight of stairs. Every so often, one jumps up to another level, and then starts down again. Americans tend to stretch out their sounds longer than you may think is natural. So to lengthen your vowel sounds, put them on two stairsteps instead of just one. We're here. I The sound of an American speaking a foreign language is very distinctive, because we double sounds that should be single. For example, in Japanese or Spanish, the word no is, to our ear, clipped or abbreviated. Bä foun. /////////// bi ///////// ////////// ///////// zän ///////// ////////// //////// ///////// the ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// We ///////// 're ///////// ///////// he ///////// ///////// ///////// re. ///////// ///////// ///////// ///////// No ///////// Стр. 19 из 185
p mmm Standard american When you have a word ending in an unvoiced consonant--one that you"whisper"(t, k, S, x, f, sh)you will notice that the preceding vowel is said quite quickly, and on a single stairstep When a word ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant--one that you"say"(b, d, g, z,v, zh,]), the preceding vowel is said more slowly, and on a double stairstep Unvoiced lll eed m here are two main consequences of not doubling the second category of words: Either your listener will hear the wrong word, or even worse, you will always sound upset Consider that the words curt, short, terse, abrupt, and clipped all literally mean short. When applied to a person or to language, they take on the meaning of upset or rude. For example, in the expressions "His curt reply."Her terse response. "or "He was very short with me"all indicate a less than sunny situation Three ways to make Intonation About this time, you're coming to the point where you may be wondering, what exactly are the mechanics of intonation? What changes when you go to the top of the staircase or when you put stress on a word? There are three ways to stress a word The first way is to just get louder or raise the volume. This is not a very sophisticated way of doing it, but it will definitely command attention The second way is to streeeeetch the word out or lengthen the word that you want to draw attention to( which sounds very insinuating) The third way, which is the most refined, is to change pitch. Although pausing just before changing the pitch is effective, you don,'t want to do it every time, because then it becomes an obvious technique. However, it will make your audience stop and listen because they think you're going to say something interesting Exercise 1-1: Rubber Band Practice with Nonsense Syllables CD I Track 5 Take a rubber band and hold it with your two thumbs. Every time you want to stress a word by changing pitch, pull on the rubber band. Stretch it out gently, don't jerk it sharply. Make a looping o o figure with it and do the same with your voice. Use the rubber band and stretch it out every time you change pitch. Read first across, then down 1. duh duh duh 1 la lala mee mee mee 1. hoho ho 2. duh duh duh 2. lalala meemee mee ho ho ho 3. duh duh duh 3 la la la mee mee mee 3 ho ho he 4 duh duh duh 4 la la la mee mee mee hoho ho Read each column down, keeping the same intonation pattern C
Standard American When you have a word ending in an unvoiced consonant—one that you "whisper" (t, k, s, x, f, sh)—you will notice that the preceding vowel is said quite quickly, and on a single stairstep. When a word ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant—one that you "say" (b, d, g, z, v, zh, j), the preceding vowel is said more slowly, and on a double stairstep. There are two main consequences of not doubling the second category of words: Either your listener will hear the wrong word, or even worse, you will always sound upset. 3 Consider that the words curt, short, terse, abrupt, and clipped all literally mean short. When applied to a person or to language, they take on the meaning of upset or rude. For example, in the expressions "His curt reply ...," "Her terse response...'' or "He was very short with me" all indicate a less than sunny situation. Three Ways to Make Intonation About this time, you're coming to the point where you may be wondering, what exactly are the mechanics of intonation? What changes when you go to the top of the staircase or when you put stress on a word? There are three ways to stress a word. + The first way is to just get louder or raise the volume. This is not a very sophisticated way of doing it, but it will definitely command attention. + The second way is to streeeeetch the word out or lengthen the word that you want to draw attention to (which sounds very insinuating). + The third way, which is the most refined, is to change pitch. Although pausing just before changing the pitch is effective, you don't want to do it every time, because then it becomes an obvious technique. However, it will make your audience stop and listen because they think you're going to say something interesting. Exercise 1-1: Rubber Band Practice with Nonsense Syllables CD 1 Track 5 Take a rubber band and hold it with your two thumbs. Every time you want to stress a word by changing pitch, pull on the rubber band. Stretch it out gently, don' t jerk it sharply. Make a looping ° ° figure with it and do the same with your voice. Use the rubber band and stretch it out every time you change pitch. Read first across, then down. Read each column down, keeping the same intonation pattern. Clipped No ///////// ou ///////// ///////// seat //////////// Unvoiced see ///////// eed ///////// ///////// Voiced A B C D 1. duh duh duh 1. la la la 1. mee mee mee 1. ho ho ho 2. duh duh duh 2. la la la 2. mee mee mee 2. ho ho ho 3. duh duh duh 3. la la la 3. mee mee mee 3. ho ho ho 4. duh duh duh 4. la la la 4. mee mee mee 4. ho ho ho A B C D Стр. 20 из 185