TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: What is Accent Neutralization?..........................................................................3

CHAPTER 2: American English Pronunciation………………………………………………6

CHAPTER 3: The Sounds of American English- Characteristics…………………………….10

CHAPTER 4: Vowel Sounds………………………………………………………………….13

• Introduction to Vowel Sounds…………………………………………………………14

• Short Vowel Sounds……………………………………………………………………16
• Long Vowel Sounds……………………………………………………………………18
• Introduction to Other Vowel Sounds…………………………………………………..20
▪ In Between……………………………………………………………………..20
▪ Diphthongs……………………………………………………………………..20
▪ Schwa…………………………………………………………………………..22
▪ Colored Schwa…………………………………………………………………25

CHAPTER 5: Consonant Sounds………………………………………………………………26

• Fricatives……………………………………………………………………………….27
• Plosives…………………………………………………………………………………31
• Affricates……………………………………………………………………………….34
• Nasals…………………………………………………………………………………..36
• Semi-Vowels…………………………………………………………………………...37
• Liquids/Laterals………………………………………………………………………..40

CHAPTER 6: Word Endings…………………………………………………………………..41

• Introduction to the 3rd Person Singular, Plural Possessive Rule………………………42

• Regular Past Tense Rule……………………………………………………………….45
• -t In the Middle of Words………………………………………………………………48

CHAPTER 7: American Clusters………………………………………………………………49

FINAL MESSAGE…………………………………………………………………………….52

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 CHAPTER 1
WHAT IS ACCENT NEUTRALIZATION?

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What is Accent Neutralization?

If you have ever called up Customer Care or Technical Support and have had trouble understanding the words
being spoken, or the accent in which the agent is speaking, you may be speaking with an agent either new to
North American or from an International Call Center.

This isn't always the case though. One must remember that even within the States, there are different varieties
of English that are spoken. The way a person speaks in New Orleans could be markedly different from someone
who has always lived in New York City. An agent from Alabama may speak with a distinct Southern accent, while
a recent immigrant from an Asian country might find it even harder to make himself/herself understandable.
This is one of the reasons why the best answering service providers also train their employees in Accent
Neutralization.

Accent Neutralization is the process of understanding subtle regional differences in the way a language is
spoken and trimming the edges to make one’s speech sound more neutral.
Accent Neutralization is not about adopting a new accent and speaking like someone a person is not. It helps
employees to get over stronger regional twangs and accents and speak in a more neutral fashion so that callers
from anywhere in the globe can understand them clearly.

1. English Language Structure

This part of the training consists of lessons that help the employee/student to understand how the English
language is structured, and how it is used differently in various regions of the world. Usually, this focuses on the
region where most of the calls would originate from. For instance, if callers are based in the US, the focus of
English language structure would be on American English.

2. Phonetics

Phonetics are one of the most important aspects of Accent Neutralization Training. Phonetics lessons can help
students understand the various sounds used in English language. They are rigorously trained in the differences
between vowel and diphthong sounds, while they learn to pronounce consonants in a more neutral manner.
This is especially important because there are differences even among native speakers of English, in the way
certain vowels and diphthongs are pronounced.

3. Syntax and Semantics

Syntax is how a language is constructed. In this component, trainees often undergo rigorous exercises
concerning commonly made errors in English, by both native speakers and second-language learners. As syntax
concerns grammar, some common grammar rules are taught, so that agents can speak confidently when they
receive calls. Semantics concerns the meaning of words, and this is important because people in various regions
may associate different meanings to the same words. Regional differences in word meanings are explored, and
trainees learn to speak in a more neutral manner, which involves avoiding words that may be vague or that may
have ambiguous meanings.

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4. How English is Used

Since English varies across the globe, most Accent Neutralization Programs give agents a brief idea about how
these various accents may differ from each other, and how one can focus on neutral ways of speaking. The best
answering service companies know that even if they are catering to a specific region, they may get calls from
practically anywhere in the world. We live in a Globalized World today, and most businesses have Clients and
Customers from all over the World. Keeping our accents as neutral as possible is important to make ourselves
understood clearly. For example, a 24-hour answering service based in Houston, Texas, may get calls from
United Kingdom, and it is important for Agents to keep their accents as neutral as possible.

5. Speech

Speech is another important aspect of Accent Training Programs, as it concerns the tone, rate of speech,
intonation, stress, and voice control, among others. Speech lessons focus on practical exercises which help
students to deliver and stress words and syllables correctly. It's helpful to work on this after phonetics, so that
the students already know how to pronounce words correctly. Another focus is on speaking at the appropriate
speed, and maintaining a consistent volume of speech, so that listeners do not have difficulty understanding the
agent.

6. Culture and Interpersonal skills

A very important aspect of accent neutralization is becoming sensitive and receptive to people from different
cultures and backgrounds. Successful agents are trained to have strong communication and interpersonal skills,
to be culturally aware, and to speak clearly, in an empathetic manner. As we discuss in many of our blogs, being
empathetic to all kinds of people, and responding to them in a friendly and understandable manner, is the key
to success.

7. Trimming the rough edges

As we explained above, Accent Neutralization is not about changing one’s accent or speaking like the caller
does. Instead, it is about softening the rough edges, and speaking in a clearer and more understandable manner
so that one can more easily connect to people from different geographic and demographic sections.

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 CHAPTER 2
AMERICAN ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

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Learn to Pronounce Sounds in American English

The Vocal Tract

When air is pushed up from the lungs, the movements within the Vocal Tract create each unique sound. The
Vocal Tract is the area from the nose and the nasal cavity down to the vocal cords deep in the throat.
Understanding the Vocal Tract is an important aspect of learning to accurately produce sounds. The lips,
tongue, and jaw are the parts of the Vocal Tract that are initially the easiest to control voluntarily.

The vocal tract:

Consonant sounds are generally easier sounds to "feel" than vowel sounds because they are created with a
more constricted Vocal Tract.

The Lips: The /p/ sound, /b/ sound, and /m/ sound are created by pressing the lips together, while forming
the /f/ sound and /v/ sound requires interaction between the bottom lip and the top teeth.

The tip of the tongue and the front teeth: The voiceless th and voiced th sounds are created by controlling how
close the tip of the tongue is to the front teeth.

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The front of the tongue (including the tip) and the tooth ridge: The tooth ridge is the bony bump directly
behind the top front teeth (behind the tooth ridge is the hard palate). Accuracy of tongue position in relation to
the tooth ridge is necessary for production of the /t/ sound, /d/ sound, ch sound, j sound, /s/ sound, /z/
sound, sh sound, ch sound, /l/ sound, and /n/ sound.

The back of the tongue and the soft palate: The soft palate is the fleshy area at the top, back of the mouth. The
back of the tongue interacts with the soft palate to create the /k/ sound, /g/ sound, and ng sound.

The deep back of the tongue and the throat: The /h/ sound is created by constricting the area at the very back
of the mouth.

The Nasal Cavity

The nasal cavity is the uppermost section of the vocal tract. The /m/ sound, /n/ sound, and ng sound are nasal
sounds that are created when air is released through the nasal cavity. As an experiment, create an /m/
sound (the lips should be completely closed) and hold your nose shut with your fingers. When air cannot pass
out our nose, we cannot create these sounds!

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The Vocal Cords

The Vocal Cords are deep in the throat, and their vibration allows sounds to be produced more loudly or more
quietly. While all vowel sounds are voiced, meaning the Vocal Cords vibrate during their production, many
consonant sounds are voiceless, meaning that the Vocal Cords do not vibrate during their production. The
vibration of the Vocal Cords can be felt by placing two fingers at the front of the throat and creating a /b/ sound.
Then, in contrast, create a /p/ sound and notice that there is no vibration.

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 CHAPTER 3
THE SOUNDS OF AMERICAN ENGLISH-
CHARACTERITICS

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 VOWEL SOUNDS CONSONANT SOUNDS

1. All Voiced. 1. Voiced/ Voiceless.

2. Mouth Shaping. 2. Speech Organs.
3. No Obstruction/No Constriction. 3. Places of Articulation.
4. Obstruction or Constriction.

FOUNDATION PRINCIPALS

1. Airflow.
2. Articulation.
3. Duration.

MORE ENERGY

Voiced: We say that a sound is voiced when we have vibration of the vocal cords.

Examples:

/z/, /v/, /d/

Voiceless: We say that a sound is voiceless when we have no vibration of the vocal cords.

Examples:

/s/, /f/, /t/

Mouth Shaping: There are limited amounts of shapes we can make with our mouths, so we need to make sure
we produce the correct mouth shaping depending on the vowel sound we are using to avoid mispronunciation
and confusion.

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Obstruction: An obstacle that does not permit air to come out of the mouth.

Constriction: A narrow path from where some air is released to produce the sound.

Speech Organs: Any part of the body, as the tongue, velum, diaphragm, or lungs, that participates, actively or
passively, voluntarily or involuntarily, in the production of the sounds of speech.

Places of Articulation: Refers to the location in the mouth where a sound, usually a consonant, is produced. It is
often thought of as the place where there is the most contact between articulators.

Foundation Principals
Airflow: Flow of air.

Articulation: Refers to the movement of the Speech Organs dependent on the sound I am producing.

Duration: Refers to the length of the sound.

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 CHAPTER 4
VOWEL SOUNDS

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Introduction to Vowel Sounds
What are vowel sounds?

English has fifteen/sixteen vowel sounds represented by the letters a, e, i, o, and u. The letters y and w are also
commonly produced as vowel sounds but considered consonants. Vowel sounds are produced with a relatively
open vocal tract. Consonant sounds, in contrast, are created by pushing air through a small opening in the vocal
tract or by building up air in the vocal tract, then releasing it.

Another common use of a Vowel Sound is to transition from one consonant to the next as a resting position. This
is the main reason why Spanish is considered a lot easier phonetically, since the tendency is Vowel-Consonant-
Vowel.

Categories of vowel sounds

Vowel sounds are divided into the following three main categories:

1. Short Vowels (sounds that are short in length).

2. Long Vowels (vowels that sound like the letter of the alphabet and that are long on length).

3. Other Vowels (the remaining vowel sounds).

Key Words

The vowel chart shows the key word, or quick reference word, for each English vowel sound. Key words are used
because vowel sounds are easier to hear within a word than when they are spoken in isolation. Memorizing key
words allows easier comparison between different vowel sounds.

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Phonics: The way sounds are spelled

Phonics is the link between the spelling of a word and its pronunciation. Since English has more sounds than
letters, a combination of letters is often necessary to represent a single sound.

At their simplest, short vowel sounds are usually spelled with a single letter, while long vowel and other vowel
sounds are generally spelled with combinations of letters. This should not be taken as a strict rule when learning
English pronunciation, however, as there are many exceptions. In addition, many spelling patterns of English
pronunciation have the possibility of two or more pronunciations using that single spelling. For example, the
letters 'e-a' have a different pronunciation in the words team (long e /ē/) and dead (short e /ɛ/). It is helpful to
learn the common spellings for each vowel sound along with knowing all the possible pronunciations for each
spelling.

The English language also has many words that are not pronounced the way their spelling suggests. These are
called non-phonetic words and must be memorized individually.

Vowel Sounds and Syllable Stress

Vowel sounds and syllables are closely related. Syllables are naturally occurring units of sound that create the
rhythm of spoken English. Words with multiple syllables always have one syllable that is stressed (given extra
emphasis).

Unstressed syllables may contain schwa /ə/, and can have almost any spelling.

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Introduction to Short Vowels

What makes a sound a short vowel?

The term short vowel is used to refer to the sounds that most often correspond to the letters 'a,' 'e,' 'i,' 'o,' and
'u' when the vowel occurs individually between consonants (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant, or CVC pattern). It is
important to note that the term short is also referred to the length of time the vowel sound is pronounced.

When learning the common spellings of vowel sounds, note that long vowels--not short vowels--often have a
silent 'e' at the end of a word (see the long vowel VCe pattern).

Listen to the following sounds and words to become familiar with pronouncing these challenging sounds.

short -a /æ/: cat /kæt/ short e /ɛ/: bed /bɛd/ short i /ɪ/: sit /sɪt/

short o /ɔ/: top /tɔp/ short u /ʌ/: sun /sʌn/

The Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) Pattern

All the short vowel key words use the Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) pattern. The CVC pattern states that
when a single vowel is between two consonants, the vowel is pronounced as a short vowel sound (if the letter
'e' follows the second consonant, the vowel will be pronounced as a long vowel sound due to the Vowel-
Consonant-e pattern).

Additionally, when a vowel is pronounced with a short vowel sound, it may be followed by two consonants. Both
consonants are not necessary for short vowel identification purposes but do often offer an additional clue that
the particular sound in that instance is a short vowel sound.

The CVC pattern still applies when a word begins with a vowel sound and is followed by one or more
consonants.

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Consonant-vowel-consonant spelling examples

short a /æ/: back /bæk/, at /æt/ short e /ɛ/: bend /bɛnd/, end /ɛnd/

short i /ɪ/: sick /sɪk/, it /ɪt/ short o /ɔ/: lock /lɔk/, opt /ɔpt/

short u /ʌ/: such /sʌʧ/, us /ʌs/

Another patter for the short vowels is Consonant-Vowel- Double Consonant (CVDC)

Examples

short a /æ/: pattern /´pæ-dɚn/ short e /ɛ/: better /´bɛ-dɚ/

short i /ɪ/: written /´rɪ-tən/ short o /ɔ/: bottom /´bɔ-dəm/

short u /ʌ/: butter /´bʌ-dɚ/

It must be remembered when applying spelling patterns to English pronunciation there is the possibility that two
or more pronunciations may have the same spelling. For instance, when the letter 'o' is between two
consonants there are three potential pronunciations: 'short o' (top), 'long o' (most), and 'ɔ sound' (dog).
Consulting a dictionary is the only way to be certain of the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word.

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Introduction to Long Vowels

What is a long vowel sound?

Long vowel is the term used to refer to vowel sounds whose pronunciation is the same as its letter in the
alphabet. Is is also referred to the length of the sound. The five vowels of the English spelling system ('a', 'e,' 'i,'
'o,' and 'u,') each have a corresponding long vowel sound /ā/, /ē/, /ī/, /ō/, /ū/. Long vowels are generally the
easiest vowels for non-native English speakers to distinguish and pronounce correctly.

It is easier to hear vowel sounds within words than it is to hear the sound alone. Listen to the following words to
help learn to hear individual sounds.

long -a /ā/: cake /kāk/ long -e /ē/: keep /kēp/ long -i /ī/: bike /bīk/

long -o /ō/: home /hōm/ long -u /ū/: tune /tūn/

Introduction to Two-Sound Vowels

A two-sound vowel is a vowel sound that includes either a Spanish /e/ or a Spanish /o/ in the pronunciation.
Often, the /e/ or /o/ is only a minor part of the sound but, must be included for the sound to be pronounced
fully.

There is just one Long Vowel that includes a combination of an extreme short vowel and a long vowel, /ī/: /ɔ/ + /
ē/. Two-sound vowels are known linguistically as diphthongs.

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In American English, three of the five long vowel sounds are pronounced as two-sound vowels.

Long -a /ā/: sp /e/ + /ē/ Long -i /ī/: /ɔ/ + / ē/ Long -o /ō/: sp /o/ + /ū/

Note that the -u /ū/ is the only long vowel sound that is not pronounced as the letter of the alphabet:

e.g.: tune /ū/

The Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) pattern (Silent -e Rule)

A spelling pattern that is true for all long vowel sounds is the Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) pattern. The VCe pattern
states that when a single vowel is followed by a single consonant, then the letter 'e', the first vowel is
pronounced as a long vowel sound and the letter 'e' is silent.

Vowel-consonant-e spelling examples

long a /ā/: late /lāt/ long e /ē/: delete /də-´lēt/

long i /ī/: kite /kīt/ long o /ō/: note /nōt/

long u /ū/: tune /tūn/

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Introduction to Other Vowel Sounds

There are four 'other' vowel sound categories that do not fit into the category of long vowels or short vowels.

1. In Between Vowel Sound

2. Diphthongs.
3. Schwa.
4. Colored Schwa

1. In Between Vowel Sound

As covered previously, Short Vowel Sounds are produced with short duration (length) & Long Vowel Sounds are
produced with long duration (length).

The In Between Vowel Sound is nor short nor long, ergo the name of its category.

Listen to the following sounds and words to become familiar with pronouncing these challenging sounds

In Between u /ʊ/: put /pʊt/

2. Diphthongs

By definition, a diphthong is when we have two vowel sounds in one syllable. These are all extreme and, even
though they are always long in duration as the Long Vowel Sounds, the main difference is that these need 2
vowel letters for its production. There are 3 possible combinations:

Diphthong oi/oy /oɪ/: choice /t∫oɪs/, boy /boɪ/

Diphthong ou/ow /aʊ/: shout /∫aʊt/, brown /braʊn/

Diphthong u /yu/: cute /kyut/

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Note that /yu/ is essentially the /y/ plus the 'oo sound' /ū/ and is the only vowel sound that will be preceded by
the article a rather than an. Thinking of /yu/ to be a two-sound vowel helps to distinguish it from /ū/ for
learning purposes.

e.g.: a University /yu/ vs an umbrella /^/

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 3. Introduction to the Schwa Sound /ə/

The reduced vowel sound called schwa is the most common vowel sound in spoken English. Schwa is a quick,
relaxed, neutral vowel pronunciation very close to a 'short u' /ʌ/. The purpose of schwa is to allow unstressed
syllables to be said more quickly so the main beats of spoken words are easier to place on the stressed syllables.

Schwa does not have an exact and standard pronunciation. Due to the near-identical pronunciation of schwa
and short u, many dictionaries merge the transcription of the two sounds and strictly use /ə/. Separate symbols
are retained here to indicate whether a vowel sound falls on a stressed or unstressed syllable.

Schwa occurs in two different circumstances:

1. In an unstressed syllable of a multi-syllable word

2. As a reduced vowel sound in a function word

Schwa in an unstressed syllable

In words with more than one syllable, not every syllable is given equal emphasis when spoken. Three levels of
syllable stress are possible:

1. Stressed /⬤/
2. Secondarily stressed /●/
3. Unstressed /•/

Every multi-syllable word has a single stressed syllable. The single stressed syllable of the word has the most
emphasis. The remainder of the syllables may have a secondary stress or may be unstressed.

The word emphasize has all the levels of stress. The first syllable is stressed, the second syllable is an unstressed
syllable pronounced as schwa, and the third syllable has a secondary stress.

em•pha•size
/⬤ • ● /

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The spellings of Schwa

Many multi-syllable words do not seem to be pronounced as they are spelled. This is because schwa is a function
of syllable stress and not of spelling. Once learners can recognize stressed syllables, it becomes easier to predict
when schwa will be used in an adjacent, unstressed vowel, regardless of the spelling. The examples below show
schwa as it is exhibited when spelled with each vowel. The syllable containing schwa is bolded.

'a' spelling:

again: /ə-'gɛn/, vitamin: /'vī-t̬ə-mɪn/

'e' spelling

petition: /pə ˈtɪʃ ən/, celebrate: /ˈsɛl ə breɪt/

'i' spelling

president: /ˈprɛz ə dɛnt/, experiment: /ɪk 'spɛr ə mənt/

'o' spelling

occur: /ə 'kɚ/, condition: /kən ˈdɪʃ ən/

'u' spelling

campus: /ˈkæm pəs/, support: /sə ˈpɔrt/

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Schwa in Function Words

Proper use of schwa helps speakers adopt and maintain English sentence stress patterns. Certain grammatical
words called function words can have two different pronunciations in spoken English: a citation form and
a reduced form.

The citation form of a word is the pronunciation shown first in a dictionary transcription. It is the pronunciation
used when the word is spoken alone or out of context. Citation form pronunciation is actually less common than
the reduced pronunciation of function words.

If a dictionary transcribes reduced forms of words, it is usually noted as a secondary transcription. If this
transcription shows the vowel sound of function words reduced to schwa, the vowel sound of the word is said
quicker and with a more neutral vowel sound than the citation pronunciation. Function words are typically only
reduced when the word is used within a sentence, and not if the word is being spoken in isolation. The purpose
of reduced pronunciations is to help function words fall into the background of speech, while content words
gain emphasis.

1. can (citation form): /kæn/, (reduced form): /kən/

2. do (citation form): /dū/, (reduced form): /də/

3. to (citation form): /tū/, (reduced form): /tə/

4. you (citation form): /yu/, (reduced form): /yə/

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4. Introduction to the Schwa R Sound /ɚ/

The Schwa+r /ɚ/ pronunciation is unique in that it includes no vowel sound (it sounds identical to an 'r
sound' /r/ when spoken in isolation); however, it retains the vowel-like quality of being syllabic, forcing a
syllable to occur. The three-remaining r-controlled vowels are combinations of a vowel sound plus the 'r
sound' /r/.

This sound is a very common sound in spoken American English!

The letter combinations ar, er, ir or & ur often have the /ɚ/ sound. Here are some common words that end
with this sound.

• doctor
• future
• water
• computer
• dollar
• honor
• bird

Although the /ɚ/ sound creates a syllable at the end of many words, this syllable does not have a clear vowel
sound.

Many people feel that when a vowel is followed by the letter R, the vowel sound isn’t really heard at all!

Remember, there is only one vowel in each word that has MAJOR STRESS or EMPHASIS. Other vowel sounds, like
the /ɚ/ are often reduced.

This STRESS reduce STRESS reduce STRESS reduce pattern contributes to the melody of American spoken
English.

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 CHAPTER 5
CONSONANT SOUNDS

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 Introduction to Fricatives

What are Fricatives?

A fricative is a consonant sound that is created by constricting the vocal tract, causing friction as the air passes
through it. The nine English fricative sounds:

These often do not correlate exactly with any particular sound in an English as a Second Language as a Foreign
Language student's native language. This causes substitutions to occur, and those substitutions often have
significant differences from the intended English sound.

There are three major points that beginner ESL/ELL students should understand about fricative sounds:

1. To produce fricatives, air travels smoothly through a small, constricted opening in the vocal tract. The friction of
the air causes the sound.

2. Fricatives are capable of being formed continuously, with no complete blockage of the vocal tract (unlike
plosives and affricates).

3. Except for /h/, fricatives occur in voiced/voiceless pairs, AKA Counterparts.

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 There is one subtle, additional aspect of fricative sounds:

1. The duration of a vowel sound before a voiced fricative is greater than the duration of a vowel sound before a
voiceless fricative.

Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

Of the nine fricative sounds in English, four are voiced (meaning that the vocal cords vibrate while producing the
sound) and five are voiceless (meaning that the vocal cords do not vibrate while producing the sound). Voiced
and voiceless sounds usually occur in pairs (counterparts), with the major difference between the sounds in the
pair being the use of the vocal cords or not.

Vowel Lengthening

The vowel sound before voiced consonant sounds has a longer duration than the vowel sound before its
voiceless counterpart. This change in vowel duration subtly helps listeners of English to determine which
fricative sound was spoken.

Notice the difference in vowel duration in the following minimal pairs:

face /feɪs/ — phase /feɪːz/

bus /bʌs/ — buzz /bʌːz/

safe /seɪf/ — save /seɪːv/

NOTE: Since vowel duration is also influenced by word stress within a sentence, vowel duration due to
voicing/unvoicing can be difficult to notice during a conversation.

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TH Voiced & Voiceless Pronunciation Rules

For Voiced & Voiceless TH a common question I hear is: how do I know if a ‘th’ should be voiced or voiceless? In
this lesson I will go through the rules to help clarify this concept for you.

Voiceless TH /θ/

1. Beginning: Voiceless /TH/ sounds happens at the beginning of content words. In other words, if a ‘th’ is at the
beginning of a content word, then you pronounce the ‘th’ as a voiceless /TH/ sound. a. noun, verb, adjective,
and adverbs. For example: think, thank, thought, thick, thumbs.

2. Middle: If the ‘th’ comes before a consonant then the ‘th’ is voiceless. For example: bathtub, truthful,
toothpick.

3. End: If the ‘th’ is at the very end of a word then it is always voiceless. This rule applies to all words except the
word “with”. You will hear native English speakers pronounce “with” with both a voiced and a voiceless /TH/
sound. It’s just a matter of preference.

Voiced TH /ð/

1. Beginning: Voiced /TH/ sounds happens at the beginning of function words. Function words are words that
don’t mean any specific thing or action. For example: this, that, these, those, then, than, they, them, their,
there, therefore, etc.

2. Middle: If the ‘th’ is between 2 vowels then the ‘th’ is pronounced voiced. This specifically applies when there
is a TH + /er/ sound, or /er/ + TH. For example: mother, and worthy. Notice that the /er/ sound is a vocalic R. a.
Another example includes when the word is a verb + ‘e’. For example: bathe and loathe. Another example is
with ‘th’ + ‘ing’. For example: tithing, bathing.

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3. End: If the ‘th’ is at the end of a word then it is not voiced, it is voiceless (refer to rule #3 from the voiceless
rules). The only time it is pronounced voiced is with the word “with”—which some native English speakers
pronounce voiceless. Below I have provided common exceptions.

Common Voiced & Voiceless /TH/ Exceptions

rhythm smoothly brethren Athens

author Ethan method nothing

something southeast without authorize

ethical everything triathlon sympathy

Catholic hypothesis authenticity mathematics

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 Introduction to Plosives

The six English Plosive sounds:

The two major points that beginner ESL/ELL students should understand about plosives sounds are:

1. At the beginning of the sound, the tongue or lips briefly block the air from leaving the vocal tract. The release of
the air from this 'stopped' position is called post aspiration.
2. Plosive sounds occur in voiced/voiceless pairs (counterparts).

The subtle aspects of Plosive Sounds to be aware and attempt mastery of include:

1. Post Aspiration (the puff of air as the plosive is released) is greater for voiceless plosives than for voiced plosives.
2. The aspiration of plosives is the greatest at the beginning of words and the beginning of stressed syllables
3. The duration of a vowel sound before a voiced plosive is greater than the duration of a vowel sound before a
voiceless plosive.

Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

Of the six plosive sounds in English, three are voiced (meaning that the vocal cords vibrate while producing the
sound) and three are voiceless (meaning that the vocal cords do not vibrate while producing sound). Voiced and

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voiceless sounds often occur in pairs of sounds with similar vocal tract shape, with the major difference between
the pairs being the use of the vocal cords or not.

Post Aspiration

While the question of the involvement of the vocal cords is the greater difference between voiced and voiceless
sounds, the amount of aspiration plays a secondary role in articulating each sound. In general, the aspiration is
greater in voiceless sounds than voiced sounds. This characteristic is complicated by the fact that, additionally,
the post aspiration is greater at the beginning of words and the beginning of stressed syllables than in other
locations within words.

Compare the post aspiration of the following plosive sounds at the beginning of words. There is more of a puff
of air during the post aspiration of voiceless plosives.

pig/big

cold/gold

time/dime

Vowel Lengthening

The vowel sound before voiced consonant sounds has a longer duration than the vowel sound before
voiceless counterparts. Since a plosive sound at the end of a word has little aspiration, the change in
vowel duration subtly helps listeners of English determine which plosive sound was spoken. Some
dictionaries will use a colon-like symbol of stacked triangles /ː/ to note a vowel with increased
duration.

Notice the difference in vowel duration in the following minimal pairs. The word with the voiceless
consonant is first.

rope /rōp/ -- robe /rōːb/

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hit /hɪt/ -- hid /hɪːd/

buck /bʌk/ -- bug /bʌːg/

NOTE: Since vowel duration is also influenced by word stress within a sentence, vowel duration due to
voicing/unvoicing can be difficult to notice during a conversation.

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Introduction to Affricates

What are Affricates?

The English Affricates, the 'ch sound' /ʧ/ and 'j sound' /ʤ/ are two-part consonant sounds. They begin by fully
stopping the air from leaving the vocal tract (similar to a plosive sound), then releasing it through a constricted
opening. (similar to a fricative sound). In simpler terms, an Affricate is a combination of a Plosive plus a
Fricative.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols nicely show that /ʧ/ begins similar to a /t/ and is released
similar to an 'sh sound' /ʃ/. The corresponding /ʤ/ begins similar to a /d/ and is released similar to a 'zh
sound' /ʒ/.

Listen to and practice the /ʧ/ and /ʤ/.

ch sound /ʧ/: check /ʧɛk/

j sound /ʤ/: jump /ʤʌmp/

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Vowel Lengthening

The vowel sound before an voiceless consonant sound has a shorter duration than the vowel sound before its
voiced counterpart. This tiny change in vowel duration helps listeners of English determine which sound was
spoken. Some specialized dictionaries will use a colon-like symbol of stacked triangles /ː/ to note a vowel with
increased duration.

Notice the difference in vowel duration in the following minimal pairs. The word with the voiceless
consonant is first.

etch /ɛʧ/ — edge /ɛːʤ/

rich/rɪʧ/ — ridge/rɪːʤ/

NOTE: Since vowel duration is also influenced by word stress within a sentence, vowel duration due to
voicing/unvoicing can be difficult to notice during a conversation.

Introdution to

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 Introduction to Nasals

What are nasal sounds?

There are three nasal sounds in American English pronunciation: the 'm sound' /m/, 'n sound' /n/, and 'ng
sound' /ŋ/.

The two major points that beginner ESL/ELL students should understand about nasal sounds are:

1. The air is completely blocked from leaving the mouth and is instead released out through the nose.
2. All three nasal sounds are voiced, meaning that the vocal cords vibrate during the creation of the sound.
3. They are produced by the Velum (soft palate).

sudden /'sʌ-dən/

burden /'bɚ-dən/

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Introduction to Semi Vowels

What are Semi Vowels?

There are two semi vowel sounds in American English pronunciation: the 'w sound' /w/, and the 'y sound' /y/.

The /w/ sound (letter "w") and /y/ sound (letter "y") are the only two semi-vowels (also commonly called
glides) in English. These sounds can be created with slightly greater restriction in the vocal tract than vowels, but
less restriction than most other consonants.

The /w/ sound and /y/ sound are known as "semi-vowels" for many good reasons. Because the letters "w" and
"y" can be used to spell vowel sounds and because the /w/ sound and /y/ sound are each a portion of two-
sound vowels, they are sometimes thought of as vowel sounds. However, the /w/ sound and /y/ sound are not
vowel sounds because they cannot be syllabic (they cannot create a syllable). For example, if the /w/ sound and
/y/ sound could create a syllable, the words when, we, you, and year (among many others) would be
pronounced with two syllables.

Additional confusion is created because both the /w/ sound and /y/ sound can combine with vowels to create
two-sound vowels. These cases are separate from the use of "w" and "y" as representatives of distinct vowel
sounds, however.

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 1. /w/: lips are made into a small circle; the back of the tongue is lifted.

2. /y/: the tongue blade is pressed very close to the back of the tooth ridge.

Vowel Sounds spelled with "w" and "y"

Generally speaking, the letters "w" and "y" will represent a /w/ sound or /y/ sound when they are:

1. At the beginning of a word (will, you)

2. The first letter of part of a compound word (homework, backyard)
3. The first letter after a prefix (rewind, beyond)

Additionally, the letter "w" usually represents a consonant sound when it follows another consonant, such as in
the word sweet.

In other positions within a word, the letters "w" and "y" are usually associated with the spelling of a vowel
sound. When the letters "w" and "y" are used in vowel spellings, they are representing the vowel sound, and not
a /w/ sound or /y/ sound.

Vowel sounds spelled with a "w":

aw /ɔ/ saw
ew /yu/ new
ew /yu/ few
ow /ō/ snow
ow /aʊ/ cow

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Vowel sounds spelled with a "y":

y /ē/ happy
y /ī/ by
y /ɪ/ mystic
oy /oɪ/ toy
ay /ā/ day

Review of two-sound vowels

A two-sound vowel is a vowel sound that includes a /w/ sound or a /y/ sound in the pronunciation. Often, the
/w/ sound or /y/ sound is only a minor part of the sound but must be included for the sound to be pronounced
fully. Two-sound vowels are known linguistically as diphthongs.

In long vowels:
a=/ā/, i=/ī/, o=/ō/, u=/yu/, ow=/ō/ sound, and oy=/oɪ/ sound are two-sound vowels.

39
Introduction to Lateral/Liquid Sounds

What are Laterals/Liquids?

They are called Liquids due to the Velum that becomes an essential speech organ during the production of these
two sounds and they are called Laterals since the air flows through the sides of the tongue.

The two English lateral/liquid sounds—/l/and /r/ are created by constricting the vocal tract slightly, but not so
much that the air becomes turbulent as it passes through the sides of the tongue.

1. l sound /l/: the tip of the tongue is pressed against the middle of the tooth ridge and air is allowed to
pass freely along the sides of the tongue.

2. r sound /r/: the back of the tongue is bunched high, so the sides of the tongue touch the back-side teeth
rolling the tongue.

Listen to and practice the /l/ and /r/.

l sound /l/: Larry /´læ-rē/, jail /dʒæl/

r sound /r/: rory /´rɔ-rē/, drive /drīv/

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 CHAPTER 6
WORD ENDINGS

41
 Introduction to the 3rd Person Singular, Plural Possessive Rule

Using the -s, -es, 's ending

There are four purposes for adding -s, -es, or 's to a word:

1. To create a plural noun (cats)

2. To conjugate a verb (snows)
3. To show possession (coach's, coaches')
4. To create a contraction (coach's meaning coach is, or coach has)

Note that 's can signal noun possession and the contracted form of the words is and has in spoken English.
Sentence context must be used to discern whether coach's means that the coach owns something or that it is a
contraction of coach is or coach has. The pronunciation is the same whether the apostrophe is signaling a single
owner (coach's) or many owners (coaches').

To simplify this pronunciation lesson, only the apostrophe s ('s) spelling is being used.

Pronunciation of -s, -es, 's Endings

No matter the purpose or spelling of the -s, -es, 's ending, the pronunciation guidelines are the same. In English,
the -s, -es, 's ending has three possible pronunciations:

• /s/ 's sound': hats /hæts/

• /z/ 'z sound': loves /lʌvz/
• /əz/ 'short i'+'z sound': misses /'mɪ-səz/

1. -s, -es, 's ending pronounced as /əz/

Pronounce the -s, -es, 's ending as as /əz/ when the final sound before the addition of the -s, -es, 's ending is any
of the following:

42
/s/ 's sound': misses
/z/ 'z sound': causes
/ʧ/ 'ch sound': watches
/ʤ/ 'j sound': changes
/ʃ/ 'sh sound': wishes
/ʒ/ 'zh sound': garages

2. -s, -es, 's ending pronounced as /s/

When the final sound of the word is an unvoiced sound (except the sounds listed for pattern #1), the -s, -es, 's
ending is pronounced as /s/. An unvoiced sound does not use the vocal cords during its production. Besides the
sounds listed for #1, English has only five other unvoiced sounds that occur at the end of a word:

/p/ 'p sound': stops

/k/ 'k sound': looks
/t/ 't sound': cats
/θ/ 'voiceless th': Earth's
/f/ 'f sound': laughs

3: -s, -es, 's ending pronounced as /z/

When the final sound of the word is a voiced sound (except the sounds listed for pattern #1), the -s, -es, 's
ending is pronounced as /z/. A voiced sound uses the vocal cords during its production. Since all vowel sounds
are voiced, there are far more voiced sounds in English than unvoiced sounds. Besides the sounds listed for
pattern #1, English has 10 other voiced consonant sounds that occur at the end of a word:

/b/ 'b sound': describes

/g/ 'g sound': begs
/d/ 'd sound': words
/ð/ 'voiced th': bathes
/v/ 'v sound': loves
/l/ 'l sound': calls

43
/r/ 'r sound': cures
/m/ 'm sound': dreams
/n/ 'n sound/: rains
/ŋ/ 'ng sound': belongs

In Summary:

1. -s pronounced as a /z/- runs, John's, hands: if the previous sound is voiced, the final -s will be voiced.
Voiced + Voiced= Voiced /z/

2. -s pronounced as an /s/- jumps, Kate’s, caps: if the previous sound is voiceless, the final -s will be
voiceless. Voiceless + Voiceless= Voiceless

3. -s pronounced as /əz/- churches, judges, wishes, freezes, classes: if the word ends in either /s/, /z/,
/dz/, /∫/(sh), /t∫/(ch), the final sound will be /əz/, meaning that I will have to pronounce the e and
add an additional syllable to the original word without the -s.

Example -s, -es, 's use in context

The -s, 's, and s' in the word dogs is pronounced identically in all four sentences below. The context of the
sentence is necessary to comprehend the meaning of the -s, 's, and s'.

1. The dogs were barking all night long. (plural)

2. The dogs' collars should be replaced. (plural possessive)

3. The dog's sleeping in the bed again. (dog is)

4. The dog's been good and deserves a treat. (dog has)

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Regular Past Tense Rule

How to pronounce -ed at the end?

The past simple tense and past participle of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:

work, worked

In addition, many adjectives are made from the past participle and so end in -ed. For example:

I like painted furniture.

The question is, how do we pronounce the -ed? The answer is, in 3 ways:

• /əd/
• /t/
• /d/

If the base verb ends in one of example base example pronounce the - extra
these sounds verb* with -ed ed as syllable?

/t/ want wanted /əd/ Yes

/d/ end Ended

voiceless /p/ hope Hoped /t/ No

/f/ laugh Laughed

/s/ Fax Faxed

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 If the base verb ends in one of example base example pronounce the - extra
these sounds verb* with -ed ed as syllable?

/ʃ/ wash Washed

/ʧ/ watch Watched

/k/ Like Liked

voiced all other sounds, Play played /d/

e.g.

allow allowed

Beg begged

*Note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, fax ends in the letter x but
the last sound is /s/; like ends in the letter e but the last sound is /k/.

Exceptions

The following -ed words used as adjectives are pronounced with /əd/:

• aged
• dogged
• ragged
• blessed
• learned
• wicked
• crooked
• naked

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 • wretched

So, we say:

• an aged man /əd/

• a blessed nuisance /əd/
• a dogged persistence /əd/
• a learned professor - the professor, who was truly learned /əd/
• a wretched beggar - the beggar was wretched /əd/

But when used as real verbs (past simple and past participle), the normal rules apply, and we say:

• he aged quickly /d/

• he blessed me /t/
• they dogged him /d/
• he has learned well /d/

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How to pronounce the -t in the middle of the words?

T Rule Rule Notes on Rule Examples

The regular T sound is almost always used when ST or TS always keep the regular table, tall, test, best all first
T=T "t" is the first letter of a word. T sound as well. letter T's
When T is between two vowel sounds (A, E, I, O, It should be a soft, light Practice with: computer,
U) or between a vowel and L or R (these letters sound. This is the key difference water, bottle, heater, better,
T=D are called semi-vowels to linguists), it becomes a between British and American matter, ability, university, put
D sound. In phonetics, this sound is called a speech. This rule is widely it on, great idea.
Between
"flap," which means the tongue touches the roof of applicable, you may find a few Say: compuder, wader, bodul,
Vowel the mouth quickly. exceptions, but you will be more header, beder, mader, abilidy,
Sounds surprised by how well the rule universidy, pudidon,
works. gread'idea

When T comes after N, the T sound is dropped in It is also good to remember not Practice with: interview,
many words. to pronounce a strong T at the interstate, international,
This rule is not as important, as it's informal. middle or end of a word. wanted, don't know, printer,
It is mostly used when people speak quickly, but When not at the beginning or enter, twenty.
T = Silence it's good to be able to listen for this change. stressed, a T should be fast and Say: inerview, inerstate,
When after N soft or barely heard at all. inernational, wanned,
don'know, priner, ener,
tweny.

When T is before an N, the sound is stopped and It may be best to listen for it for a Practice with: mountain,
turns into a hard N. while and then start trying to use fountain, curtain, written,
T = Hard N The final N should be strong. This sound is more it. forgotten, important,
When before difficult. C sentence.
N It’s as if I am pronouncing a /ən/. Say: mou-N, fou-N, cur-N,
wri-N, forgo-N, impor-Nt,
sen-Nce
When T is at the end of a word (and this is not This one too can be difficult to hot, hat, mat, fat, lot, rat, pat,
followed by a vowel), the sound stops. master, so listen for it first, foot, want, sit, sat, fit, bat, pot
T = Plosive To say this correctly, emphasize the preceding especially when people say, "It's
Sound vowel, put your tongue into place and simply stop hot!" or "That's that."
the sound.

48
 CHAPTER 7
AMERICAN CLUSTERS

49
American Clusters

Consonant Clusters

Two or more consonant sounds together are called "consonant clusters". Many languages do not have any
words with consonant clusters. Therefore, when native speakers of these languages speak English, they tend to
skip one or more of the consonants. Make sure you pronounce every consonant sound! Pay special attention to
words spelled with the letter x since it represents a blend of two consonant clusters; for
example: watched, stopped, picked.

Common words with consonant clusters:

instantly /ˈɪn-stənt-lē/
hopefully /ˈhōp-fə-lē/
apartment /əˈpɔrt-mənt/
worked /ˈwɚkt/
textbook /ˈtɛkst-bʊk/
extra /ˈɛks-trə/
vodka /ˈvɔd-kə/
strength /ˈstrɛŋθ/
recognize /ˈrɛ-kəg-nīz/

Different Sounds for x

1. If the vowel following an x is stressed, the x is pronounced as /gz/, as in examine /ɛg-ˈzæ-mən/ and exist ɪg-
ˈzɪst/.

2. If an x is followed by a consonant, or if it's at the end of a word, it is pronounced as /ks/, as in expert /ˈɛk-
spɚt/ and tax /tæks/,

Also, note that a double c often produces an x or /ks/ sound, as in the word accent /ˈæk-sɛnt/.

Word Contrast when an x is pronounced as /ks/:

/s/ /ks/ /s/ /ks/

Nest Next aspect expert

Test Text contest context

Session section mass Max

50
Words ending with ts

Make sure you pronounce both the /t/ and the /s/ sounds in the following words. The /t/ will need to be
pronounced softly in order to ensure a smooth transition to the /s/.

1. it's 3. states 5. what's

2. that's 4. lasts 6. doubts

Word contrasts:

/s/ or /z/ /ts/ /s/ or /z/ /ts/

1. is its 5. was what's

2. stays states 6. pains paints

3. less lets 7. knees needs

4. fax facts 8. lies lights

Pronouncing the ds Cluster

Make sure you pronounce both the /d/ and /z/ sounds in the following words. The s is pronounced like a /z/
sound because it's followed by /d/, which is a voiced consonant. The /d/ will need to be pronounced softly in
order to ensure a smooth transition to the /z/.

1. needs 3. sends 5. kids

2. decades 4. friends 6. sounds

Word contrast:

/z/ /dz/ /z/ /dz/

1. fines Finds 4. rise Rides

2. cars cards 5. lens Lends

3. fees feeds 6. bills Builds

51
To finish, I’d like to thank you for your continuous participation and dedication with the sole objective to absorb
the different concepts provided in this book and your constant attention to the theory I tried to guide you
through during this first module. As I always say, if we compare Spanish and English, English is grammatically
easy whereas, Spanish is complex and more complete. On the other hand, Spanish is phonetically simple, since it
is written phonetically whereas English is not and has a lot of exceptions that makes it even more challenging.
After this intensive course, I would have hoped to accomplish several goals:

1. Was clear, at the beginning, when expectations were set up and know what goals we wanted to
accomplish as a Team.

2. Having been clear on my explications by making Phonetics enjoyable and pleasant instead of
complicated and boring.

3. Having successfully accomplished sharing different ways to practice each sound, understanding the
correct manner of producing them with the correct mouth shaping (vowels) and the correct place of
articulation for each speech organ (consonants).

4. Overcame any denial and obstacles you may have had in the past when trying to understand and
improve Phonetics and how to work with it to your advantage.

5. Made each and every rule and exception clear to assist on any doubt you may have had in the past.

6. Ensure to have provided different ways to practice what was given during this intensive Accent
Training Course and showed how it’s done.

7. Made clear the importance of improving and dominating Pronunciation and the benefits when
approaching different scenarios.

8. Finally, ensure you can use this either in an everyday situation, in your business environment or both.

It was a great pleasure working with you and hope to receive feedback on my teaching methodology, material
and rapport building!

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