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  • Factors That Prevent You Acquire a New Accent

    There are two opposing views on pronunciation

    • The purpose of learning pronunciation is to eradicate all traces of a foreign accent through pronunciation course.
    • learning pronunciation is futile after a certain age due to decreasing ability among learners to develop native like pronunciation in a second language.
    Let us see if either of these views are correct but let us first consider the factors affecting acquisition of the sound system of a second language.

    • Biological factor
      • Some believe that adult learners of a particular language tend to have a foreign accent and child learners tend to attain a native-like pronunciation. This is because of the "critical period hypothesis that states, languages are learned differently by children and adult and that this is a direct result of the maturation of the brain.
    Some adult learners do have difficulty in acquiring native like pronunciation in a second language but some adult learner do achieve native-like pronunciation and among other adult learners, the degree of pronunciation accuracy varies considerably from individual to individual.

    • Socio-cultural
      • Researchers conclude that it is socio- cultural that largely determine the success or or lack of success in acquiring a native- like pronunciation. The more the second language learners identify themselves with that of the second language, and the member of it , the more likely they are to sound like members of that culture.
      • Students may wish to improve their pronunciation in order to make themselves more comprehensible but at the same time may not interested in sounding like native- speakers of the English. This very fact about some second language learners is the reason why a foreign accent exist.
    • Personality factors
      • out going,confident, and willing to take risk person probably have more opportunities to practice their pronunciation. Simply because they are more often involve in interactions with native speakers , on the other hand, learners who are introverted, inhibited and unwilling to take risk lack opportunities to practice.
    • The role of the native language
      • foreign accent is determined buy the learner's native language. this is an indication that sounds pattern of native language are being transfered into the second language.
      • Adult learners may be unable to produce new sounds because they have never exercise their mouth in the particular way required to pronounce certain English sounds.
      • Difficulties arise because the rules for combing sounds into words are different in the learners native language
    neither of those views are incorrect. It is possible to acquire a new accent if you are serious about it and if you take action in improving your pronunciation. The pronunciation is simply the way you use the sound pattern of a particular language and it is impossible not to learn pronunciation at the same time that you learn the grammar. When learning a new language, keep in mind that the sound pattern of that language is different from your native language that's why you create a foreign accent. What to do is to familiarize your self in the sound production of that particular language.

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American Accent Video Training

· Session 15 Reading Passages - 15a -15b

Pronunciation Lessons : Coming Soon!

1 Pronouncing /a/, /ae/, and uh Part 1
2 Pronouncing /a/, /ae/, and uh Part 2
3 Pronouncing /iy/, /i/, /uw/, /u/, and /e/ Part 1
4 Pronouncing /iy/, /i/, /uw/, /u/, and /e/ Part 2
5 Long Vowels, Short Vowels and Spelling
6 Pronouncing Glides + Vowel Review
7 The Schwa
8 The American R
9 The American L
10 The B, P, V, and F
11 The D, T and -ed
12 The S, Z and TH
13 The SH, ZH, CH and J
14 The K, G, M, N, NG
15 The H, W, and Y
16 Pronunciation Review

Accent Lessons Coming Soon!

1 Introduction to Word Intonation
2 Intonation in Words Part 1
3 Intonation in Words Part 2
4 Intonation in Words Part 3
5 Intonation in Words Part 4
6 Unusual Word Stress Patterns
7 Linking Words Together
8 Compound Nouns and Descriptive Phrases
9 Phrasal Verbs, Spelling, and Numbers
10 Content Words and Structure Words
11 Pronouncing Structure Words Part 1
12 Pronouncing Structure Words Part 2
13 Rhythm and Timing
14 Speeding up Modals
15 More on Modals
16 Asking Questions
17 Tag Questions
18 Emphatic and Contrastive Stress
19 Sequencing and Conversational Tone
20 Compound and Complex Sentences

THE AMERICAN ACCENT AUDIO COURSE Coming Soon!

If you already feel confident about your pronunciation but would like to know more about ACCENT (intonation, rhythm, timing, and mood) then our 16 hour AUDIO course is for you.

Unit One Introduction to the American Accent
1 What is Accent?
2 An Overview of the American Accent

Unit Two Breaking English into Pieces
3 Meet the Schwa
4 The American T

Unit Three Word Intonation Patterns
5 Intonation Patterns of 1 & 2 Syllable Words
6 Intonation Patterns of 3 & 4 Syllable Words
Unit Four Unusual Word Intonation
7 Words that Shift Stress
8 Missing Syllables

Unit Five Descriptive Phrases and Compound Nouns
9 Compound Nouns vs. Descriptive Phrases
10 Phrasal Verbs and More

Unit Six Linking Words Together
11 Linking Words

Unit Seven Content and Structure Words
12 Content Words
13 Structure Words

Unit Eight Rhythm and Timing
14 Rhythm and Timing
15 Reducing Modals
16 Phrasing

Unit Nine Sentence Stress
17 Normal Sentence Stress
18 Emphatic and Contrastive Stress

Unit Ten Asking Questions
19 Asking Questions
20 Tag Questions

Unit Eleven Compound and Complex Sentences
21 Sequencing
22 Complex Sentences

Unit Twelve Clear Speech
23 Emotion and Mood
24 Putting it All Together