Shadowing Practice: HOW TO SPEAK WITH A STANDARD AMERICAN ACCENT πΊπΈ - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Let's talk about the American accent.
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Let's talk about the American accent.
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But in this lesson, we're going to talk about the standard American accent.
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And I really just want to break it down and talk about what are some of the different parts that make the accent what it is today.
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Now, the first thing I want to say is that if you are an English learner, you should not feel like you have to speak with any sort of accent.
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The most important thing is mutual intelligibility, that we understand each other.
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That being said,
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I do think this will help with your listening comprehension if you're watching a movie or TV show and really just get a
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better understanding of why people speak the way they do and of course we are going to practice throughout the lesson
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and if you enjoy practicing your English skills please subscribe turn on notifications that way I can become your teacher my name is Wes the channel is interactive English it's all about trying to help you reach your fluency goals.
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And if you would like to practice your speaking fluency, check out my speaking course.
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Click on the link down in the description if you're interested in improving your pronunciation, practicing connected speech, as well as building your vocabulary.
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I will come back to that at the end of the lesson, but right now let's talk about the standard American accent.
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And the first thing that I want you to keep in mind is that you need to pronounce those R's, especially at the end of words.
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So this is a pretty clear distinction between British English and American English because in British English those R's may get dropped, but not with the American accent.
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Father, car, water.
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You hear that er sound at the end of those words.
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I am your father.
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Car for car.
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Car for car.
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Water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water.
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There are some regional accents in the United States, for example, New England, in which you may hear people drop those R's.
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But when talking about the standard American accent, you're going to pronounce them at the end of words.
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So I want you to repeat these after me, and I'm going to really emphasize that R at the end.
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Father, car, water.
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Good.
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We're going to build on top of this as we go through the lesson.
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But I want you to think about that last word, water, because this brings me to the next part of the American accent, which I think is very common.
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And I'm talking about the flap T.
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So the flap T, it sounds more like a soft D, and it often occurs when the T comes between two vowel sounds, like in the word water.
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You don't hear a true T, you hear a flap T when I say it.
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Water.
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And this is why these two words right here with the American accent, they sound like homonyms.
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Metal, metal.
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A flap T may also occur when the T comes before a dark L, such as in the words little, bottle, rattle.
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You hear that slight D sound.
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bottle of water I want you to repeat after me bottle of water now if you were saying it in the exact
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same way as I was then you were linking a couple of different words and that's the next thing that I want to talk
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to you about linking this is part of connected speech and it's when you link the final consonant sound of one word with the beginning
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vowel sound of the next word And it's almost like you're just taking that consonant sound and just moving it over to the next word or syllable.
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Now linking is not specific to the American accent.
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Other English varieties use linking as well as other languages, but I do think it helps give the accent part of its rhythm and flow.
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So bottle of water.
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We can link that dark L in bottle with the beginning vowel sound in of.
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Bottle of.
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Now let's add to this phrase, get a bottle of water.
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So I've added the words get a, except I didn't pronounce it like that.
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I said get a bottle of water.
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Now that final T in get, because it comes between two vowel sounds, I am going to pronounce it as, you guessed it, a flap T.
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And then I can link that soft sound with the article a, and it's gonna sound like get a.
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Get a bottle of water.
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And then we can turn this into a question.
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I want you to repeat after me.
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Can I get a bottle of water.
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Many learners often ask me how can I practice linking and this is something that I think you can easily do on your own.
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Just take any article, really any paragraph,
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go through the paragraph and identify all of those indefinite articles as well as any preposition that begins
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with a vowel sound in on at if the word before ends with a consonant well then linking may
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likely occur and then just go through the paragraph read it out loud and focus on those phrases and
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make sure that you are linking that final consonant sound with the beginning vowel sound so let's look at well the
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very first sentence of the Hobbit very well known famous story in a hole in the ground there lived
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a hobbit just with this first sentence linking occurs three different times it occurs with the very first two
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words in a it occurs with the next two words hole in and then it also occurs with the
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words lived in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit I cannot stress enough how common linking
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is in just everyday conversation and it's really going to smooth out your speech so let's Let's build on that phrase that we were practicing before and we'll create a question.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water?
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Repeat after me.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water?
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And right now, I wanna focus on wanna and I'm emphasizing it because I want to talk about reductions, which is also very common in spoken English, especially in the United States.
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This is when speakers shorten, change, or remove particular sounds.
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And there are many different reductions, but I think gonna, wanna, have to, those are some of the more common ones.
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Now even though you see them written right now, I would avoid using them in writing.
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I know sometimes you may see people use them in writing like in a text message, but in general I would just avoid them.
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But when it comes to spoken English, I think they're great to use because I think they'll help you develop a nice rhythm and flow.
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one thing in particular that I want you to keep in mind and that is reductions are not really emphasized and when
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I've taught them in the past sometimes learners have trouble with this because when focusing on the reduction people may have
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a tendency to stress or emphasize them but they're not emphasized I just want you to listen as I say the following sentences what are you gonna do tomorrow I want to take a vacation I have to work in the morning
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So, I'm not emphasizing these reductions.
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If anything, they're really de-emphasized and they're just going to help you run right through the sentence.
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Now, there's one word that I really want to highlight because we often use it and you're probably not even thinking about it.
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And I'm talking about the word FOR.
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So this word is often reduced and that vowel sound changes to FOR.
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It's very soft and subtle.
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But see if you can hear the difference.
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Wait here for a moment.
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Wait here for a moment.
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And it's actually much easier when pronouncing that vowel sound just to say that for a moment.
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Again we can reduce that word and just move quicker through the sentence.
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Wait here for a moment.
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Let's keep adding to that question.
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And now we have, do you want to get a bottle of water for your father?
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I want you to say it with me.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father?
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One more time.
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you want to get a bottle of water for your father?
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The next thing that I want to talk about when it comes to the American accent that I really think that you need to master is the schwa sound.
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People in the United States love the schwa sound.
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This is just an unstressed vowel sound and it really is just gonna sound like uh and you hear it all the time
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in so many different words and phrases even those reductions that we already talked about that second syllable would have the schwa
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sound gonna wanna have to when it comes to the schwa sound it's important to know which vowel
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sounds in a word may be unstressed because those unstressed vowels may be pronounced with the schwa sound and at
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times this is when I hear English learners make a slight mistake and they'll end up stressing a syllable with a
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vowel that should be unstressed and pronounced with the schwa sound so have a listen to
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these words right here official pencil address syringe all of these words have the schwa sound and they're
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all different letters and that's what I wanted to point out is that any vowel when it's unstressed it may get pronounced with the schwa sound it's unstressed and another way to think about it is that it's just a weak sound
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and that's where I want to go next and talk about weak unstressed function words so there are two common words
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that may have different pronunciations depending on whether the word is stressed or unstressed and I'm talking about the
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words you and to so when unstressed you may sound more like yeah and to may sound more like to and
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you hear that schwa sound my suggestion is that you don't think about these words that you're always going to hear one or the other, either you or ya.
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Think about it more like a spectrum and you may hear anywhere in between because the fact that you're not stressing these words and you're using a weaker vowel sound, that's what's changing it to more of a schwa sound.
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Listen to this phrase right here at the start of a question.
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When stressed, do you wanna?
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When unstressed, do you wanna?
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Do you wanna?
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Or this phrase, when stressed, to the airport.
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When weak and unstressed, to the airport.
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To the airport.
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Let's add these phrases to the question, there's that to, to create a pretty long sentence that has everything that we just talked about.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport?
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Now that we have this long question, we just need to practice.
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And that is the next thing that I wanted to talk to you about.
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Practice because it is so important.
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And if you have been practicing with me throughout the lesson, I want to know.
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Write the word speaking in the comments.
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That tells me you've been practicing your speaking skills.
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So when it comes to practice there are several things that you can do listen to native speakers and try to
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imitate their pronunciation pay close attention to the way people articulate sounds and then try to replicate
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them even if we're talking about well slight and subtle weak sounds we just talked about those words to, you, for being pronounced as to, ya, and for.
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This is what can help you develop a more authentic, standard American accent if that happens to be one of your speaking goals.
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So let's practice.
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And because this question is so long, I am going to break it up into two different groups.
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And I'm going to put a slight pause between the groups.
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So I'll say the question, try to listen for that pause.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport.
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Hopefully you heard that slight pause after the word father, which is before that dependent clause.
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And I do this in order to really control the pacing.
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So let's practice.
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I am going to say that first group and I want you to repeat after me.
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And then I'll say the second group and I want you to repeat again.
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Are you ready?
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport.
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Now let's say the whole question.
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I'll say it.
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You repeat after me.
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And try it again.
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Control that pacing with that pause.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport?
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Good.
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Now let's say it together.
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And this is more like shadowing.
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I want you to say it in the exact same way that I am and really what's challenging would be to see if you can keep that same speed.
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So let's say the question together.
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We'll do this three times.
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Are you ready?
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Let's begin.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport?
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One more time.
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Do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport?
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Again, do you want to get a bottle of water for your father before he goes to the airport?
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Excellent.
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Now, if you were able to say that question just like me, well then you're using a lot of the things that we talked about in this lesson.
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You're pronouncing those final R's, you're pronouncing that flap T, using reductions, linking, as well as some of those weak sounds like T, Y, and F.
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And remember,
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the most important thing is to continue practicing and really try to make time for it because exercises like the
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one that we did in this lesson are really going to help you in daily conversations and speaking of conversations let's now talk
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a little bit about my speaking course if you are an English learner who would like to practice and improve your speaking skills check out
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the link down in the description and when you do you will find a special discount just for you the The course is all about helping you speak confidently, speak clearly, and speak naturally.
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Each week there is a different speaking topic.
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We warm up with pronunciation or connected speech, similar to some of the things we were doing in this lesson.
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You will learn vocabulary related to each topic.
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There are engaging speaking activities.
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I'll teach you some of the language nuances, like when to use certain words and phrases.
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And there are also pronunciation video lessons included in the course.
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So check out the link down in the description if you'd like to practice and improve your speaking fluency.
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If you enjoyed the lesson, please hit that like button.
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As always, thank you so much for watching, and I will see you next time.
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So long.
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Context & Background
The focus of this lesson is on the standard American accent, which is essential for English learners who want to enhance their communication skills. The speaker, Wes, provides insights into the nuances of American pronunciation, highlighting typical characteristics that define this accent. Understanding the standard American accent not only aids in effective speaking but also boosts listening comprehension, making it easier for learners to engage with native speakers in everyday situations.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Father β Pronouncing the 'R' clearly at the end is vital.
- Car β Notice how the 'R' is pronounced distinctly.
- Water β Understand the flap T sound in American English.
- Bottle of water β Practice linking sounds for fluidity.
- Get a bottle of water β Emphasize the flap T and connected speech.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To tackle the intricacies of the standard American accent, practice shadowing, which involves mimicking the speaker's pronunciation and intonation. Hereβs a step-by-step guide to improve your English pronunciation using this video:
- Listen Closely: Start by watching the video without interruption. Pay attention to how Wes pronounces each phrase, especially the endings and linking sounds.
- Repeat After the Speaker: Use the shadowing technique to repeat phrases like "water" and "bottle of." Focus on the flap T and the clear pronunciation of the R at the end of words.
- Practice Linking: Take phrases such as "get a bottle of water" and practice linking the final consonant of one word to the beginning vowel of the next. This will improve your speech rhythm.
- Record Your Voice: After practicing, record yourself. Listen for clarity in the R sounds and the flap T. Compare with the original to notice differences.
- Consistent Practice: Regularly utilize the "learn English with YouTube" platform as a shadowing site. Incorporate varied phrases from different videos to diversify your practice and enhance fluency.
By following this guide, youβll not only improve your English pronunciation but also become more comfortable with the rhythms of everyday American speech, making communication with native speakers easier and more effective. Whether youβre practicing alone or with others, shadowing techniques like these are excellent for honing your skills in real-time conversations.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud β like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1β2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency β making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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