American English Pronunciation

In spoken English intonation refers to the rise and fall of pitch over the length of a thought group or sentence.

Using the correct intonation is very important because the rise and fall of pitch conveys meaning to your listeners.

Many linguists say that spoken English has four levels of phonetic pitch: 1-low, 2-middle, 3-high, and 4-extra high.

Normal conversations use middle and high pitch patterns.

Low pitch usually signals the end of a sentence (unless the sentence is a question). When your pitch falls at the end of the sentience is indicates certainty or finality.

Questions that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no" have a rising intonation. Questions that start with when, where, who or what have a falling intonation.

Extra high is used to express contrast, emphasis or emotion. When your pitch rises at the end of a sentence it indicates uncertainty.

The American Accent Audio Course will teach you how to speak with the correct intonation patterns. Click on the picture to find out more!

Did you know that American English has 15 different vowel sounds and 26 consonant sounds? Some of these sounds such as the schwa sound and the voiced th sound are not typically found in other languages.

In order to improve your American English pronunciation you must be aware of how to articulate these vowel and consonant sounds.

How can you learn all of the American English consonant and vowel sounds? One way is to use mp3 audio lessons.

The best audio lessons that I've tried are from Charles Becker in his Best Accent Training course. This mp3 audio course teaches you all the sounds of American English using mp3 audio files.

The audio quality is excellent and there is a printable transcript that you can use to read along as you listen. You can buy all the sounds or just the sounds you need. I use these audio files myself so I know that they are effective. Prices start at $5.95.

Oh, and Best Accent Training has American English mp3 audio files on intonation, syllable stress and sentence stress too. These can also be bought separately.

American English has several pairs of consonant sounds that are articulated using the same tongue and mouth shape. The only difference between these pairs of sounds is that one sound is voiced and the other is voiceless.

Voiced sounds cause the vocal chords to vibrate. Voiceless sounds are softer and do not cause the vocal chords to vibrate.

Here are a few examples:

When you are speaking English the /s/ & /z/ sounds employ the same tongue position and mouth shape but the /z/ is voiced and the /s/ is voiceless.

The English /k/ & /g/ sounds are both produced in the back of the throat but the /g/ is voiced and the /k/ is voiceless.

The /p/ & /b/ sounds are both made by pushing your lips together and then releasing them but the /b/ is voiced and the /p/ is voiceless.

Many non-native English speakers used the voiceless sounds /s/, /k/ & /p/ when they should use the voiced sounds /z/, /g/ & /b/.

When you make mistakes like this it contributes to your accent and causes misunderstandings.

One great way to learn how to pronounce voiced and voiceless sounds is to use a book and CD. Two of the best books you can use to learn about voiced and voiceless sounds is MASTERING THE AMERICAN ACCENT. You can see this in the module below!

The letter combination "th" has two different sounds in spoken English. One of the "th" sounds is a voiced sound as in the words the and there. Non-native speakers often substitute the /z/ sound for the voiced "th" sound and this creates a very noticeable accent.

The other "th" sound is a voiceless sound as in the words thanks and Thursday. Non-native English speakers often substitute the sounds /d/, /t/ for the voiceless "th" sound. This sound substitution will also contribute to your accent.

Since the "th" sounds are two of the most frequent consonant sounds in spoken English you must learn to pronounce them correctly if you want to improve your American English pronunciation. You will learn all about these KEY sounds in the book Mastering the American Accent (below).

Lots of people will tell you to watch American television shows to hear authentic examples of American English. That's an excellent idea however, here is a way that you can take watching T.V. a step further to get some serious accent practice.

Instead of simply watching, choose one character from the show to imitate. As soon as your character starts to speak try to say exactly what they are saying. Speak right along with the character!

Mirror the character's spoken English for about 15 seconds at a time. This will really help you get a feel for the way American English speakers use syllable stress, sentence stress, linking and intonation patterns.

My name is Susan Ryan and I am an American English pronunciation and Accent Reduction coach.

I hope that you can use the information on this page to find resources and books you can use to improve the way you speak American English.

You already know that speaking English clearly and effectively is very important if you want to build relationships and achieve your professional goals.

Don't wait to start creating a better future with American English skills. You can get started now by using some of the books and software on this page.