Hi All Could you please suggest me how to understand the US guys accent. regards sekhar
From India, Bangalore
1From India, Bangalore
~Hi Sekhar,
Once you have learnt from what Elana had suggested, try 'listening' to US based television programs or movies - and see if you're not just 'hearing' what they are saying,but following w/ understanding what is being conversed about. This will help you get comfortable about the accent as well.
-Richa
From India, Mumbai
Once you have learnt from what Elana had suggested, try 'listening' to US based television programs or movies - and see if you're not just 'hearing' what they are saying,but following w/ understanding what is being conversed about. This will help you get comfortable about the accent as well.
-Richa
From India, Mumbai
It could be simpler than you probably expect.
Remember the following,
and,
FOR THE TIME BEING,
forget everything else you have learnt about US accent.
Do Not Overload Yourself !!
1. Americans "over yod-drop " ie ----
Anticipate that they'd probably punch in a "y" as well as a curve with every vowel-sound. EG :----
"and " might [ just might] become YEAND
nOW, even in global / British English, our simple Indian vowels hardly exist.
eg ---- Coat is actually
K+"Y"+O+U+T
AMERICANS DO MORE OF THIS THAN ANYONE ELSE.
2. Americans join up words all the time. Eg :--- HOW TO may [just may] become
HAHDDA.
nOW
If I give you the rules for their "T" sounds,
and if I say
"" T at the beginning of a word OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN A STRESSED SYLLABLE
REMAINS A SHARP, POPPING T sound, ""
how would you apply that rule to the T in " HOW TO " ?
You see, T was at the beginning of the WORD - "to", BUT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STARCASE --- Hahdda
Thats why it became HAHDDA instead of HAHTTA.
because RULE-2 of T sounds is T in the middle OR IN AN UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE
becomes a soft D sound
ok, now what on earth is this stressed / unstressed business ?
YOU CAN STRESS & UNSTRESS SYLLABLES IN MANY WAYS, BUT I MEAN
DOING SO BY ELONGATION VS SHORTENING.
so, PHOTOGRAPHY remains photography --
sharp, popping T SOUND
despite
T being in the middle.
But PHOTOGRAPH becomes " pho-duh-graph "
3. The other T rules are ---
T immediately following N is silent.
EG intercontinental is INNERCAHNNINENNAL.
Many many exceptions to this. Notably --
INTEREST remains interest, not innerest
T at the end (of staircase - as you've now got the concept) is a HELD SOUND.
Now thats difficult fr you to do.
Just try to understand it.
Ok, forget rule-5 fr now. This is already an overdose.
4. No, Americans are not from Bihar and U.P.
THEy are not offering you PAPCORN instead of popcorn.
Here's what they're doing ! :----
Suppose you proceed to form a normal AW sound as in th word WATER.
THEN, HALF-WAY THROUGH IT, YOU SUDDENLY
LET UR JAW RELAX, AND DROP A BIT.
nO DO NOT TRY DOUNG IT. UNDERSTAND THAT THIUS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. SO U'LL ANTICIPATE IT, BE READY, AND GRASP IT THE MOMENT IT HAPPENS.
Enough for now.
My misspellings are cuz I'm being harried to logoff this PC & go.
Sorry.
Just time to upload a few pages on myself.
Call
9891727324 / mail
Best Rgds
From India, New Delhi
Remember the following,
and,
FOR THE TIME BEING,
forget everything else you have learnt about US accent.
Do Not Overload Yourself !!
1. Americans "over yod-drop " ie ----
Anticipate that they'd probably punch in a "y" as well as a curve with every vowel-sound. EG :----
"and " might [ just might] become YEAND
nOW, even in global / British English, our simple Indian vowels hardly exist.
eg ---- Coat is actually
K+"Y"+O+U+T
AMERICANS DO MORE OF THIS THAN ANYONE ELSE.
2. Americans join up words all the time. Eg :--- HOW TO may [just may] become
HAHDDA.
nOW
If I give you the rules for their "T" sounds,
and if I say
"" T at the beginning of a word OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN A STRESSED SYLLABLE
REMAINS A SHARP, POPPING T sound, ""
how would you apply that rule to the T in " HOW TO " ?
You see, T was at the beginning of the WORD - "to", BUT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STARCASE --- Hahdda
Thats why it became HAHDDA instead of HAHTTA.
because RULE-2 of T sounds is T in the middle OR IN AN UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE
becomes a soft D sound
ok, now what on earth is this stressed / unstressed business ?
YOU CAN STRESS & UNSTRESS SYLLABLES IN MANY WAYS, BUT I MEAN
DOING SO BY ELONGATION VS SHORTENING.
so, PHOTOGRAPHY remains photography --
sharp, popping T SOUND
despite
T being in the middle.
But PHOTOGRAPH becomes " pho-duh-graph "
3. The other T rules are ---
T immediately following N is silent.
EG intercontinental is INNERCAHNNINENNAL.
Many many exceptions to this. Notably --
INTEREST remains interest, not innerest
T at the end (of staircase - as you've now got the concept) is a HELD SOUND.
Now thats difficult fr you to do.
Just try to understand it.
Ok, forget rule-5 fr now. This is already an overdose.
4. No, Americans are not from Bihar and U.P.
THEy are not offering you PAPCORN instead of popcorn.
Here's what they're doing ! :----
Suppose you proceed to form a normal AW sound as in th word WATER.
THEN, HALF-WAY THROUGH IT, YOU SUDDENLY
LET UR JAW RELAX, AND DROP A BIT.
nO DO NOT TRY DOUNG IT. UNDERSTAND THAT THIUS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. SO U'LL ANTICIPATE IT, BE READY, AND GRASP IT THE MOMENT IT HAPPENS.
Enough for now.
My misspellings are cuz I'm being harried to logoff this PC & go.
Sorry.
Just time to upload a few pages on myself.
Call
9891727324 / mail
Best Rgds
From India, New Delhi
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