Collins Work on Your Accent

Collins

Work on your

accent

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Contents How to use this book

Section A

i

Getting started

Working on your accent The need for mirror practice What accent will I be learning?

The anatomy of speech Why do we need to use the International Phonetic Alphabet?

Where am I from? How may this affect my English?

What sounds do I need to work on? – Diagnostic quiz

Section B

The sounds of English

The consonant sounds 1 PET & BET 2 TO & DO 3 COT & GOT 4 ME 5 NO 6 SING 7 SOON & ZOOM 8 FAST & VAST 9 CHOKE & JOKE 10 THIN & THIS 11 SHINE & TREASURE 12 LOVE 13 HILL 14 HELLO 15 YES 16 WEEK 17 ROCK 18 The spoken and the silent r The vowel sounds 19 NURSE 20 KIT 21 SHEEP 22 DRESS 23 CAP 24 CUP 25 BATH 26 FOOT 27 GOOSE 28 LOT 29 THOUGHT

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2 4 6 7 11 13 14

/p/ and /b/ /t/ and /d/ /k/ and /g/ /m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /s/ and /z/ /f/ and /v/ /ʧ/ and /ʤ/ /θ/ and /ð/ /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ /l/ /ɫ/ /h/ /j/ /w/ /r /

18 20 23 27 30 32 35 38 41 44 47 50 53 56 59 62 64 66 69

/ɜː/ /ɪ/ /iː/ /e/ /æ/ /ʌ / /ɑː/ /ʊ/ /uː/ /ɒ/ /ɔː/

72 74 77 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 101 104

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What sounds do I need to work on?

If you’re not sure where to start, this world map of pronunciation will give you an idea of the sounds and features of speech that can be most difficult for speakers from your region.

Of course, this map isn’t fully comprehensive. There are too many languages and countries in the world to fit onto one little map! And our accents are individual to us, contain huge variation, and change all the time. But you can use this map as a quick reference guide to sounds that are likely (not definite) to be the most important for you to work on.

If your region isn’t listed (we haven’t forgotten you, Central and South America!), it’s because the sounds that you’ll benefit from working on are the same as for speakers of the same or similar languages in other regions.

Additionally, where you’re from isn’t necessarily where your language is from. If you’ve lived in Germany for years, but your mother tongue is Arabic, you may need to work on the sounds listed for both regions.

In addition to the sounds highlighted below, all learners will benefit from working on the schwa /ə/ and connected speech.

You may also wish to take the diagnostic quiz on pages 14–15 to help you further identify which sounds you might need to work on, as well as identify those issues that may affect the clarity of your speech.

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We recommend that you work through all the sounds in the book, making sure that you really understand how to shape each one. However, you can use the world map of pronunciation on page 13 to give you an idea of the sounds that you’re most likely to need to work on, based on your first language. You can also use this diagnostic quiz to help you identify some of the most significant issues that may affect the clarity of your speech.

DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ

Diagnostic quiz

1.

Do the words hit and heat sound the same when you say them?

Focus on vowel length and minimal pairs.

See pages 77–82.

2.

Do the words pull and pool sound the same when you say them?

Focus on vowel length and minimal pairs.

See pages 95–100.

3.

Do the words cot and caught sound the same when you say them?

Focus on vowel length and minimal pairs.

See pages 101–106.

4.

5.

14

Do the words first, four, letter, star, near, square and cure contain an r sound for you?

Go straight to ‘the spoken and the silent r’ section (page 69), and then look at Units 19, 25, 29, 35, 36 and 37 (nurse, bath, thought near, square, cure).

Do the words bat and bath contain the same vowel sound when you say them?

Focus on vowel length and minimal pairs.

See pages 86–88 and 92–94.

Section A: Getting started

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UNIT 1

PET & BET

/p/ (pet) /b/ (bet)

1

2

Make the sounds 1

1

Lightly squeeze your lips together, all the way along.

2

Start to breathe out, and let a little air build up behind your lips.

3

Don’t let any air out through your nose!

4

Let your lips spring apart quickly, and continue breathing out.

5

The sound you produce can be voiced /b/ or voiceless /p/ (see pages 7–8).

When do I use this sound?

2

Voiced/voiceless

Spelling

Examples

Frequency

voiceless

p

pen, cup, open

often

voiceless

pp

apple, appear

often

voiced

b

be, able, stumble, cab

often

voiced

bb

stubble

often

There is a silent b in mb spellings like ‘comb’, ‘womb’, ‘dumb’ (see page 172 for more on silent letters).

20

Section B: The sounds of English

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Work on your Accent TO & DO

Say each of these words aloud. Then compare your pronunciation with the model on the recording.

10

Puff of air

No puff of air

Puff of air

No puff of air

top

stop

toe

oat

tail

late

until

still

contain

content (noun)

pretend

mountain

tanned

stand

tough

foot

✗ ✓

Putting your tongue tip somewhere other than your alveolar ridge.

Be sure that your tongue tip is on the alveolar ridge behind your teeth. Not touching your teeth, and not curling too far backwards behind the alveolar ridge.

Try alternating between these three positions, so that you can feel and hear the difference that it makes to the sound.

1. Put your tongue tip on the back of your top teeth and say ‘tee’, ‘tee’, ‘tee’.

2. Put your tongue tip on your alveolar ridge and say ‘tee’, ‘tee’, ‘tee’.

3. Curl your tongue tip back behind the alveolar ridge and say ‘tee’, ‘tee’, ‘tee’.

The second of these is correct for SSBE. Now go back to sections A and B and practise with this greater awareness of tongue placement on the alveolar ridge.

✗

Blocking the airflow in your throat, rather than with the tongue tip. This is called a glottal stop.

✓

Keep breathing out through the sound, rather than stopping the air in your larynx.

Check that you hear the sound of your tongue releasing the air.

Use your mirror to make sure that your tongue tip is really lifting up to produce this sound. This is likely to be especially difficult on the ends of words.

Go back to sections A and B and practise with greater awareness of this issue.

✗ ✓

Making ‘heart’ and ‘hard’ sound the same.

First, revise the exercises for how to make voiced and voiceless sounds (pages 7–8).

Then, revise the When do I use this sound? table above for /t/ and /d/.

Keep a hand on your larynx while you practise, and check that you are maintaining vibration right to the end of the word.

Say each of these words aloud. Then compare your pronunciation with the model on the recording.

1

not

nod

bet

bed

2

rot

rod

wrote

rode

3

hit

hid

neat

need

4

height

hide

at

add

11

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Answer key Unit 39 2

ghost (1), waiter (2), organize (3), unhappiness (4), diagonally (5)

One syllable

Two syllables

Three syllables

Four syllables

Five syllables

house

paper

fantastic

reality

undeniable

real

language

syllable

authority

indiscriminate

truth

increase

argument

reasonable

monosyllabic

vowel

prominent

education

weaker

1

business: has two syllables and the others have three.

2

very: has two syllables and the others have one.

3

participation: has five syllables and the others have four.

4

computer: has three syllables and the others have two.

5

opposition: has four syllables and the others have five.

6

unexpected: has four syllables and the others have three.

Unit 40 China

visa

perhaps

station

focus

occur

delicate

correct

patrol

regard

potato

today

special

surprise

commute

motor

NB: Both the schwas and weak KIT vowels are underlined here.

Unit 41 1

The footage contained a few surprises and they debated releasing it.

2

The average dosages of insulin were located in boxes in the medicine cupboard at the hospice.

3

The palace had a secluded mandarin garden.

4

The accomplice tried to bargain with his bosses when his plan was exposed.

5

The rocket exploded the minute it hit the ground.

6

The rain made the solstice party challenging, but the attendees grimaced through!

7

A good picnic basket will contain a blanket, water and other cold drinks, and enough food for a banquet.

8

She was thrilled when she discovered ten pounds in her vintage jacket pocket.

9

The service in the market was poor, but the bargains were exceptional.

10 They neglected to cook the sausages thoroughly, so spent the night in the emergency department.

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