Table Of Content

‘Tried and trusted method used in London drama schools LINDA JAMES & OLGA SMITH Get Rid of your Accent ‘THE ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AND. ARTICULATION TRAINING MANU By Linda James and Olga Smith ‘recs, concise competing compratensive, achieving its targets, wit, wel written and beauifaly spoken, t's book a must for every student rexy actor and every inate aiming fora better tung anc a Better ie fn Britain and elsetere.” fan Kenney Meling, Fall’ of the Inti af Chertrce tke ractice and ean see my [progress the method and exercises in the book are realy working far me ‘inna Tune, UK immigrant fom Poland ‘leary, the autiors of the book have collected years of experience and eperise to create this practical and effective toe) fr Speech Sty.” ‘oe Windy, Head of Speech, Central Schoc! of Speech and Drama, Londk The book has proved invaluable in one to one teaching, allowing me to focus a7 the student's problem areas. have ao used it vith Success in a group environment. There is suffcint material to provid meaningful practice of each sound with enough varsty 2 sep Stasis entertained." Haranne Gibson, teacher, St. orge Intemational College, London "This is oy the best pronunciation bock I have ever had and, belie 04 me, [Rave bought and used munerous of them. The main autor videnty an expert teaching pronuncicton, The revered exercises are freeing, (Oo, 1 aighly econnmtend this buck! Fa ery gla! hat SV Barrits Nunez, Berkline, Enya, Arvazor.ou.uk eer Pualshed by Business & Technical Communication Services Limited 8 Faimcime Road, London, Wi4 9X Information en this title: war.bats.co.Uk (© Busiress & Technical Communication Services Limited, 200, This book is In copyright. Subject to statutory exceabion and to the provisions of relevant collective lcensing agreements, no reproduction Of any par: may take place withour the writen permission of Business ‘and Techn cai Communication Serves Ud Third Edition Printed in Mong Kong at Prosperous Offst International Ltd Suite 2002 ~ 2003, Technology Plaza 651 King's Read, North Point, Hong Kong Table of Contents Introduction. Methoc of learning ‘The Phonemic alphabet ‘The Speech Organs. Long vowels (5) lesson 1: The [a:] sound as in “car lesson 2: The [u: sound as in “beauty Lesson 3: The [> sound asin “horse”. Lesson 4: The [i] sound as in “et” Lesson 5: The [s] scund as in “third Short vowels (7) {Lesson 6: Tre a] neutral vowel (schwa) asin "banana Lesson 7: The li sound a8 in “pits Lesson 8: Comparison fo] [J 2nd (i ~ [1 Lesson 9: The [4] sound asin “duck Lesson 10: The [0] sound asin “box”. Lesson 11: Comparison [o] - [>] nd [0] - [4] Lesson 12: The [e] sound as in “pen tesson 13: The [o] sound asin “book” Lesson 14: Comparison [0] an [. Lesson 15: The [a] sound as in "cat Diphtnongs (8) Lesson 16: Dipithong [ou as ir “home” Lesson 17: Diphthong fei] as in cake” Lesson 18: Diphthong [>] asin "boy" Lesson 18: Dipithong fo] asin “dear” Lesson 20: Diphthong [a] as in "bride tesson 21: Diphthong fs} a ir “poor” and trighthona (os) as in ever” Lesson 22: Biphtwong (ea! asin “care” Lesson 23: Diphtong fu} asi Yeow" Semi-Vowels (2) Lisson 24: Sem-vowel {asin "yacht Lesson 25: Semi-vowel[] as in want” Plosive Consonants (6) Lesson 26: Plosive consonants unvoicec [9] asin "pack" and wiced (b] 2s in bia" Lesson 27: Plosive consonants unvoicee [tas ln “tent” and voiced (das in "doc" Lesson 26: Plosive consonants unvoice (ij es in “kind” and voiced [9] 35 in “gloss” "Nasal Consonants (3) and Nasal Plosions (2) Lesson 29: Nasal consonant [mas in “monk Lesson 30: Nasal consonants [r] 2s in “nu” Lesson 31: Nasal consonants (s] as 19 "king Lesson 32: Nasal plosions [im] a5 in “cotton” and [dn] as in “garen” Lateral Consonants (1) and Lateral Posions (2) Lesson 33: Lateral consonan:[] as “Londen Lesson 34: Lateral prosors (as In "ite" an (a) asin candle” Fricative consonants (20) Lesson 35: Fricative conscnants unvoiced {f] asin “un” anc voiced [vas in “value” Lesson 36: Unvoiced consanant [asin “think” Lesson 37: Voicee consonant [928 in “mother Lesson 38: Unvoiced {5} asin "son” anc voiced [2] asin "2920" Lesson 38: Unvoiced [j] 25 in "sheck” and voiced [5] asin Lesson 4@: Unvoiced consonant [h} 25 "ha tricates (2) Lesson 41: The (f] sound as in “at”. Lesson 42: dfricates unvoiced [i] asin “church” ane voice [ash as ingin Condusion Naintaning correct pronunciation Warm-sp exoroses. Difficulties in prorureiaion of te speakers of word languages, Bibliography. © Contents Glossary Acknowledgements Introduction ‘What is an accent? ‘an accent identities which part ofthe entry cr word you came fram. ‘There se citferent types of accents: Scottish, Russian, Spanish, ‘educated, strong, sight and many others ‘According 10 the latest eultion of the Rough Guide to England, and is a country where accent and vocaoulary can samp pefson's identity like 2 brard.” Indeec, the biggest single factor that Bffects people's frst impression of you your sposch and accent ‘Why do we speak with diferent accents? From our chihood we learn to speak by imitating our relatives, teachers and friends. The way we speak anc our pronunciation are Influenced by the erviranment we lve in Sounds are created by our speech organs, namely lips, tongue and Jew. Postions of our spesch organs are different for diferent sounes. For example, wo drop the tongue in order to pronaunce the English e] sound 3 in “cat In orde= to pronounce Ise] as in "way" we put Our lips in a tight wrist. Many people beoin to learn Englsh when they are adults. They may fot automaticaly position ther speech organs as native Eryih speakers wil. Moreover, they often don't knw how Wo correctly Postion ther speech cigans i order to produce clear Engl sounds Because not all English sounds exist in other languages, For example, tnere is no [in Russian, ad many Russians pronounce Iv] instead of (w]. Another exemple fs that iv RUSsien they don't nave long vowels, and therfore there is a natural tencency for RUSSaNS £0 Shorten lony Engish wowels and diphthongs, Instead of “two sheets af Paper" tney most lily wil prenounce "two shits af 2aper". instead of Saying “Whe roo is dak, they are Iily t9 pronounce “he com is ck" Speoking, writing anc listening are taught in most collages, at Phonetics and pronunciation Casses are net always part of the a curriculum, and even wen they a, they tend to be very basic ane fecusng more on conversation than phonetics. Is It important to have good pronunciation? Just consider the following points ee May be corfusing and hard to understand for those wha listen toyou + Gives the impression that you ae uneducated + Doesr't allow you to become @ good pub speaker ‘lows you to become a pleasent communicator 1s a good basis for puble speaking Wil enable you ta enjoy speaking more Gives you conficence, and your canfidence in ter opens Up for you al sorts of opportunites Is it possible to reduce or eliminate an accent? “The earlier we stat to pronounce English propery, the less accent He have, Te5 more dificult to reduce or completely liminate an accent when you are olde. However, itis not impossible. Tt al depends on your hard work, serseverance, high quality prefessiona taining, and — last, but no least ~ on using the appropriate book witha sound Wack, ‘Why Received Pronunciation? why not lam to speak wth 2 Scottish or London Cockney accent? Why make an effort to reduce a ster Russar us Spanish accent? The reason very simple, to help you with making your Englsh clear and e2sy to understand for Ure marily of English-speaking people This Look teaches you how to develop Received Pronunciation (RP). RP is sinply a ieutal pronunciation of educated Southern English. 1S sometimes talied Slandard English, Beginning over a century ago, RP spread reply thraugnout the Chil Service of the British Empre and became the voice of authority and power in a substantial part of the world. Because It was a regionally Fheutral' accent, and was thought ta be more widely understood than any regional accent, i also came to be adopted by the BEC when ratio Broadcasting began in the 1929s, “The f'st Director General ofthe BBC, Lord Reith, when asked why he hac chosen RP forthe BEC, replied: “I tred to get a style or quality of English which would not be laughed atin ary par ofthe county. “To date RP retains its considerable status. It is stil the stancard accent of Pariament, the Church of England, the High Courts and her Bets atonal instiutions. Tt has ng been the chief accent taught to foreigners who wish to learn a British model. RF is also taueht in acting schools ir the UK, 25 actors from ciferent cutural ard social backgrounds are required t have the ability to speak using RP when Its necessary ‘or thar performances. It should be noted that RP is rot static. Nodem RP has been simplified compared to, say, what it was over SO years ago, end now sounds move neutral and derocraic. However, it will most certainly remain the accent of educated peonle, Why we wrote this book To date you can only get speech trainng in British drama schools 0° iF YoU take speech lessons from a private speech ticor. We wanted to make this exctusve tring accessile for a much wider audience. We took the methac lang used in Landon drama schcols, adapted it for leamers of English and colate it into @ sinale trainng manual, the firs ofits knd, You wil find that you wil get from the book what you put into your work with it. The exercises ar= quite intensive and wil require you to Work hard at your pranunciation. But, the book isnt just study too We have also tried to make it amusing and interesting. Have fun, and Temernber that yaur hard wark wll be rewarded in ful ‘Three things that make our book special 1+ Tred and trusted method in siminating an accent + Fun yet very effective speech training 2 Amusing vocabulary Methodology used in this book In our book, we sat out a complete method of learning English sounds, Uthich somebody sho eames from a eiferent country might not have In thelr oun nasive language, ‘One of tre important things atout our book 6 that we make it ‘absclutely clear what Is happening n the mouth: where the lips 90, ‘where the tongue 1s placed, ifthe Jaw #8 epen or cle, etc, Once thoze twee positon: are checked and orice out then there is no way that you coulé not make that partcular English sound. ‘The socord important part of speech taining is training the muscles of the tongue, lige and jam, 30 that the brain memory responcs <0 it ‘utomaticaly. You train them by prorouncng words and sentences, with a target sound. You fiiss with @ late bit of verse, something interesting and amusing, but aso containing a target sound For consonants we also give practice through articuletion exereses, such as period verses and tongue-tvisters, which get the tongue and te lps really moving so thet we get clanity and sispress cF speech English is very energetic ard dynamic language anc good articulation makes 3 big difference [ercses in the tock are accompanies by @ sound track on the CD. Students should Isten to the CD, practice the covect saund ttroughout and then record themselves and listen to the rewarding cde" to see their progress, We also encourage siudenls lw Use the correct sounds in thelr everyday speech and support & by atktanal ‘exercises at the end of each lesson “The CD wes recorded by professional celors whe used drama techniques in order Io meke Une sertentes, verses and poems ScUnK incerestng and amusing. Ths ss helps you to imagine what you are reading and thet will help you lo mermorise sounds. 4 “The lessons in this book are que intensive and are aimec for those iho shive to achieve qutsanaing resus improving ther accents, Within a short peri of time, Your results might Cepend cn your abity tp near your ouin speech and the time you spend mastering the ound. At the end of the baok we also provide students with instructions and fice on how to mairtain correct pronuncaticn. In suoport of that We (dhe a warmn-up exercise forall the English sounds (see pace 129). stuents wll also find a table of perticulariiuties withthe Englsh pronunciation which speake's of other world languages have (see page m2). English spelling and pronunciation In many languages laters ofthe alphabet are pronounces inthe same ‘way 23 they ate spelled. However, the English language wes, at Giferent times, under French, German and Dutch influence. English Inherited and includes many foreign words. This is one ofthe reasons why there are Go many exceptions to the rule in pronunciation 2nd spelling ‘The characteristic pecularity of the Englsh language $ that the same letter of the alphabet can ke pronounced differenti. Far example, the letter a” In the word “father” fs pronounced as along vowel [but ithe wore *man” tis a short vowel sound [x] In the word "arrong’, inhere Fes not sessed, iL is @ neutral vowel oe schwa (2). Thus che letter "a can be pronounced in at least three diferent ways. Another afticuty 1s that the same English sounds fave liferent spelings. For example, cpninong [19] has several spellings: the word fearits spaled as ‘ear in the word werd i's spelled ase ‘Atnough wte highlight the practced sound in bold ang offer afferent Sspelng variations ‘or the same sound, we should point aut tat tere an be other spaing varatins forthe same sound. Therefore, when You learn 2 rew vind you should always consut a dctorary for the Correct phonetic pronunciation. Who this book is for ‘The book enables peoole to develop clear and precise English speech and to neutralise ther foreign or thee Brtish regonal crent. Beth Tetve and nor-native English speakers will henefit Fam the book, Native English speakers include: Pronunciation and speech teachers Actors with non-RP accents who wish to pursue an acting Career inthe UK Follywood actors who need to develop a British accent Professionals for whom a high standard of English and clanty of speech are important Non native English speakers include: ‘Studerts International businessmen and exes Diplomats Call centr> employees Inteligence agents Salled professionals; teachers, professors, coctrs, journalists ‘2c who wish to advance in their profession in Sitin, the United States, Cenada, Australia and otyer countres where tEngish isan official or ausiess language (e. Inca} People wino workin serviae ane hospitality industres ard need ta communicate with good English Method of learning [ 4. Put your tongue, lips and jaw in the correct | position for the sound a) 2. Listen to the tape and try to imitate the pronunciation after the tape (5-10 min) 3. Repeat each sentence without the tape (5-10 min) __ a 4. Record yourself on the tape, then listen to. Your recorder and note down your mistakes (20-15 min) po 5. Repeat the word where you made a mistake in the correct way three times (5 min) 6. Activate the learned sound in your everyday ‘speech Explanation of the method of learning What is needed to start working with the book? + mirror, to compare the shave of your ovn mouth to the shape of the mouth that you all tnd in diagrams at the beginning ot each lesson; + altape recrder, to record your practices; + aco payer. ‘See page 11 for a labeled diagram of speech organs. How many hours you should spend on each sound: ‘© Practice each sound for about 20:40 minutes a day, with tle breaks in between; ‘+ Repeat on the following days for approximetely che seme length of time unt you fee! that you can use the correct sound in your everyday speech ‘As shown on the previous page the method of lear based on a six-stage process: ing is “The first stage is to make sure that you put your lps, tongue ard Jaw inthe right postion forthe learned Scund. IF yau falta go so, the sourd wil not be precise and may be different akogetver. Follow tre instructions an speech organ rostion given at the Beginning of each lesson, Pronounce the scund several times looking ir the mieer to rmak2 sure you do it covectly. When you feel that your scurd is correct, start pronouncing the words, sentences and verses in the Tesson, ‘The second stage is aimed at helping you lea a sound by repestina _and imitating after the tape. This exercise will help ycu to make the sourd as correct as aossible and train your speech organs for the particular sound. The more you repeat after the tape, the better your pronunciation becomes, ‘The third stage gives you an epportunty to practice the sound cn your own, without the hep of the tape. You will be hearing yourself {and mastering the sound. This stage is essental before recording Yyoursel. ‘The fourth stage involes recording yourself and listening to the Fecording. It helps you tO see whether you have progressed in Frastering the pronunciation and to identity where you stil make mistakes. “the fith stage focuses on eliminating mistakes. Corracly repeating The words where you made a mistake wil help you avoid repeating the Some mistakes n he future ‘The sixth stage has the purpose of Helping you incerporate the feared sound in everyday specch. It's about trying to find the learned Sound in the newspapers, onthe radio, on TY and in English language dees. Pay attenton to how you pronaunce the learnee sound in your fyeryday ‘speech. Ths wil hep you to actvate the correct; pronounced souncs. 2.Braiimemory The Phonemic Alphabet fet fear awe bre uel P barana_| book char__| ple tat duck | food cou snow > ry 3 7 7 pub dank |i gest | monk r a t + wick | oink | ish victory — | nue y as 7 z 3 shurch | gin sun 2210 so e 3 f = [an thing | she shock __prestige_| hat T F w t Luck rock verld yacht 10 ‘The Speech Organs ——Allveolar Ridge Hard Palate Pharyrx “p< —Boiglotts 7 \ ae ZT Vocal Chords —|— [\ oesophagus \ <b \—trachea n Lesson 1: The [a:] sound as Verses De acy te intonation ate. ‘Speech organs position: Open jaw, relaxed lis, fia: tonaue pulled hack elite ‘The sound made in the back yor caris Joga fa arora ives rater is a Ces tars and ccpy tas, ornerrah ‘She goes carging past. ® “ “a ‘When I, good friends, was called to the bar, aL Tid an appetite fres and hearty, @ words buses 25 any varies Be, [An inpecunious party tana Lake th ram oe yu psn ori one an ‘ower the get ‘Additional exercises: Spetingvratons for Hugs bol ites pronauct [0 meets [Re do $c ih te eg sau ta ys tan se wen sang ar(r"isslet) art, arms, bar, mark, arch, bark, dark lee taladnca meena ebay nese ‘ear,er, al, au heart, sergeant, der, Deroy, psalm, iaugh lage soon atefore's, mand bath castle, fast, glass, csast=, rather, th enhance 4 = 4 a2 @ Sentences arte con 4 eres wi expt sunday On Net 09 TY 10 ram Pa fscagoe aces Ce on hey alt porto a Listen ane Roath stance sd sky aff tha a6 yeu wer A Pos fhe eet ane 1 1, The marbe biré-bath was hidden inthe tall grasses near the path, 2. Let's park our carat Barbara's asthe car 2ark s rather far from the theatre 53. Atlast Margare-'s ancety passed anc she chancea 2 disastrous dance wth a aughing serceant. 4 Trerather take a chance and lt my father drive me to the garage in his fast car 5. Harc-hearted Margaret was ‘ceding psalms in the ‘ark 6. Asan office boy t made such a mark that I was ‘iven the post of a juner clerk 2s 2 B