589. B. Ph LAB 53. NEUTRALISATION OF MOTHER TONGUE

53. NEUTRALISATION OF MOTHER TONGUE

Voice & accent neutralization Presentation Transcript

1. Voice & Accent Neutralization

2. Consonant Sounds Vowel Sounds Intonation What we will learn

3. Some startling facts: There are 26 letters in the English Alphabets However there are 44 sounds 24 Consonant Sounds 20 Vowel Sounds (12 vowels & 8 Diphthongs) Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

4. Factors that affect Pronunciation and intonation are: Regional Influence/Mother Tongue Influence Speech Pattern Personality Family & Friends factor Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

5. Regional Influence/Mother Tongue Influence: Very/wary/vary There/dare HRYech HR Matter/Mutter Friend:Farend want/won’t The snacks are in The snakes are in the the hall hole Thirty:Thiraty Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

6. Pronunciation English is tough stuff Dearest creature in creation, Study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. I will keep you, Suzy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

7. Pronunciation Just compare heart, beard, and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word, Sword and sward, retain and Britain. (Mind the latter, how it's written.) Now I surely will not plague you With such words as plaque and ague. But be careful how you speak: Say break and steak, but bleak and streak; Cloven, oven, how and low, Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

8. Pronunciation What is good English pronunciation? There are three levels of English pronunciation: Level 1: People often don't understand what you want to say. You use the wrong sounds in English words. Level 2: People understand what you want to say, but it is unpleasant to listen to you. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

9. Pronunciation Level 3: People understand you, and your English is pleasant to listen to. Level 3 will be called good pronunciation. Notice that good pronunciation is not "perfect American or British accent". You don't have to sound like the Queen of England or the President of the United States of America. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

10. Pronunciation Why not? Because there are many regional kinds of English. In England, people from Newcastle speak English differently from people in London. In America, people from New York City, California, and Texas each have their own pronunciation. So it is no problem if you have your own accent. But our accent must be close to the standards (British English). What does it mean? Turn on your TV and watch channels like BBC. You will hear many different people (news anchors, reporters, etc.) Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

11. Pronunciation Tips These English pronunciation tips will help you : Tip 1 Do not confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling! For example, "threw" and "through", although spelled differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical letters or letter clusters in words do not always produce the same sound. For example, the "ough" in "though" and "through" represents a different sound in each word. Learn to practice what you hear, not what you see. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

12. Pronunciation Tips Tip 2 Imagine a sound in your mind before you say it. Try to visualize the positioning of your mouth and face. Think about how you are going to make the sound. Tip 3 The English language has many different dialects, and words can be pronounced differently. It is important, however, that you pronounce words clearly to ensure effective communication. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

13. Pronunciation Glossary These are some of the words used to talk about pronunciation. Air flow Aspiration Auditory Clusters (blended sounds) Curl Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

14. Pronunciation Glossary Flatten Glide / Slide Hard palate Intonation Lengthen sound Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

15. Pronunciation Glossary Lips spread Lower Pitch Pressed lips Protruded lips Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

16. Pronunciation Glossary Protruded lips Roof Round lips Shorten sound Soft palate Tap Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

17. Pronunciation Glossary Tooth ridge Top of mouth / Roof of mouth Unvoiced (voiceless) Upper Visual Voiced Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

18. Pronunciation The mechanism of speech involves production and articulation of the sounds produced. Consonant and vowel sounds are an integral part of English speech Consonant sounds are produced by a blockage or obstruction to the exhaled air. Vowel sounds are produced without any obstruction to the exhaled air. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

19. Consonant Sounds Created by blocking the outgoing breath. Grouped in families classified according to the obstruction. Clarity in speech depends on the way consonants are pronounced. To pronounce consonants clearly, you need to identify the obstruction. Consonant sounds in different languages differ in quality. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

20. Consonant sounds are divided into Voiced and Unvoiced sounds. Voiced sounds create a resonant sound in the throat. Unvoiced sounds are aspirated sounds. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

21. Consonant sounds B, d, f g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, y, z,,Dj, Th Th, Zh, Sh, Ch, ng Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

22. Unvoiced Voiced CH J (Dj) S Z SH ZH K G T D Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

23. Unvoiced Voiced TH (Thanks) TH (That) F V P B W M N L R H NG Y Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

24. Unvoiced Sounds Voiced Sounds /p/ path /b/ bath /t/ time /d/ dime /k/ came /g/game /f/ fan /v/ van /th/ think /th/them /s/ price z/prize /sh/shoe /zh/usual /ch/chin /dj/gin Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

25. The ‘P’ sound This is an unvoiced aspirated sound. It is pronounced like ‘ph’ with distinct breath coming out. Example : Problem - Phraablem Past - Phaest Promise- Phraamis Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

26. The ‘P’ sound (Practice Exercise) Peter had a problem with his project Pickles are more expensive than peas. My parents made the payment for Patricia’s picnic. Politicians are publicizing the polished policemen’s work. The patient ran in panic for no particular reason Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

27. The ‘K’ sound This is an aspirated sound. It has to be pronounced like ‘kh’ with a puff of air thrown out: Examples: Color- Khalar Contribute- Khantribute Customer- Khustomer Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

28. Practice Exercise (emphasize on ‘k’ sound’) I was coming back home after my coaching classes. On my way I saw a cute girl clinging and cringing on the branch of a tree. She was crying at the top of her voice. I called out for her and asked her to calm down. She requested me to help her come down the tree. I feared that my clothes will get soiled. But I somehow gathered the courage to climb the tree. Just when I was a little short of clutching her arm, my leg slipped and I came crashing down the road. The cream color of my collar became black and I got a cut on my right knee. I quickly contained my anxiety and made quick steps towards the cocoon of my home. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

29. Voiced ‘TH’ Sound This sound is created by placing the tongue behind your teeth touching the upper palate of your mouth. The voiced ‘th’ usually occurs in function words or pronouns and words that end with ‘the’. Examples: This That These The They Breathe Teethe Bathe Sheathe Father Brother Mother Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

30. Unvoiced ‘TH’ Sound The unvoiced ‘TH’ sound is created by placing your tongue between your lips and releasing the air through the slit. The unvoiced ‘TH’ sound usually occurs in content words Examples: Thud Something With Thousand Both South North Thank Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

31. Exercise: Practice these words: Third Without Theatre Fourth Author Thought Fifth Nothing Thursday Eighth Thirsty Three Eleventh Theme Thelma Twelfth Month Dorothy Thirteenth Birthday Elizabeth Twentieth Through Samantha Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

32. The ’V’ Sound This is a voiced sound. To produce the ‘v’ sound allow your upper teeth to rest on your lower lip and push the sound through the slit. Bite the lower lip and feel the vibration. Examples: Verify, Discover, Voice Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

33. Practice Exercise Read these words with the correct ‘v’ sound. Valid Divide Above Invest Victim Heavy Love Velocity Video Save Leave Vegetables Vote Valentine Festival Vanessa Vinegar Vast Virtue Vice Evoke Arrive Victor Visit Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

34. The ‘W’ sound This is a voiced sound. To produce the ‘w’ sound, make your lips rounded and the tongue drawn back as in the position of ‘u’. Your lips should form a soft circle. Examples: Work Wedding Wednesday Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

35. Practice Exercise Read out these words with the correct ‘w sound. Twenty Wish Sandwich Sweet One Winter Weather Wait Water Wave Wallet Watch Walnut Wine Weed Weigh Weave Wander Wonder Walk Wash Wane Weep Win Weight Wise Railway Swim Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

36. How will you pronounce these words? Very Wary Verse Worse Wheel Veal West Vest Vie Whale While Vile Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

37. The Ch sound This is an unvoiced aspirated sound: Church Cherish Chant Chamber Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

38. The Ch sound Practice Exercise Charlie chose the chilly chicken Chitra chanced to sit on the Chiming chair. Cherry cheered the charming champion. Check the cheese before you eat. Channel of the chimney was charred. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

39. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The dj Sound This is a voiced sound Gin Ginger Practice Exercise: Gin and tonic water is the gist for success for gigantic parties. Gillette is the brand of a shaving gadget Gauge the height of the hill gingerly. Fit the gauge gently.

40. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The sh sound This is a voiced sound. Produce the ‘sh’ sound by pursing your lips in an oval shape resting your upper teeth straight on your lower teeth and blowing the air through the slit between the teeth.

41. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The sh sound Shell She Shoot English

42. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The sh sound Practice Exercise: Chef, Champagne Musician ,Ancient Tension, Pension Russia, Expression Sanction, Section

43. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The S Sound The S sound is a voiced sound produced by placing the tongue towards the upper ridge of your teeth and passing the air through the slit Swim State Start

44. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The S Sound Practice Exercise Sally Silly Smoke Sam Sells Straws Subway Street Station Sandy Study Strong Straight Stammer String

45. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The Zh sound This sound is produced in the same ways as sh. The only difference is that of a strong vibration in the throat: Pleasure Measure Treasure Seizure Leisure Azure

46. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The Z sound This is a voiced sound. It is produced by placing your tongue between the upper ridge of your teeth and gives a buzzing effect: Zebra, Zeal, Zoo, Zip, Zest

47. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds The Z sound Practice Exercise: Zulu Amaze Graze Crazy Blaze Cozy Doze Accuse Maze Glaze Praise Daze Ease Faze Freeze Buzz Lizard Jazzy Lazy Busy Zoology Prize Booze Maize

48. Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds Managing Clusters /sp/ Splash /st/ Style /str/ Straight /sts/ Lasts /ss/ Students strike /tr/ Train /dr/ Drive /kr/ Cross

49. Vowel Sounds Cecily Berry Exercise OOT OHT AWT AHT AYT EET EHT OOD OHD AWD AHD AYD EED EHD OON OHN AWN AHN AYN EEN EHN OOB OHB AWB AHB AYB EEB EHB OOP OHP AWP AHP AYP EEP EHP OOM OHM AWM AHM AYM EEM EHM OOG OHG AWG AHG AYG EEG EHG

50. Vowel Sounds Cecily Berry Exercise (continued) OOF OHF AWF AHF AYF EEF EHF OOV OHV AWV AHV AYV EEV EHV OOS OHS AWS AHS AYS EES EHS OOZ OHZ AWZ AHZ AYZ EEZ EHZ OOTH OHTH AWTH AHTH AYTH EETH EHTH

51. Vowel Sounds Vowels are sound carriers. A diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds

52. Vowel Sounds English Vowel Sounds a e i o u 20 Pure Vowels Diphthongs 12 8

53. Vowel Sounds Vowel Sounds Vowel sounds can be broadly categorized into: Long Vowels Short Vowels Diphthongs

54. Vowel Sounds Diphthongs: [aʊ] as in house [aɪ] as in kite [eɪ] as in same [juː] as in few [ɔɪ] as in join [ɪə] as in fear [ɛə] as in hair [ʊə] as in poor

55. Vowel Sounds Some Commonly Mispronounced Words Hotel Component Petrol Industry Engineer Cassette Decade Chaos Development

56. Intonation What is intonation “ Rise and fall in pitch is intonation” It can also be defined as “Speech Music”

57. Intonation Intonation is the rise and fall in pitch . It conveys personal intentions and emotions such as surprise, anxiety, excitement. Pitch is the number of vibrations per second. Changes in pitch determine the TONE of speech.

58. Intonation Let us look at examples: 1 . I didn’t say he stole the money 2. I didn’t say he stole the money 3. I didn’t say he stole the money 4. I didn’t say he stole the money 5. I didn’t say he stole the money 6. I didn’t say he stole the money 7. I didn’t say he stole the money

59. Intonation Let us look at the sentences again: 1 . I didn’t say he stole the money - someone else did 2. I didn’t say he stole the money- that’s not true at all 3. I didn’t say he stole the money- I only suggested it 4. I didn’t say he stole the money- someone else took it 5. I didn’t say he stole the money- he may have borrowed 6. I didn’t say he stole the money- but rather some other money 7. I didn’t say he stole the money- He may have taken jewelry

60. Intonation Rules of Intonation 1. Contrasting perceptions She learned cooking but never used that skill. She studied French but did not enjoy it. Mary speaks Spanish but she teaches Portuguese. Contrasts are intoned because they denote two opposite meanings, and therefore require emphasis.

61. Intonation Rules of Intonation Opinions I believe he is intelligent but you may differ from me It looks like a gun but it is a dummy. I feel they are extremely happy about the incident.

62. Intonation Rules of Intonation 2. Opinions Opinions are stressed since they denote strong perceptions. However, if there are nouns in the sentence, the nouns get more emphasis than the verbs. Example: Harry believes he is intelligent but you may differ from him.

63. Intonation Rules of Intonation 3. Negations and contractions: I can’t do anything about it I won’t do it for a million bucks She shouldn’t be going out alone All contractions are not stressed. Only the ones which carry the essence of negation .

64. Intonation Rules of Intonation 4. Adjective Phrases: The stress falls on the second word A beautiful girl A lovely rose A delicious meal A refreshing drink An amazing journey The lonely man

65. Intonation Rules of Intonation 5. Noun Phrases The stress falls on the first word Example: A hotdog A businessman A matchstick

66. Intonation Rules of Intonation 6.When there are no adverbs or nouns intone on the verbs They drank it fast. He came back for me.

67. Intonation Rules of Intonation 7. Longer phrases or sentences can contain more than one pitch jump. However, do not use exactly the same level of intonation twice in a row: Example: I tried to cook a delicious meal for her Our meeting schedule is flexible this afternoon

68. Intonation Rules of Intonation With close ended questions (When answer is a Yes or No) intonation rises at the end of the Question Are you married? With open ended questions (That cannot be answered in a yes or no) the intonation drops at the end of the statement or though group.   How Long have your worked Three Years  

69. Intonation Rules of Intonation   With Numbers:   Intonation rises at the last but one set of numbers indicating that you are approaching the end of the number and then drops on the last number as it does in statements   My phone Number is 91 11 2847 638

70. Intonation Rules of Intonation Intonation when giving choices:   Intonation will rise on the first choice or all the choices before the last one and down for the final option to indicate end of the choices Do you want red, black or yellow?   Other rules of intonation:   When new information is conveyed, nouns which are the carriers of new information are stressed   People enjoy parties Cats drink milk Men drive cars

71. Intonation What happens when we lack intonation while conversing? Negates the essence of information Makes us sound mechanical causes miscommunication

Accent Neutralization

What is accent? Who has an accent? What do we do to neutralize our accent? These questions and more will be answered by this post.

Everyone has an accent. So, when I hear some people say, “She’s good in English. She doesn’t have an accent,” I find it a bit amusing. Accent usually reflects the place where a person comes from, that’s why it’s easy to say if someone is Korean, American, Filipino, British, Australian, etc., even if they all speak in English. Accent is also one of the main reasons why people have a hard time understanding each other, and thus many people strive to change their accent. I said “change their accent” not “get rid of their accent”, because I think it’s more appropriate to say the former. People can actually change their accent by studying another accent and imitating it. When people say “neutralize” or “remove one’s accent”, what they often mean is to get the standard American English accent. So, how can we have this kind of accent?

First, we ought to study our native tongue’s vowel and consonant sounds and compare it to the Standard American English vowels and sounds. By doing this, we will know why we’re having difficulty imitating their accent and how we can succeed on doing it.
Ex. Tagalog (Philippine language)for instance have only 5 vowel sounds.

A E I O U
(as in father) (as in bet) (as in indeed) (as in all) (as in ooze)

English, on the other hand, although has the same vowels, each vowel has many different sounds.
A (as in father) A (as in mate) A (as in map)
I (as in ice) I (as in intention)
U (as in umbrella) U (as in university)

Hence, when some Filipinos speak in English, they tend to sound the English vowels a, e, i, o, u the same way they sound in their native tongue. This is what happens most of the time to other people of other languages. They carry over the sounds of their vowels when they speak in English.

Another problem is the aspirating sound of the English consonants, which is not done in one’s native tongue.

Ex. The Tagalog consonant sounds for instance need no air to be pushed out from the mouth when they are pronounced unlike English consonants.
Tunay (true) vs true
Pahina (page) vs page

For other languages, the problem is the lack of some consonant sounds in their native tongue, such as j, z, l, r, f, p.

Ex. In Japanese language, the L sound is nonexistent. Thus, when they say an English word with an L sound, they tend to sound it like an R which is the nearest sound to L in their native language.

In English, stress in words and sentences as well as intonation patterns is also a part of the so-called accent. So when we stress the words/sentences or use intonation patterns that are different from Standard American English (since we often carry over the stress and intonation patterns of our mother tongue to English), our accent would then sound different from Americans.

Ex. Remember that yes/no questions usually have a rising intonation and that wh questions usually have a falling intonation.

Are you okay? What time is it?

Also, remember that the keywords in a sentence are the ones enunciated well while the articles are glided over, so as not to sound robotic and monotonous.

Accent is the rhythm or music of our speech. Acquiring another accent is like learning songs. When we try to learn a new song, we study both its lyrics and its melody. If we just study the lyrics (in this case, the grammar of the language we’re studying) and we just ignore the melody by using the melody of the song we are most familiar with (using the accent and pronunciation of our mother tongue), we sound different from what is expected. Each language and dialect has its own rhythm which explains why we have different accents even if we all speak in English. The key to acquiring another accent is to understand and study that language (like English) as a totally different language (new song which melody and lyrics we both have to know), thus, following the pronunciation of its sounds, the intonation and stress patterns, etc., instead of linking it to our mother tongue. Do not carry over the rules of our language to the one we try to acquire.

accentaccent definitionhow to neutralize accent

4 comments:

Neutral Accent said...

1. The main cause of this trend towards accent neutralization / reduction is the demand created by outsourcing.
2. The problem that arises is that many customers have difficulties understanding accents other than their own; hence accent neutralization or reduction becomes important for customer satisfaction.
3. Neutral accent is a good idea.

Anonymous said...

thanks.. i really learned a lot.//

suzain said...

I enjoy being here I look forward to seeing your posts :

Rumah Dijual said...

Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.

53-2    Course in International Spoken English with accent Neutralisation for the religious people

This programme is designed bearing in mind the increased need of using English in pastoral, social and professional life. This is a full-fledged training aimed at developing the learner's language to a very commendable level of proficiency, especially by giving focus on eliminating the mother tongue interference (MTI) of the first language in English pronunciation and usage.

Course programme

Bangalore School of English is introducing a very special training programme in International Spoken English with accent Neutralisation for the religious people. This programme is designed bearing in mind the increased need of using English in pastoral, social and professional life. This is a full-fledged training aimed at developing the learner's language to a very commendable level of proficiency, especially by giving focus on eliminating the mother tongue interference (MTI) of the first language in English pronunciation and usage and building a natural, coherent and first language like command over English.
Special emphasis will be given on reading of English passages with accurate and impressive pronunciation, stress, intonation, clarity, and retention of meaning which will be of great help when reading out Bible in church and offering Holy Mass or even for homilies or public speaking.

FEATURES
- Accent training
- One to one training on speech sounds
Phonetics.
- Focus on important basic elements of pronunciation (connected speech, link up, contractions, and strong and week forms)
- Grammar classes through discussions and drills ( the applications of grammar in daily use is stressed on)
- Tips on writing letters , emails and essays
- Interactive conversational practices & activities
- Focus on building commonly used vocabulary ( common collocations, phrasal verbs and usage specific words)
- Video based lessons on the international ways of life and accents
- Common mistakes of Indian learners
- International styles and Expressions
- Special focus on reading of English passages especially Bible with stress, intonation, clarity

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53 – 3   Voice Effectiveness and Accent Neutralization

The basic criteria of communication or accent are that one should understand what the other person is saying and vice versa. Communication is a crucial part of globalization. This globalization has created revolution in entrepreneurship and outsourcing. The need for speaking in a neutral accent has been growing today because the customers and the clients have to interact in a universal language in a globally acceptable style and accent.

Initially people focused only on the American accent as Americans were the clients for many projects handled by different developing nations. Today many countries including developing nations outsource their projects for the sake of cost, quality and resources.

People other than the ones in the USA do not understand the American accent. This communication barrier is solved after the arrival of the accent neutralization concept.

During accent neutralization training, participants are taught how to speak in a neutral accent. This training helps to remove mother tongue influence. It helps you to speak English with a certain rhythm which sounds good in any cultural context.

The "Voice Effectiveness and Accent Neutralization" Training program can be offered to Corporate Clients, SMEs, Private and Public establishments across India. All our programs are customized to suit the participants' training needs. A detailed Training Design Document will be sent before the implementation of this training program.

Ideal Duration

From 3 days to Long-term interventions for continuous improvement

Key Learning Points:

Changing speech patterns

Voice production

Intonation and rhythm

Phonetics and Jaw Exercises

Vowel & Consonant Sounds

Syllable and Word Stress

Voice modulation & Speech therapy

Learning Areas from this Training Program

Changing regional accents to increase personal and professional opportunities

Engaging in extensive conversations, presentations and telephone calls

Being more confident and effective, both socially and professionally

Improving the professional image of your company

Ensuring greater understanding from listeners

Improving Voice Quality, Texture and Tone