Mastering the American Accent (Barron's Foreign Language Guides)

Audio (MP3) files can be found at http://americanaccent.barronsaudio.rints.com/ This combination book and audio instructional program is designed to diminish the accents of men and women who speak English as their second language. It will help them speak standard American English with clarity, confidence, and accuracy. Specific exercises concentrate on vowel sounds, problematic consonants such as V, W, TH, the American R, and the often confusing American T sound. It teaches them to employ correct syllable stress, emphasize the correct words in a sentence for native sounding rhythm, speak with American intonation, link words for smoother speech flow, use common word contractions, and more. Additional topics that often confuse ESL students are also discussed and explained. They include distinguishing between casual and formal speech, homophones (for instance, they're and there), recognizing words with silent letters (comb, receipt, and others), and avoiding embarrassing pronunciation mistakes, such as mixing up "beach" and "bitch." Students are familiarized with many irregular English spelling rules and exceptions, and are shown how such irregularities can contribute to pronunciation errors. A native language guide references problematic accent issues of 13 different language backgrounds. Correct lip and tongue positions for all sounds are discussed in detail. There is also a link to downloadable audio that uses male and female voices to coach correct American-style pronunciation. If English Is Your Second Language And You Want To Express Yourself With Greater Clarity, Confidence, And Accuracy, Turn To This Book. Speech Expert Lisa Mojsin Gives You All Of The Advice And Instruction You're Looking For, Along With Specific Exercises That Will Help You Perfect Your Accent. Concentrate On Vowel Sounds, Problematic Consonants Such As Th, V, W, And The American R And L, And More. You'll Also Learn To Stress The Correct Syllables Of Each Word And Link Your Words Rhythmically For More Natural, American-sounding Speech. This Program's Native Language Guide Helps You By Referencing Problematic Accent Issues Of 13 Different Language Backgrounds. A Helpful Link To Downloadable Audio Of Male And Female Voices Will Also Coach You As You Practice American-style Pronunciation. The Vowel Sounds -- Vowels In Detail -- Consonants -- Problematic Consonants -- Syllable Stress -- Word Stress -- Intonation -- Sound Like A True Native Speaker -- Memorizing The Exceptions. Lisa Mojsin.