American English pronunciation difficulties from 3 other languages

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It will appear here tomorrow.


  American English Pronunciation: Difficulties from 3 other languages

China is a huge country, and Mandarin is spoken differently in various parts of China. For some people, Mandarin is actually their second language, not their first.

People in India speak somewhere between 780 and 1683 different languages, although reportedly only 21 are officially recognized.

People in so many countries speak Spanish, and there are numerous dialects of it. Again, some Hispanics speak Spanish as their second language, with another local language being their "mother tongue" or first language.

Having said that, today (with a lot of generalization), we will be comparing some difficulties each linguistic group has with speaking English. Business Speech Improvement does individual assessments of each speaker in our seminars on American English Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals, so these are some generalities.

First, English is the only language that pronounces the "th" sound. In some countries, such as parts of China, clients have reported that it is rude to put one's tongue between one's teeth to produce this sound; instead, people use an "s" sound or omit it entirely. In India, many people trying to say "th" say a "t" or "d" sound instead. In Hispanics, often the sound is omitted, or an "s" sound is used instead.

Hispanics often have difficulty with the American sounds of  "v", our final sounds such as "t" in "sit", the

"vowel r" sounds like ar (car) and er (her). "Sh" (shoe) and "ch" (chew) may be hard for some to pronounce as well.

Mandarin (and Cantonese) speakers from China and nearby areas may have difficulty with the "l" and "r" sounds, "r blends" such as tree, and final sounds such as "z"  in "is". Other sounds may also be difficult.

Native Indians come from so many languages that it is hard to generalize. Many learn British English in school, and then want to learn American English, which is different at times in vocabulary and pronunciation. For example, the word "schedule" is pronounced in English as "shedjule", while in the USA, we say "skedjule". England uses "lorries", while in the USA, we call them "trucks".

Speech training for native speakers of all of these languages starts with an individual speech assessment, and then a custom-designed training program to focus on what each person needs to learn. The seminar on American English Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals is offered in only 3 days to a group of 6 learners, with a follow-up plan. These sessions are ideal for those who are visiting the USA and want help before business meetings or presentations here.  Individual 1-3 day sessions are available, although spaces for these are limited.  Online training sessions are also an option, in many cases.

For those who are unable to attend the training, e-books and a mp3 files on many aspects of communication are also an option .

                                  

                

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