Voice & Accent Training Manual1 Table of Contents DAY-1 Break up timings Overview of Voice & Accent 30. Mins Pre-assessment of Voice & Accent Recording Exercise 1. Hour Reading Exercise & Extempore (To assess Stress Pattern, Expression & Grammar) 1. Hour Pre-assessment Feedback 30. Mins DAY- 2 Consonant Sound & Articulation Review 45. Mins Sound Practice 45. Mins Reading Exercise 45. Mins Phonetic 45. Mins 2 DAY- 3 Vowel Sound & Neutral Accent Review 30. Mins Sound Practice 45. Mins Reading Exercise 45. Mins Visual Clips 20. Mins Phonetic 40. Mins DAY- 4 Review Session Recap of Sound using Cue Card 01. Hour Reading 45. Mins Group Discussion 30. Mins Listening & Comprehension 45. Mins Overview of Voice and Accent There are 3 level 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. 3 they use the closest sound from their native language instead. But what exactly is an accent ? Essentially. As a result. they choose /i/ as in the word he or meet.they substitute a similar sound which exists in their native language. is not enough. we achieve success! The key to learning to speak English clearly and correctly is training and practice. Everybody is born with these muscle groups located in our tongue. an accent is the process by which a speaker substitutes a sound from their native language for a sound from English. For example. lips and jaw. What is an "Accent?" We often hear people say." Simply observing or knowing how to." Reducing your accent is different than other skills such as grammar and vocabulary. Clear and accurate speech comes from "doing. Usually. music.Level 3: People understand you. ". The first reason is that the speaker is not aware that a specific sound exists in English. sports or martial arts. " I want to reduce my accent. and your English is pleasant to listen to Can I reduce my Accent? Anybody with the desire to reduce their accent can reduce their accent. Studying accent reduction is more like studying dance." or "He has an accent. proper instruction and most of all practice and training! Accent reduction is about "doing. When we combine our desire with proper instruction and practice. many students are unaware of the sound /I/ as in the word chip or big. This “transference” occurs mainly for two reasons. Awareness and knowledge is important but you have to try it in order to be able to actually do it. It involves the training of muscle groups. Change begins with the desire to change. 4 . when saying the word chip. All that you need is the desire to change. Hence. / /d/ or /t/.” Another element of an accent is incorrect intonation. For example instead of saying convince They might say: convince This can be confusing for a listener. O and U. You have to become aware of the melody of English. For example. using them habitually in your everyday speech. It's a very simple melody and you don't have to have musical training or a musical ear to learn it. In order to lose your accent. Don't worry. E. there are five vowels in the Latin alphabet-A. you must first become aware of all the sounds of English. an accent -not to mention some confusion in mid -conversation. English has a melody. some people have accents because they put the stress in the wrong places of words and sentences. I. many students are aware of the sound /th/ as in think or that.So a word like chip ends up sounding like cheap and there it is . However the articulation of the sound is just too difficult or feels unnatural The result is that /th/ is pronounced like /s/. The word that may sound like “zat” or “ dat” The student chooses /z/ or /d/ because it's easier and “close enough. Losing your accent involves learning how to properly articulate the vowels and consonant sounds and finally. But there are simple rules to guide you when you're not sure. The second reason a speaker substitutes the wrong sound is that he or she may simply find it too difficult to pronounce the correct sound. Finally. /z. It doesn't involve specific pitches – just knowing when to raise your pitch and when to lower it. For example. there are fifteen vowels sounds in English! You are probably already aware of most of them. it gets easier and the stress patterns start to become second nature. 5 . However. Once you learn the rules. L. F. C. November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor W. Lettters Phonetic Sound Alphabet A. Q. Alpha-Alfah Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mile N. U. V.CONSONANT SOUND AND ARTICULATION Phonetic Alphabet The phonetic alphabet is an internationally recognized set of words used to clarify the letters of the alphabet. A B C D E F G H I J K L Letters Phonetic Alphabets Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Sound ALfah BRAHvoh CHARlee DELLtah ECKoh FOCKStrot Golf HohTELL INdeeah JEWleeETT KEYloh LEEmah 6 . J. Whenever you have to take down a message and check the spelling of the word. P. G. Z. use the phonetic alphabet to check that you have got it right. Whisky X. R. B. X-Ray Yankee Zulu K. T. M. Y. S. I. D. O. H. E. 7 . which refers to whether or not there is a vibration of the vocal cords as the sound is produced. which refers to where in the mouth the sound is produced. 1 (b) manner of articulation. 2 3 (c) Voicing.M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey X-ray Yankee Zulu Mike noVEMber OSScah pahPAH KehBECK ROWmeoh seeAIRrah TANGgo YOUneeform VIKtah WISSkey ECKSray YANGkey ZOOloo CONSONANT Consonants are produced when the airstream is obstructed in the vocal tract. Consonant sounds can be characterized according to three main phonetic properties: 0 (a) place of articulation. which refers to the way the air is obstructed in the mouth while producing the sound. Consonants Ph 8 . Pho 9 . tongue on together lip teeth toothridge teeth hard palate back of tongue on soft palate throat VL VD VL VD VL VD stop fricative affricate nasal liquid glide m p b f v Θ ð VL VD t d s z n l VL VD VL VD k g ʃ ʒ ʧ ʤ ŋ r y w h VL 10 .VOICED AND VOICELESS CONSONANTS Voiced Consonants – These are the consonant sounds which is produced from the larynx and the pronunciation of the same will make the vocal chord vibrate Voiceless Consonants – These are the consonant sounds which is produced from the tongue tip and their will be no vibration of vocal chord while pronouncing the same. lips bottom tongue . [s]. e. e. and [m]. Arabic [÷]. Glottal sounds. which are produced by raising the back part of the tongue to the soft palate or the velum. which are produced at the glottis. which are produced by having the lower lip touch the upper teeth. e.g. e. [z].g.g. Alveolar sounds. [T] as in “think”. which are produced when both lips are brought together. and [N]. Velar sounds. e. [d]. and [r]. and [D] as in “this”. [k].Places of articulation • • Bilabial sounds. Labiodental sounds. [n]. which are produced at the pharynx. [t]. Alveopalatal sounds. and [dZ] as in “jam”. Interdental sounds.g. [h] and [/]. Uvular sounds. which are produced by raising the front part of the tongue to the alveolar ridge. [l]. [f] and [v].g. [b]. e. [p]. which are produced when the front part of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge and then the hard palate (that part of the mouth which is just behind the alveolar ridge).g. e. Pharyngeal sounds. which are produced when the tip of the tongue comes between the upper and lower teeth.g. e. [Z] as in “vision”. [tS] as in “choose”. • • • • • • • 11 . which are produced by raising the back of the tongue to the uvula.g. which is the final sound in “king”.g. [S] as in “shoe”. [g]. e. French [{] and Arabic [q]. Fricatives: such sounds are produced by a partial obstruction of the airstream. Affricates: such sounds are produced by a stop closure followed immediately by a slow release of the closure characteristic of the fricative. there is some obstruction of the airstream in the mouth. [T]. e. Stops: such sounds are produced by a complete obstruction of the airstream in the mouth. Liquids: In the production of these sounds.g. [b]. and in 12 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • . but not enough to cause any real constriction or friction. e. [p]. [v]. [j] and [w]. [k]. [tS] and [dZ].g. e. Glides: such sounds are produced with little or no obstruction of the air in the mouth. [S]. and [N]. e. This is referred to as the manner of articulation for the sound. and [g]. [s]. [z]. [D].Manners of articulation • Speech sounds are also differentiated by the way the airstream is affected as it travels from the lungs up and out of the mouth and nose. [d].g. they must always be either followed or preceded by a vowel. [l] and [r]. causing friction.g. Nasals: such sounds are produced when the air escapes through the nasal cavity rather than the mouth. [m]. where the passage in the mouth through which the air escapes is very narrow. When occurring in a word. [n]. and [Z].g. [t]. e. e.g. [f]. [b]. The sounds produced this way are characterized as voiceless. Such sounds are voiced sounds. Compare your pronunciation of the [p]. e. the air is not obstructed at the glottis and it passes freely into the supraglottal cavities. [p]. the airstream forces its way through and causes them to vibrate. • By contrast. [t]. e. if the vocal cords are together.g. Voicing 1 • Consonant sounds may be produced either with or without a vibration of vocal cords. [d]. and [s]. 13 . Aspiration 2 1 A few sounds (specifically the voiceless stops) are produced with an extra puff of air when occurring initially.g.their articulation the tongue moves rapidly in a gliding fashion either toward or away from a neighboring vowel. 2 • If the vocal cords are apart when the airstream is pushed from the lungs. and [z]. [t]. The voiceless stops in the first words are therefore characterized as “aspirated” sounds.Voiced Da Da Da Da Na Na Na Na Wa. Wa. Ng Zsh Zsh Zsh Zsh Ba Ba Ba Ba Ma Ma Ma Ma Va Va Va Va Th Th Th Th Za Za Za Za 14 . which is called aspiration. which distinguish them from the unaspirated voiceless stops that do not occur initially.g. whereas in the second word of each pair no such aspiration is found. the voiceless stop is released with a strong puff of air. Ng. In transcription. school You can easily notice that in the first word of each pair. star 2 (c) cool vs. spit [spIt] Consonant Drill Consonant . Wa. we indicate this difference in aspiration by superscripting the aspirated sound with [h]. spit 1 (b) tar vs.and [k] sounds in both words in each of the following pair: 3 0 (a) pit vs. e. Ng. Wa Ng. pit [phIt]. Ja. Ja Ra Ra Ra Ra Ha. Ya. Ya. Ha. (a) bridge _____________ ______________ (a) buzz: (a) thank: (b) death: (c) thought: 15 . Ga Consonant . Ya Ga. Ja.Voiceless Ph Ph Ph Ph Th Th Th Th Sa Sa Sa Sa Ch Ch Ch Ch Fa Fa Fa Fa Ta Ta Ta Ta Sha Sha Sha Sha Ka Ka Ka Ka Exercises Consonant contrasts that cause difficulty Transcribe and say the following: 1. Ga. (a) tank: _____________ ______________ (b) debt: _____________ ______________ (c) taught: ____________ _____________ 2. Ga. Ha. Ha Ya.La La La La Ja. (a) ledger: _____________ ______________ (b) legion: _____________ ______________ 4. (a) same: _____________ ______________ (b) sea: _____________ ______________ (c) ass: _____________ ____________ (b) ways: (c) chains: (a) leisure: (b) lesion: (a) whim: (b) worse: (c) west: (a) doze: (b) peas: (c) knees: (a) shame: (b) she: (c) ash: 16 . (a) vim: _____________ _____________ (b) verse: _____________ ______________ (c) vest: ______________ ______________ 5.(b) wage: _____________ ______________ (c) change: ____________ ______________ 3. (a) dose: _____________ ______________ (b) peace: _____________ ______________ (c) niece: ____________ ______________ 6. These teas aren't those teas. jaw. trickety trackety truck. hair untied. rip and rap. That tike ties together three threads. clickety clackety cluck. which would you pick every time? Ribbons rolled. It is simple and can BE INTERESTING. lip and lap. real lime. Something sure is fishy in this city. I wish her well forevermore. rap. freely frilly fray. rip. A shout from the south woke the sleeping sherriff.Consonant Tongue Twisters Exercise Twisters with "t" and "th" Those toes aren't these toes. and thirteen tee-shirts are tie-dyed teal green. the tan tee-shirts total thirty. This tike ties threads together twice. Learn to articulate properly. leafy lettuce reminds me of really pretty. 17 . lip. Twisters with "s" and "sh" She's so sick. Real lemon. Tongue twisters are excellent for sharpening enunciation. The teal tee-shirts total thirteen. They make your lips. and she's so sore. what's your excuse? Tip and tap. Twist twice to tie tightly. leapy lippy lay. green trees. Feely filly fay. ribbons loose. Loose. lap. Tongue Twisters For S T C F L Snickety snackety snuck. Thirty tee-shirts are tan. tap. reapy rippy ray. Rotten lettuce really reeks. Silver slivers shimmer softly in the sunlight. Tip. Those threads the two tikes tied are tight. Twisters with "r" and "l" The rickety ladder rattled right and left before it crashed through the glass. and WH These sounds require extremely tenuous coordination. Explode that "b. sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles. FOR M: Military malarkey makes monstrous madmen into maligned martyrs. how much wood would a woodchuck chuck. if a woodchuck would? But if a woodchuck would chuck wood. FOR B: A big black bug bit a big black bear. For "Sh" and "Zh" the fissure is broader. quick. and arch it toward the hard palate.and tongue EXERCISE and increase your ability to articulate. The same for the "Z"— except it is vocalized. how much wood would a woodchuck chuck. The tongue tip should protrude ever so slightly. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. FOR TH: Theophilus Thistle. pucker the lips. FOR P: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. the thistle sifter. Tongue Twisters For: B. To pronounce "S" you raise your tongue. M. where is the sieve of sifted thistles Theophilus the thistle sifter sifted? What dost thou think of those that go thither? S. If Theophilus the thistle sifter sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles. if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood? Th (thing) and TH(thou) Touch the tip of the tongue to the rim of the upper teeth." Bring those lips down hard. P. Force the breath through the narrow fissure. and sharply for B. 18 . and W These consonants demand ACTIVE LIPS! Say "Boom". For the W. M. FOR S: Suzy Schell sells sea shells on the seashore. where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. For "Wh" purse the lips as you blow the breath through the extended fissure. groove it. made a big black bear bleed. P. Z. FOR W: If a woodchuck would chuck wood. the entire tongue arches itself along the roof of the mouth—without touching it. For Moses knowses his toeses aren't roses as Moses supposes. FOR N: A snifter of snuff is enough snuff of a sniff for the snuff-sniffer. H. FOR WH: What whim led Whitey White to whittle near a wharf where a whale might wheel and whirl? T. 19 . On the R. FOR V: Vern Verve is well versed in very wordy verb verse. FOR T: Thomas Tattertoot took taut twine to tie ten twigs to two tall trees. But V is vocalized. Non double bubble gum doesn't bubble double. FOR L: Likeable Lillian loves lovely luminous aluminum linoleum. Your tongue should snap as a whip. FOR D: Double bubble gum bubbles double. Say the word "fife." This is an example. F is unvocalized and the breath is merely allowed to escape. The first four of these consonants are made alike. and R A lazy TONGUE will get you in trouble with these twisters. D. L. FOR R: Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.FOR Z: Moses supposes his toeses are roses. N. F and V Both F and V are formed by biting lightly the lower inside lip. FOR F: I never felt felt feel Hat like that felt felt. K. and NG H is simply made by expiring through the mouth. but Moses supposes amiss. The tip of it should SHARPLY TOUCH the hard palate—just above the upper teeth. swinging. Vowel A vowel is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by an open configuration of the vocal tract. which are characterized by a constriction or closure at one or more points along the vocal tract Articulation 20 . But force the voice through the nasal passage. If Harry Hugh hid the heel behind the high hill. in contrast to consonants.K requires the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate. FOR H: Harry Hugh hid the heel behind the high hill. again arch the tongue in the same manner. FOR NG: The ringing. When sounding Ng (sing). singing singers sang winning songs. The breath is then released VERY SHARPLY. where is the heel Harry Hugh hid? FOR K: Cass Cash can catch a check cashier to cash his un-cashed check. G is merely the vocalized form of this sound. such as [i]. the tongue is positioned low in the mouth.The articulatory features that distinguish different vowels in a language are said to determine the Vowel’s quality. However. Vowel System is determined in terms of common features like: 1) Height (vertical dimension) 2) Backness (horizontal dimension) 3) Roundedness (lip position) Height: Height refers to the vertical position of the tongue relative to either the roof of the mouth or the aperture of the jaw. the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth. Roundedness Roundedness refers to whether the lips are rounded or not. the more intense the rounding. In Round vowels such as [o] and [u] the lips comes together and forward to form round shape. Backness Backness refers to the horizontal tongue position during the articulation of a vowel relative to the back of the mouth. whereas in low vowels. the tongue is positioned towards the back of the mouth. In most languages. In front vowels. such as [i] and [u]. whereas in back vowels. such as [a]. such as [u]. some languages treat roundedness and backness separately. and not distinctive. the tongue is positioned high in the mouth. roundedness is a reinforcing feature of mid to high back vowels. In high vowels. Usually the higher a back vowel. 21 . " • . can form a syllable by itself: hell-o. ie. The word "vowel" came into English from the Latin vocalis meaning "voice.. the vocal cords vibrate.. it is produced by not blocking the breath with the lips. • .A Vowel Sound • . ie... teeth.. is always voiced (VD). is an OPEN sound.. aw-ful front high sit /I/ mid say /ey/ met /ɛ/ low cat /æ/ seat /iy/ central back do /uw/ book /ʊ/ up /ʌ/ no /ow/ schwa /ə/ ball /ɔ/ my /ay/ stop /a/ now /aw/ 22 . or tongue. Vowels Phon 23 . Phon Vowel Exercises 24 . DRILLS oo oop oops oosp oosps oopk ou oup oups ousp ousps oupk aw awp awps awsp awsps awpk aa aap aaps aasp aasps aapk aye ayep ayeps ayesp ayesps ayepk ee eep eeps eesp eesps eepk aaow aaowp aaowps aaowsp aaowsps aaowpk aai aaip aaips aaisp aaisps aaipk SHORT VOWEL SOUNDS EH BET CHECK DESK DEBT FENCE GET KED LET MEN NET I BIT CHICK DID FIT GRIT KILL LIT MILK KNIT PIT OO BOOK COOK PUSH FOOT GOOD COOK LOOK SHOULD NOOK PUT UH BUT CUT DOES FUN GUT CUD LUMP MUCK KNUCKLE PUTT AE BAT CAT THAT FRANK GALLERY CATCH LAMP MAT NATURAL PACK A AGAIN TOGETHER EVER GATHER MOTHER BROTHER ELDER SPONSOR TRAINER TEACHER AW BOUGHT CAUGHT DOT FROCK GOT COT LOTTERY MOCK KNOCK POPCORN 25 . LONG VOWEL SOUND Aa CAR BARK DARK HEART BAR CAR CALM PALM CHARM I BEET QUICHE DEEP HEAT EAT SEAT DEEPER KEEP NEAT Uu SHOE TRUE CLUE DROOL DO FOOL COOL FOOD RUDE Er SHIRT DIRT TURN FERN CHURN BURN CURT BURST SURF awh HALL LONG TALL BROAD LONGER ALL WALLET WALNET WALL Vowel contrasts that cause difficulty Transcribe and say the following: 1(a) buy: _____________ ______________ (b) fete: _____________ ______________ (a) boy: (b) foil: . (c) tie _____________ : ____________ (c) toy : (d) I’ll: ____________ ______________ (d) oil: 2(a) sail : ______________ _____________ (a) sell: (b) fail: _____________ ______________ (c) paper: ____________ ____________ (d) late: _____________ _____________ (b) fell: (c) pepper: (d) let: 3(a) low: _____________ ______________ (b) show: _____________ ______________ (c) so : _____________ ______________ (d) coke: _____________ ______________ (a) law: (b) snore: (c) saw: (d) cork: 4(a) hurt: _____________ _____________ (b) curt: _____________ ______________ (c) shirt: ______________ ______________ (a) hut: (b) cut: (c) shut: . (d) turn: _____________ _____________ (d) fun: 5(a) green: _____________ ______________ (b) meals: _____________ ______________ (c) ease: ______________ ____________ (a) grin: (b) mill: (c) is: (d) beaten: _____________ _____________ (d) bitten: 6(a) main: ______________ _____________ (a) men: (b) hail: _____________ ______________ (c) raid: ____________ ____________ (b) hell: (c) red: (d) wait: _____________ _____________ (d) wet: 7(a) hate: _____________ ______________ (b) made: _____________ ______________ (c) rate : _____________ ______________ (d) rain: _____________ ______________ (a) hat: (b) mad: (c) rat: (d) ran: 8(a) back: _____________ _____________ (a) bark: . When she put it in her batter. and really ripped her raincoat. Feeling ill or feeling well. and tiny little creepers. “If I put it in my batter. /I/. it will make my batter bitter. / . / / Betty Botter bought some butter. Phil will hardly ever tell. but she said “This butter’s bitter. / /.(b) hat: _____________ ______________ (c) pack: ______________ ______________ (d) cat: _____________ _____________ (b) heart: (c) park: (d) cart: 9(a) pool: _____________ _____________ (b) fool: _____________ ______________ (c) shooed: ____________ _____________ (a) pull: (b) full: (c) should: Vowel Tongue Twister Practice: Twisters with "i" and "ee" Bumblebees briefly buzzed beneath the bins of beans. Vowel sounds / /. Treena tripped on the tree root. / /. she bought some better butter. Phyllis didn't eat a bit of the beets. better than the bitter butter. Practice with vowel sounds / /. /. / /. /a/. the butter made her batter better. /ay/. She sells slippers. Tins of tiny sardines filled the field. Feeling full. /aw/.” So. /a/. sleepers. and do. Practice with /iy/ and /I/ The sheep on the ship slipped on the sheet of sleet. where. It is therefore impossible to speak without an accent Your accent results from how. I know that’s not the note that Noel wrote. and when you learned the language you are speaking and it gives impressions about you to other people. We can control the way we speak. Practice with /ow/ Joe told a joke he wrote on his own. Most people vary their accent depending on who they are speaking with. Neutral Accent . We change our accents.Gnats are not now gnawing on the nuts at night. The coat from the coast cost more than most Neutral Accent What is Neutral Accent? An accent is a way of pronouncing a language. / y/. Practice with diphthongs /ay/. often without noticing. and /aw/ /ay/ Quite nice white mice /aw/ How now brown cow / y/ The spoiled boy foiled the coy boy’s joy by purloining his toy. People do not have a single fixed accent which is determined by their experiences. as we have new life experiences. The keen king kissed the quick queen on her green ring. both consciously and unconsciously.