A Short Glance to the Accent

Accent: An accent is the unique way that speech is pronounced by a

group of people speaking the same language.

A person's accent depends on many factors; however, accents are usually

grouped in the following way:

 Regional Accents - for example, people who are from Texas often
sound different than people who are from New York.

 Foreign Accents - for example, someone who was raised speaking

English will sound different than someone who was raised speaking
Pashto and learned English as an adult.
Accents are a natural part of spoken languages. It is important to realize
that no accent is better than another. It should also be stressed that
accents are NOT a speech or language disorder.

How do accents affect communication?

Accents reflect the unique characteristics and background of a person.
Many people take great pride in their accents. However, some people
may have difficulty communicating because of their accent. These
difficulties include the following:
• People not understanding you
• Avoiding social interaction with those who may not understand you
• Frustration from having to repeat yourself all the time
• People focusing on your accent more than on what you are trying to
say
Can I change my accent?
Yes, with lots of hard work, practice, and the help of a qualified speech-
language pathologist (SLP), you can learn how to change your speech
pronunciation. Changing your accent is also known as "accent
modification" or "accent reduction." An SLP can provide services to
speakers who want to modify or reduce their accent. People who receive
these types of services include the following:

• Non-native English speakers

• Speakers who want to reduce a regional accent
• Business and medical professionals who want to improve their
communication skills because of a foreign or regional accent
• Actors who need to learn a new accent for a role or performance
 A Brief Outlook to the Dialect
Dialect definition: A dialect is a form of a language that is specific to a
particular region or group.
in other words, a dialect refers to a branch of a language. Within this
branch, different terms are used for different things.

Dialects are usually formed around particular regions. However, they

may also be used within certain groups of people.

For example, in The United States, there is a particular dialect in the

Southern states. Within that Southern dialect, however, there may be
subgroups who speak yet another dialect.
Foods are the most common terms to change within a dialect. What one
dialect might call shrimp, another might call crawfish or crawdads.
 Dialect VS. Accent

Dialect and accent are the two aspects of the language. However, there
are some overlaps it means they have something in common:

An accent is also specific to a region. In English, there might be an

American, British, or Australian accent. An accent is an inflection (a
change in the form of a word) that occurs with word pronunciation.
A dialect is entirely different words or ways of communicating
altogether. Dialect goes beyond mere pronunciation.

Examples of Accent:
• An American might pronounce the word, “hello,” by speaking the “h”
sound.
• A British might pronounce the word, “hello,” without speaking the
“h” sound.
• This is still the same word, just spoken with a different accent.
Examples of Dialect:
• A Northern American might say, “hello.”
• A Southern American might say, “howdy.”
• This is an example of the differences in dialect.

In a result, particular group of people that they speak on the same

language, in dialect they use completely different words or sentences or
the way of communication with the same meaning. For example in
Pashto: Kali /ˈkɑ:li/ Jami /dʒɑmeɪ/
Khostians say: Kirtaka mi wa sheekida. Zadran and Tani say: Chaplaka
mi washkida. In Standard Pashto we say: chapal mi Pri sho (washikida).

Accent is also used by particular group of people, but in accent comes

just pronunciation change within in a word. Like in Pashto
Mog /mʊg/ Meeg /mi:g/ Mozh /mʊʒ/ mizh /mi:ʒ/
 A Brief Overview to the Syllable

Syllable: a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or

without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word.

Syllable structure: Generally, syllable is divided into two parts ( Onset

and Rhyme) in its turn rhyme is also fallen into two parts (Nucleus and
Coda). The Onset and coda are consonants or consonant cluster that
appear at the beginning(Onset) and at the end(Coda)of syllable. Like in
demonstration (/ˌdɛ.mən.ˈstreɪ.ʆən/), splits (/splɪts/)

Consonants cluster Syllable

Now let’s take a look anatomy of Syllable: Onset Rhyme

A syllable does not necessarily have to have an onset or a coda -
depending on the language - but a nucleus must always present.
This why? Because the nucleus makes up a rhyme itself. Nucleus Coda
Like in: Skin /skɪn/ “sk” are Onset
“i or ɪ” is Nucleus
“ n” is Coda
Some syllables may not have coda like in the following example:
Day / deɪ/ “D or d” is Onset and “ay or eɪ” are or is Nucleus.

Some syllables may not have Onset like in the following:

Eat /i:t/ “Ea or i:” are or is Nucleus and “t” is Coda.

Some neither have Onset nor Coda like in the following example:
a /ə/ “ə” is nucleus like in “A” /eɪ/ “eɪ” is nucleus.
Apple /ˈæ.pəl/ here in the first syllable just has nucleus that is “A or æ”,
and second syllable “ p” is Onset and “ə” nucleus, and the “l” is Coda.
Therefore, the nucleus is the core of the syllable, and is most often a
vowel or combination of vowels.
Even in English, syllable nuclei are not restricted to vowels. For
example, in the monosyllabic word, “hmm”, the syllable nucleus is the
nasal consonant [ṃ]. The small dot underneath the character ṃ indicates
that the sound represented is a syllabic consonant, which is any
consonant that forms a syllable nucleus is doted . Vowels are not marked
with the same diacritic because they are always considered to be
syllabic.
Consonant cluster
In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have
no intervening vowel. In English, for example, the groups /spl/ and /ts/
are consonant clusters in the word splits. Some linguists argue that the
term can only be properly applied to those consonant clusters that occur
within one syllable. Others contend that the concept is more useful when
it includes consonant sequences across syllable boundaries. According to
the former definition, the longest consonant clusters in the word extra
 Vocal Features

As we know that the sounds can be significantly affected by vocal

features as known as stress, rhythm, and intonation. These features help
to convey meaning and must be used correctly in order to understand
completely.
Stress
Stress is the first vocal feature we will deal with, that is, speakers must
stress certain syllables in words; otherwise the words would be
misunderstood or sound strange. Now let’s learn it through definition and
example:

Definition: Stress refers to the amount of volume that a speaker gives to

a particular sound, syllable, or word while saying it. Stressed sounds and
syllable are louder and longer than unstressed ones.
Note: the words accent, stress and emphasis are frequently used
interchangeably. That is can be used in place of each other.
 Stress in English
• A major characteristic of the English language is the use of strong and
weak stress.
• Every word of more than one syllable has a syllable that is
emphasized more than the others.
• Accented syllables receive more force and are louder than unaccented
ones.
• Correct use of stress is essential for achieving proper pronunciation of
words.
• If you stress the wrong syllable, you can totally lose the meaning of a
word: “MA-sheen /ˈmɑ:.ʆi:n/” is hardly recognizable as “ ma—
SHEEN /məˈʆi:n/ or machine” .
 Possible Pronunciation problems in English Stress

Many languages have specific rules for accenting words. When there is
an exception to the rule, an accent mark is generally written above the
stressed syllable. There are no consistent rules in English. Finally, you
may have difficulty when trying to accent syllables correctly.
Like in the following examples:
1. If you place the stress on the wrong syllable:
désert /ˈdɛzɚt/ ( dry barren region) will sound like dessért /dɪˈzɚt/ (sweet food).
ʹinvalid / ʹɪnvəlɪ/i:/əd/(bedridden/ ill person) will sound like inva
‵ lid /ɪn‵vælɪd/ (void, null).
2. If you stress every vowel in word equally and forget to reduce vowels in unaccented syllable:
tomórrow/tə‵mɒ/ɔ:/ɑroʊ/ will sound like tómórów / ‵tʊ‵mɑ‵roʊ/
Becàuse / bɪ‵kɑɒɔ:əʌz/ will sound like bécàuse /‵bɪ‵kɑʌɔz/
Stress also bring change in the meaning of sentence: like in: “ I saw a movie” is different from “
I saw a movie.”
In English, proper use of stress enables you to clearly understand the difference between such
words as the noun Present / ‵preɛzənt/ (a gift) and the verb present /prɪ‵zɛnt/ (to introduce; to
offer).
 Rules to Stress on the Syllables

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses,

you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true that there can be a "secondary"

stress in some words. But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and

is only used in long words.)

2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the

stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to try to

"feel" the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.
 Rules to Stress on the Syllables

1. The majority of two-syllable words are accented on the FIRST syllable.

 If noun or adjective that has two-syllable the stress comes on the first syllable
like in nouns : Contest Record
Adjective: Rainy Awful
 If a verb or preposition has two-syllables the Second-Syllable is stressed. Like in
Verbs: Contest Record
Note: There are many two-syllable words in English whose meaning and class change with a
change in stress. The word present, for example is a two-syllable word. If we stress the first
syllable, it is a noun (gift) or an adjective (opposite of absent). But if we stress the second
syllable, it becomes a verb (to offer). More examples: the words export, import, contract and
object can all be nouns or verbs depending on whether the stress is on the first or second
syllable.

 Three Syllable words that end with “er” or “ly” the stress comes
on the First-syllable. Like Manager /‵mænɪdʒər/ Silently /‵saɪləntli/
 Other types of three syllable words that end with “y” or “consonant” once
again the first syllable is accented or stressed. Like in the following examples
Clarity Generous
 Stress on penultimate syllable (second from the end):
• Words ending in “ic” GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic,/dʒi‵ɑgræfɪk/ geoLOGic /dʒi‵ɑ:lədʒɪk/
• Words ending in “-sion or –tion” teleVIsion, reveLAtion

Note: For a few words, native English speakers don't always "agree" on where to put
the stress. For example, some people say teleVIsion and others say TELevision.
Another example is: CONtroversy and conTROversy.

 Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

• Words ending in “-cy, -ty, -phy and –gy” deMOcracy,
dependaBIlity, phoTOgraphy, geOLogy
• Words ending in “ –al” CRItical, geoLOGical

 Compound words (words with two parts)

• For compound nouns, the stress is on the first part. Like in the following
examples: BLACKbird GREENhouse
 • For compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part. Or last syllable
Such as in:
bad-TEMpered,/ˌbæd‵tɛmpɚd / old-FASHioned, / oʊld‵fæʆən/
• For compound verbs, the stress is on the second part. Such as in:
underSTAND, overFLOW
 Numbers that are multiples of ten are accented on the FIRST syllable.
like; twénty thʹirty nʹinety
 Reflexive pronouns are usually accented on the Second syllable.
like: mysélf oursélves
 When the Prefix “ re-” means “again” it receives strong stress and the Second
syllable is accented. Like: Rédo réname rémake

Note: when the syllable “re” begins a word, and it doesn’t mean “again” it is
unstressed.
such as: remárk redeem remind reward
Once again keep in mind the following points for the stress syllable
 A stressed syllable combines five features:
• It is l-o-n-g-e-r - com p-u-ter
• It is LOUDER - comPUTer
• It has a change in pitch from the syllables coming before and afterwards. The
pitch of a stressed syllable is usually higher.

• It is said more clearly -The vowel sound is purer. Compare the first and last
vowel sounds with the stressed sound.
• It uses larger facial movements - Look in the mirror when you say the word.
Look at your jaw and lips in particular.

It is equally important to remember that the unstressed syllables of a word have the
opposite features of a stressed syllable!
 Different Language Types
Syllable-timed vs. Stress-timed Languages
In most languages, the more syllables there are , the longer it takes to say something.
Each syllable is more or less the same length as other syllables which means each
syllable has the same length. Example of syllable-timed languages: French, Spanish,
Cantonese.
The rhythm of the language is like this:
duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh
/də/ - /də/ - /də/ - /də/ - /də/ - /də/
These languages are called syllable-timed.
In English, the syllables are not similar in length. Some are very long, they take a long
time to say, others syllables in English are very short, they take less time to say.
The rhythm of English is like this:

duh-DUH-duh-DUUUH-duh or duh-duh-DUUUH or duh- DUUUH-duh

/də/-/ʹdɑ:/ -/də/ -/ʹdɑ:ɑ:/ - /də/ /də/-/ʹdɑ:ɑ:/ -/də/
/də/ -/də/ -/ʹdɑ:ɑ:/
Or a lot other alteration between the short and long vowel sounds. In
English, the amount of time it takes to say something doesn't depend on
the numbers of syllables. Therefore, English is stressed-timed language.
 Rhythm

Rhythm is the second feature we will present. Rhythm is created by the

strong stresses or beats in a sentence. In many languages, the rhythm is
syllable-timed (This means that all vowels in all syllables are pronounced almost
equally).
In your language may not be lost or reduced the syllables as they are in English. For
example a three words phrase in your language can be tow words phrase. In English, “
ham and eggs” is squeezed into two words, “ ham’n egg”. Other examples are given
below: Beat: a regular repeated noise
Give me ------ Gimme /ʹgɪmi/ that makes rhythm.
Let me ------- lemme /ʹlɛmi/ Or the main rhythm that piece of
Have to ------ hafta /hæftə/ music or poem has.
Hast to ----- hasta /hæstə/
Used to ---- usta /ju:stə/
This reduction results that English has a stressed –time rhythm(musicality). It means
that its rhythm or musicality is determined in terms of stresses, not in terms of
syllables. English speakers slow down and emphasize heavily stressed words or
syllable. They speed up and reduce unstressed ones. e.g. the five words phrase
“I will see you tomorrow” may become “ I’ll seeya t’morrow”.
Pitch is the rise and fall of our voice when we speak, sometimes called
"highness" or "lowness." We use pitch to  gives subtle meaning to
sentences. The use of pitch is called intonation, but the words "pitch" and
"intonation" are often used interchangeably.
 Let’s develops rhythm through its definition

Rhythm: is the musicality of an English and the ups and downs in the
connected speech in a linking of words together we change how we say
sentences.
 Linking words for Smoother Speech Flow

Many non-native speakers of English believe they should pronounce each word
separately because they want to make sure their speech is clear and easily understood .
This does help their speech sound clear, but it also creates speech that
sounds a bit foreign and a bit mechanical, almost like computer-
generated speech.
Native speakers connect, or “link” words together if the words are part of
the same thought group.
They connect the last sound of one word to the first sound of the next
word. Linking creates the smooth, uninterrupted (continuous) sounds
that are they key (adjust) to natural, fluent sounding speech. Like:
Picked out => pick dout I like it. => I lie kit. He missed it. He misit.
If you’re making the common error of dropping the endings of words by not
pronouncing the final consonant, the problem will automatically be solved when you
apply the rules of linking to your speech. Linking requires you to connect the final
consonant with the next word, if it begins with a vowel. In this way, the final sounds,
which is always more difficult to pronounce, becomes the first sound of the words that
follows it. e.g. it’s more difficult to say “ burened out” than to say “ burn doubt”.
Instead of saying “ it’s-a-cold-evening.” with each word pronounced separately, say “ it
sa col devening.” and your speech will instantly sound more native-like and you are
guaranteed to pronounce the final consonants.

Rules for Linking

Linking Consonant to Vowel
When a word ends in a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel, connect the
final consonant to the next vowel, making it sound as if the second word starts with a
consonant. Study the examples below to make this point clear:
 Linking Consonant to Same Consonant
When the final consonant of one word is the same as the first consonant of the
following word, pronounce the consonant only once. Do not pause between the sounds,
but just lengthen the sound a bit or say it with a little bit more energy. See the example
below:
Note: Remember, when a stop is followed by another consonant, do not release the
stop. The release creates a puff of air and an extra syllable. Make sure that good time
doesn’t sound like “ good a time” and that help me doesn’t sound like “ help a me.”

Linking Vowel to Vowel

If one word ends with a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, do not pause
between the words. For a smoother transition between the sounds and to ensure a
complete pronunciation of both of the vowels, we insert a short /w/ sound after a front
vowel (such as /eɪ/,/i/, and /ai/ and short /y/ sound after a back vowel (such as /ʊ/ and /oʊ/).
Words for practice
 Linking Vowels Within a Word

When an individual word contains two vowel sounds together, we also

add a little “y” or “w” sound.
We don’t say “die it” we say “die + yet.”
 Words with Dropped Syllables

When pronouncing the following list of words, do not pronounce all of the syllables.
Instead of saying “ Choc-o-late,” with three syllables, say “ cho-late” with only two
syllables. Instead of “ brocc-o-li,” say “ brocc-li.” in both of those words one of the
middle vowels disappears. Below is a list of the most common words that have a
dropped syllable.
 A brief overview to the Intonation

Intonation: is the melody of language and is made up of pitches that rise and fall. This
rising and falling melody is used to communicate our intentions and our emotions. In
spoken language, intonation replaces punctuation. It tells the listener whether we are
finished talking or whether we have something more to say; whether we are asking a
question or making a statement. Intonation also gives information that words alone
cannot give.
It can indicate anger, surprise, confusion, hesitation, sarcasm, interest, or lack of
interest. If your speech has good intonation it will be more dynamic and more
interesting to listen to
Types of Intonation
Falling Intonation: lower your voice at the end of the sentence to produce a “falling
intonation.” This intonation is used for a variety of reasons:
Statements
Falling intonation is used in simple sentences that
Are not question. Such as:
Questions
Falling intonation is also used when asking question if they contain interrogative words
such as where, what, why, when, how, and who. For example:

Rising Intonation:
Raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence to create “rising intonation.”
Rising intonation is used in “yes/no questions.”
 Non-final Intonation

With “non-final intonation,” the pitch rises and falls within the sentence or word. This
type of intonation is used in various situations which are outlined below:

Unfinished Thoughts
None-final intonation is often used to indicate that you have not ended a thought. To
indicate that you have something more to say, raise your pitch at the end of the phrase
for example:
“When I saw him...” or “If I study hard…”
 Introductory Words

Non-final intonation is also used with introductory words, such as actually or by the
way. Since these types of words indicate that a thought is not finished, the non-final
intonation appropriate.
 Series of Words

Non-final intonation is used in words and phrases that are listed in a series. The voice
rises at the end of each item, but falls the final item.

Expressing Choices
Finally, non-final intonation is used when giving a choice between two or more things.
 Wavering Intonation

“Wavering intonation” is used for expressing specific emotions or attitudes. With this
type of intonation, the pitch changes within words.
Some of the emotions you can express with your intonation include anger, surprise
sarcasm, hesitation, uncertainty, disgust, fear, amazement, and pity.
Let’s start with the words you did. We can say them five different ways depending on
the emotion or intention. Listen to the audio to hear the intonation changes.
 A Short Glance to the Consonants

As we know all those sounds which are not vowels they are considered consonants.
When you go further a head you’ll see the following words again and again:
Articulators: the articulators are the different parts of the mouth area that we use
when speaking, Such as lips, tongue, soft plate, teeth, and jaw.
Gum ridge: the gum ridge is the hard part of the roof of your mouth just behind your
upper front teeth.
Soft palate: the soft palate is the soft, movable, rear portion of the roof of the mouth.
Aspiration /ˌæspə.'reɪʆən/: means the action of pronouncing a sound with a puff of
released breath. The English consonants [p], [t], [k], and [h] are aspirate sounds.
Puff: to breath loudly and quickly, especially after you have been running.
Voiced Consonants: A voiced consonants are the sounds produced when the vocal
cords are vibrating. For the identification please place you hand on your throat over
your vocal cords while making a humming sound. You can feel your cords vibrate as
you say “mmmmmmmmmmm.”

Voiceless Consonants: A voiceless consonant is a sound made with no vibration for

the
Vocal cords. In order to identify voiceless consonants put your hand over your vocal
cords and make the hissing sound “sssssssssss.” you will not feel any vibration this
time.
 The various consonant sounds are created by the
following positions
1. When you produce [t], [d], [n], or [l] sounds, the tip of the tongue must touch the
upper gum ridge, but when you produce [θ], [ð] sounds, you must protrude
between your teeth.
2. In pronouncing some consonants airstream comes from mouth continuously. [s],
[f], but in producing [p], [t] sounds completely sopped and then exploded. In
pronouncing [m], [n], and [ɳ] the airstream flows through the nose.
Note: without (/m/, /n/, and /ɳ/) all other consonants are uttered through the mouth.
3. In producing voiced consonants the vocal cord is vibrated, but not in voiceless
consonants.