Voice and Accent

Neutralization
Course Objectives
•To equip students with listening, reading and
speaking skills necessary for academic,
professional and cultural situations.
•To foster self awareness, confidence and
positive attitude in students’ ability to
communicate.
•To monitor, remediate and strengthen
comprehensible pronunciation.
•To enhance soft skills of students in
preparation for the corporate world.
What is Accent ?

Regional influence or
the way we speak a
language.

Which means the same

language spoken
differently by people of
different regions.
Remember, there is no right or wrong
accent.

It varies from region to region.

Accent Neutralization
• People from different places and social
backgrounds pronounce words differently!
• Diverse cultures of the world influence us
immensely.
TIPS TO NEUTRALIZE ACCENT

• Movies
• Music
• Use your dictionary
• Frequently used words
• Record yourself
• Pronounce word endings clearly
• Read aloud
• Be Patient
ENGLISH SPEECH SOUNDS

1. VOWELS
2. CONSONANT
S
ARTICULATORS

ARTICULATORS
 What’s a vowel?
•A speech sound produced with a (relatively)
unimpeded air stream.

•Vowels are classified into “Monophthongs” and

“Diphthongs” i.e. single vowel sounds or combination
of two vowel sounds together.

•The “Monophthongs” are further classified as “short”

sounds and “long” sounds.
 VOWELS SYMBOLS

Short Vowels Long Vowels

12 Monophthongs
VOWELS SYMBOLS

8 Diphthongs
 ‘ih’ = /i/
Placement: Raise the tongue high and to the front of the relaxed
mouth. Open the mouth only slightly. Make a voiced sound.
Words Sentences
Big Fish
Miss List
Build Finish
Gym English
Symbol Swift
Pretty Busy
Dish Women
Conditioner Technical
Tradition Addition
 ‘ee’ = /i:/
Placement: The tongue is high leaving only a tiny space with the
mouth almost shut. The teeth are close together with a tense
chin and mouth. The lips form a smile and the sound is voiced.
This is a long vowel sound.

Words Sentences

Eel Wheel Spree

Jeanie do you see the bees?
Eat Feet Flea
Equal Meal Agree Please freeze the peas
East Week Me
Neither he nor she believes me

We can easily read the agreement

MONOPHTHONGS contd.
/i/-/i:/
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE

Bit/beet beat Ship/sheep

Sit/seat Lick/leak
Rip/reap His/he's
Lip/leap Chip/cheap
Live/leave Rich/reach
Did/deed Dip/deep
Hill/heal heel he'll Fist/feast
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘Oo’ = /Ʊ/

Placement: Lips are pushed out and slightly

rounded. The tongue is midway. A short voiced
sound is made.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘Oo’ = /Ʊ/
Words
Book Put Would
Woman Push Superb
Could Look Wolf
Crook Brook Should
Phrases
push a cart Cookbook
took a look shook up
push and pull took my book
look out catch the crook
good looking wool coat
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘oo’ = /u:/
Placement: Lips are rounded with tongue
midway in the mouth. The jaw is fairly high.
Make a long voiced sound.
The lips are formed ready for a kiss.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘oo’ = /u:/
Words Sentences
Fool News Sue knew the truth
Pool Due Choose blue for the new room
Cool Blue
It blooms soon in June.
Do Tuesday
The news is too gloomy
Lose Flew
Who Canoe Who made the soup?
Two Shoe This is fool proof
Loose Through Ruth wanted new blue shoes for
Food Juice school
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eh’ = /e/
Placement: The relaxed tongue is in the middle
of the mouth. The jaw and face are also
relaxed. Open the mouth and drop the lower
jaw slightly making a voiced sound (mid
position).
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eh’ = /e/
Words Sentences
Egg Again Send Ben for his friend
Energy Says Let's rent a tent
Step Said There are only eggs for the
Wednesday Meadow guest
Many Head Fred said it again and again
Friend Leopard There are many kegs in the
Guest Step cellar
Memory Dealt Ed likes eggs everyday.
Esther never gets upset
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eyh’ = /æ/
Placement: The lower lip is stretched open with a
slight jaw drop. The mouth forms the shape /_\ . It is
a sound which is voiced.
This sound is a combination of the /a:/ and /e/
sounds. The jaw drops for /a:/ and opens wide
simultaneously for /e/.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eyh’ = /æ/
Words Sentences
Apple Canada An apple a day keeps the doctor
Amble Crab away.
Atlas Smash Can we cable a message to Canada?
Absent Drank You need to ask the administration
Absent minded professor
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
/e/ - /æ/
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE

Lend/land Guess/gas
Left/laughed Men/man
Pen/pan Messed/mast
Bed/bad Said/sad
Beg/bag Wreck/rack
Head/had Set/sat
Met/mat Said/sad
Pet/pat Brett/Brad
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘a’ - /Ə/
Placement: This is just a tiny movement of the
throat with the mouth opening very slightly
making a voiced sound.
This is the most important sound in the English
language and most commonly mispronounced.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘a’ - /Ə/
Words Sentences

Urgent Come again another day

Alas
Russia is a cold country
Enter
Oppose I love to read about the Amazing facts
Umbrella Inappropriate behavior is not tolerable
Government
Support Santa and Banta are friends
America
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘uh’ - //

Placement: The mouth is opened slightly and

the tongue is relaxed. It is a short closed sound
which is voiced.
This sound is followed by an abrupt closing of
the mouth/jaw.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘uh’ - //
Words
Us Pluck
Bus Cut
Ugly Ton
Other Stuck Phrases
under the sun mud puddle
ugly duckling a month ago
Undone funny bunny
enough is enough cut the cake
some fun honey bun
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aa’ - /a:/

Placement: The tongue is relaxed, flat, and low

behind the lower teeth. Imagine a dentist
asking you to open the mouth, and stretch the
sound produced
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aa’ - /a:/
Words Sentences
Ask Jack you're a master bat lasher
Art He seemed to dance
Answer The plane was on the tarmac
Blast At last he got a chance to dance with her
Fast I can’t ask her father to start the car down the
Past path!
Graph We have a class now
Scarf He laughed out aloud
Heart
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aw’ - / Ɔ/
Placement: The tongue is relaxed in a wide-open
mouth with the jaw dropped. The tongue is resting on
the bottom of the mouth. The lips are rounded. The
sound is voiced.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aw’ - / Ɔ/
SWOT Frog hop scotch fox trot
Operation Hot hot shot stop and shop
Odd Cop drop the mop hot spot
October What odd jobs 50 watt bulb
crop-top Mopping is my job
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aaw’ - /Ɔ:/
Placement: Start with /aw/ where the tongue
is low and tense, the lips tight, and the jaw
dropped and make a longer sound bringing the
lips to a ‘oh’ formation.
 ‘aaw’ - /Ɔ:/
(INITIAL) (MEDIAL) (FINAL)
all awful always boss wrong taught Awe flaw Thaw
off often August fall broad across Raw draw Straw
also ought audience song bought naughty Law claw Jaw

call it off call it quits

call the shots all talk
walk all over It's all wrong.
Is Paul's hair long or short? How much does coffee cost?
 er/a’=/3://Ə/
Placement: The American /3:/ is pronounced
with a roll of the tongue with a long aaaa sound,
‘aaarrrrr’.
The British sound is similar to a long “schwa”.
Here the ‘r’ that comes after the ‘aaa’ sound is
silent.
 er/a’=/3://Ə/

curd nerd

burnt dearth

first burst
Diphthongs

•Diphthongs are those sounds that consist of a

movement or glide from one vowel to another.
•The first part of a diphthong is always longer
and stronger than the second part
 /ei/
The sound /ei/ is usually written with the letters:
"A": baby, face, late, page, place, same, take. (The
final "e" indicates that "a" is pronounced /ei/.
without this final "e" the pronunciation would be a
vowel, e.g.
Sam [ sæm], bath [ba:θ]
Spelling

"AY": day, say, stay, today, way.

"Al": rain Spain, train, wait.
"EA": great weight steak,
Other spellings grey, they, break, eight.
 /əʊ/ Spelling

The sound / əʊ/ is usually written with the letters:

- o: go, hello, no, old, only, hotel.
- o...e: home, hole, nose, those.
- oa: boat, coat, road, Joan.
-ow: know, low, narrow, show, slow, thro
-ou: though, soul, shoulder.
Some words:
Boat; Joan, Jones’s ; hotel; hello.
 /ai/
The sound /ai/ is usually written with the
letters ‘i’ or ‘y’.
Spelling
i, y: child, find, five, smile, try, by, fly,
right, sky, ...
- igh: high, light, night, right, bright.
-ye: eye, goodbye.
- Other spellings: lie, buy,
 /aʊ/
The first sound is, in some way, similar to /æ/, then
add /u/; this second sound is very short.

Spelling
The sound /au/ is written with the letters:
ou: about, mouth, count, round, out, round.
ow: cow, crowd, flower, down, now, town,
brown.
 /ᴐɪ/
The two sounds in this diphthong are: /ᴐ:/ even
pronounced longer, then /i/, being even shorter.
There are few words for practice of this sound at
beginner level.
Spelling
The sound /ᴐi/ is written with the
letters:
-oi: noise, point, voice, ...
-oy: boy, toy, employ, ...
 /ɪə/
In this diphthong both elements are short, but the
accent falls on the first one.

Spelling
-ea: dear, hear, ear, near.
-er,eer: deer, beer, here.
Other spellings: idea, real, museum.
 /εə/ or /eə/
The first sound is an /e/ but you have to make it a

little longer, then add /ə/. Most students produce the

-er ending with the “r” always pronounced.
There’s a book on the table.
It’s there.
Spelling -are: share, scare, mare, care.
-air: chair, pair, air, ...
- ear: bear, tear
-ere: where, there.
Other spellings: their, they’re, wear, Mary
/ʊə/
The first element is a /u/ and the second
one is a /ə/.It is often pronounced /ᴐ:/
or /ᴐ/ Look at the following examples:
poor [pʊə] [pᴐə] [pᴐ:]
sure [ʃʊə] [ʃᴐə] [ʃᴐ:]
Spellings: -ou, ure, oor: tour, pure, moor
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.
English is tough stuff
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.
English is tough stuff
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Course Outcomes
•The student would use correct intonation,
stress, pronunciation and neutral accent to
communicate in English.
•The students will be able to identify the correct
pronunciation of a word in dictionary.
•The students will be able to overcome the
problem of MTI.
To become an extraordinary communicator -
It’s not what you say
but how you say
that counts

Thank You
References
https://quizlet.com/16293296/bio43-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/12021989/bio-ch42-activities-quiz-
flash-cards/
voicefoundation.org 
www.entnet.org/content/how-voice-works