01 Pronunciation and Dialects

English Pronunciation, Phonetics and
North American Dialects

Created by Billy Roche
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DISCLAIMER
**This document is for reference only.**
Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this
document. However, this information is intended for delivery by a knowledgeable
instructor for training purposes only. It is not intended, in any way, to supersede or
replace any other companies directives, bulletins, or manufacturers’ specifications and
updates, present or future.
Acknowledgements:
Developer(s): Billy Roche
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW......................................................................................................................I
1 MODULE ONE: ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION........................................................1-1
OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................1-1
DESCRIPTION............................................................................................................1-1
1.1 THE ALPHABET IN REVIEW........................................................................1-1
1.1.1 Vowel sounds in English...........................................................................1-1
1.1.2 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.3 Misunderstandings....................................................................................1-1
1.1.4 The V and W sounds................................................................................1-1
1.1.5 Listening....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.6 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.7 The TH- pronunciation.............................................................................1-1
1.1.8 Listening....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.9 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.10 S or Z sounds............................................................................................1-1
1.1.11 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.12 The J and H sounds..................................................................................1-1
1.1.13 The –ED endings (never say ed)..............................................................1-1
1.1.14 Listening....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.15 How to Pronounce -ed in English.............................................................1-1
1.1.16 Reduced sounds.......................................................................................1-1
1.1.17 Listening....................................................................................................1-1
1.2 WORD CONNECTIONS-LIAISONS..............................................................1-1
1.2.1 Consonant / vowel liaisons.......................................................................1-1
1.2.2 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.2.3 Consonant / consonant liaisons................................................................1-1
1.2.4 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.2.5 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.2.6 Vowel / vowel liaisons...............................................................................1-1
1.2.7 Practice.....................................................................................................1-1
1.2.8 T, D, S, or Z + Y liaisons...........................................................................1-1
1.3 COLLOQUIAL REDUCTIONS AND LIAISONS............................................1-1
1.3.1 Extremely extreme reductions..................................................................1-1
2 MODULE 2 : DIALECTS AND ACCENT INTERPRETATION.................................2-1
OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................2-1
2.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................2-1
2.2 WHAT IS A DIALECT ?.................................................................................2-1
2.2.1 New England (East Coast).......................................................................2-1
2.2.2 The Midlands............................................................................................2-1
2.2.3 Southern...................................................................................................2-1
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OVERVIEW
Those who have completed the Phase I Written Communications phase from the
Building Better Communications program are ready for the real challenge-oral
communications. In this course, the students will go back to the beginning of
how articulation in American English is formed, pronounced and the rhythms
which different people have when speaking English. The course will begin with
simple pronunciations and related phonetics, and then move on to more complex
articulation and sounds. The students will practice unique English sounds that
are not familiar in Spanish simply because they do not exist in that language.
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
Upon completion of this course, students will:

 Be able to differentiate the English sounds of vowels and certain consonants that
are particularly difficult for foreign language speakers.
 Correctly pronounce the simple past and past participle of regular verbs.
 Become familiar with reduced sounds typical of the American English intonation.
 Practice word connections and liaisons usually used in American English.
 Recognize reductions and liaisons used in colloquial language.
 Differentiate the varieties of spoken American English across the USA.
 Develop skills to understand accents from different regions.
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Communication Techniques 070/1/05
MCI 000-000
1 MODULE ONE: ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this Module, the student will:
 Be able to differentiate the English sounds of vowels and certain consonants that
are particularly difficult for foreign language speakers.
 Correctly pronounce the simple past and past participle of regular verbs.
 Become familiar with reduced sounds typical of the American English intonation.
 Practice word connections and liaisons usually used in American English.
 Recognize reductions and liaisons used in colloquial language.
DESCRIPTION
This module describes the letters in the English alphabet and the different sounds and
pronunciation they may present.
A very practical tool to have at hand is some websites that gives us either the actual
sound of the word we look for or its phonetics.
For audio pronunciation: Merriam Webster OnLine http://www.m-w.com/
For phonetics: Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary :

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ (show phonetics)
1.1 THE ALPHABET IN REVIEW

The best way to begin a course on pronunciation is to review the roots of a language.
Letters are the roots from which words grow, so it is important to pronounce each letter
individually with its different sounds before learning the sounds in words and phrases.
To begin, each letter will be verbally reviewed.
o ate
agree
any (the “n” sound)
farm
o bring (be aware of the silent “b” like “bomb”, "debt"and "doubt)
o circuit (the “s” sound )

class
can
ch-cha cha cha sound =chips (Modern English) or champagne (French)=Sh-
sound or K sound like chemicals
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o define
o meet
enter
read
o feel
fantastic (be aware of the ph sound too!)
o great
generation (the “j” sound like “jump”)
o happy hour (the silent h sound!) – wholesale (silent “w”) like in ansWer...don't
pronounce the W!!!!
o idea
interesting
fill
I (true vowel sound)
find
o job (the same as the “g” in generation)
o keep (the same as the “c” in class) – choir (ch as a “k” sound)
o long
o many (sounds like “any” with an m)
o notice (same sound as the “kn” in “know”)
o only
tool (same as the vowel sound of “u” in “tube”) –look, took, book (lazy U sound)
other (same as the “a” sound in agree) and blood and flood which
h is the lax A sound.
orange or dog = a AWWWW sound.
o proud
phone (this is the “f” sound in fantastic)
o quiet (the “kwa” sound)

technique (the “k” sound like kick)
o ready (be aware that the “rr” is pronounced the same as “r” like “merry”) - iron
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o simple
shoe
o track (be aware that the “th” sounds have a unique sound like “think”) and be
aware that words with -tion endings have a SH- sound.
o put (the same as the “oo” sound) *be aware of blood flood etc.
under (the same as the “a” in “agree”)
unified (same as “y” like “you”)
tube (same as oo or pool sound)
o very
o work- be aware that some words have a silent W such as whole/wholesale and
you do not pronounce the W.
o Be aware of ansWer. You do not pronounce the W!!!!
o x-ray
extra (be aware that when “e” precedes an “x” the sound is the same) or x
sounds like a Z like xerox
o yes like Yah Yah Yah!!!! you, yellow etc

very (same as the “e” in “meet” or “eat”)
o zebra (be aware of the “z” sound in “easy”)
1.1.1 Vowel sounds in English

Vowels are very important in any Western language. Due to this fact, there is a large
variety of sounds that are produced through the use of vowels in the English language.
Vowels are either used individually or with another vowel to produce a diphthong.
Vowels can be classified into Tense Vowels, Lax Vowels and Semivowels.
a. TENSE VOWELS
SPELLING PHONETIC
take
eat
ice
hope
smooth
caught
cat
down
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b. LAX VOWELS
SPELLING PHONETIC
get
it
took
some
c. SEMI-VOWELS
SPELLING PHONETIC
her
dull
farm
d. DIPHTHONGS
SPELLING PHONETIC
day
eye
boy
mouth
nose
1.1.2 Practice
Practice each sound and give examples of different words with these vowel sounds.
The instructor will read different sentences with all the vowel sounds and the students
will write down what was said.
1.1.3 Misunderstandings
He had uncombed hair, dirty clothes, and only 35 cents in his pocket. In Baltimore,
Maryland, he got on a bus and headed straight for the restroom. He thought that if he
hid in the restroom, he could ride to New York without paying. But a passenger at the
back of the bus saw him. She tapped the person in front of her on the shoulder and
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said, “There’s a bum in the restroom. Tell the bus driver”. That passenger tapped the
person sitting in front of him. “Tell the bus driver there’s a bum in the restroom”, he said.
The message was passed from person to person until it reached the front of the bus.
But somewhere along the way, the message changed. By the time it reached the bus
driver, it was not “There’s a bum in the restroom” but “There’s a bomb in the restroom”.
The driver immediately pulled over to the side of the highway and radioed the police.
When the police arrived, they told the passengers to get off the bus and stay far away.
Then they closed the highway. That soon caused a 15-mile-long traffic jam. With the
help of a dog, the police searched the bus for two hours.
Of course, they found no bomb.
Two similar-sounding English words also caused trouble for a man who wanted to fly
from Los Angeles to Oakland, California. His problems began at the airport in Los
Angeles. He thought he heard his flight announced, so he walked to the gate, showed
his ticket, and got on the plane. Twenty minutes after takeoff, the man began to worry.
Oakland was north of Los Angeles, but the plane seemed to be heading west, and when
he looked out his window all he could see was ocean. “Is this plane going to Oakland?”
he asked the flight attendant. The flight attendant gasped. “No,” she said. We’re going to
Auckland- Auckland, New Zealand”.
Because so many English words sound similar, misunderstandings among English-

speaking people are not uncommon. Not all misunderstandings result in highways being
closed or passengers flying to the wrong continent. Most misunderstandings are much
less serious. Every day people speaking English ask one another questions like these:
“Did you say seventy or seventeen? “Did you say that you can come or that you can’t?”
Similar-sounding words can be especially confusing for people who speak English as a
second language.
When a Korean woman who lives in the United States arrived at work one morning, her
boss asked her, “Did you get a plate?” “No…”, she answered, wondering what in the
world he meant. She worked in an office. Why did the boss ask her about a plate? All
day she wondered about her boss’s strange question, but she was too embarrassed to
ask him about it. At five o’clock, when she was getting ready to go home, her boss said,
“Please be on time tomorrow. You were 15 minutes late this morning.” “Sorry” she said.
“My car wouldn’t start, and…”Suddenly she stopped talking and began to smile. Now
she understood. Her boss hadn’t asked her, “Did you get a plate?” He had asked her,
“Did you get up late?”.
English is not the only language with similar-sounding words. Other languages, too,
have words that can cause misunderstandings, especially for foreigners.
An English-speaking woman who was traveling in Mexico saw a sign in front of a

restaurant. The sign said that the special that day was “Sopa con jamón y cebollas”.
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She knew that was Spanish for “soup with ham and onions”. That sounded good. As the
woman walked to her table, she practiced ordering. She whispered to herself “Sopa con
jamón y cebollas. Sopa con jamón y cebollas”. Then she sat down, and a waiter came
to take her order. “Sopa con jabón y caballos”, she said. “What?” the waiter asked. No
wonder the waiter didn’t understand. The woman had just ordered a very unusual lunch:
soup with soap and horses.
Auckland and Oakland. “A plate” and “up late”. Jamón and jabón. When similar-
sounding words cause misunderstandings, probably the best thing to do is just laugh
and learn from the mistake. Of course, sometimes it is hard to laugh. The man who
travelled to Auckland instead of Oakland did not feel like laughing. But even that
misunderstanding turned out all right in the end. The airline paid for the man’s hotel
room and meals in New Zealand and for his flight back to California. “Oh well”, the man
later said, “I always wanted to see New Zealand”.
1.1.4 The V and W sounds
When pronounced correctly, V should not stand out too much (like the soft S in
Spanish). Its sound, although noticeable, is small. As a result, people, depending on
their native language, sometimes confuse the V with B (Spanish and Japanese), with F
(German), or with W (Chinese and Hindi). These four sounds are not at all
interchangeable.
The W is a semivowel and there is no friction or contact. The B, like P, uses both lips
and has a slight pop. Americans tend to have a strong, popping P. The student can
check his/her pronunciation by holding a match (sorry…not in class!), a sheet of paper,
or just your hand in front of the mouth. If the flame goes out, the paper wavers, or one
feels a distinct puff of air on one’s hand, one has said P not B. B is the voiced pair of P.
Although F and V are in exactly the same position, F is a hiss and V is a buzz. The V is
the voiced pair of F. When one says F, it is as if one is whispering. So, for V, one has to
say F and simply add some voice to it, which is the whole difference between fairy and
very, as was heard in the first exercise. The easiest way to explain how the V sound is
developed is to watch other people say it and follow what the mouth positioning is and
copy it. The upper front teeth should lightly touch the bottom lip.
1.1.5 Listening
Read the following words and sounds after you listen to your instructor pronounce them.
You may repeat this chart several times for this is the best way to get the muscles in
your mouth and tongue to cooperate. DON’T BE SHY!! Think of your mouth and tongue
as weak muscles that need a good workout. In time, and with practice, you will be able
to correctly pronounce the words below naturally.
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Repeat the following words and sounds after listening to the instructor’s pronunciation.
P B F V W____
1. Perry berry fairy very wary

2. pat bat fat vat wax
3. Paul ball fall vault wall
4. pig big fig vim wig
5. prayed braid frayed varied weighed
6. poi boy foil avoid -------
7. pull bull full voodoo wool
8. purr burr fur verb were
1.1.6 Practice
Ok, your turn. Pick a partner and practice saying the paragraph below. Read it to each
other and focus on the V and W sounds. The listener will help you when you make
mistakes so you will recognize words you may have problems with. Read at a slow and
even pace. REMEMBER: Pronunciation is more important than speed.
When revising his visitor’s version of a plan for a very well-paved avenue, the VIP was
advised to reveal none of his motives. Eventually, however, the hapless visitor
discovered his knavish views and confided that it was vital to review the plans together
to avoid a conflict. The VIP was not convinced, and averred that he would have it
vetoed by the vice-president. This quite vexed the visitor, who then vowed to invent an
indestructible paving compound in order to avenge his good name. The VIP found
himself on the verge of a civil war with a visitor with whom he had previously conversed
easily. It was only due to his insufferable vanity that the inevitable division arrived as
soon as it did. Never again did the visitor converse with the vain VIP and they remained
divided forever.
JUST FOR FUN
Ask a classmate about some of the things in life that he/she thinks are very valuable or
are not very valuable. For example: Q: Is your family very valuable to you? A: Yes, my
family is very valuable to me. Q: Is exercise very valuable to you? A: No, exercise is not
very valuable to me.
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1.1.7 The TH- pronunciation
TH (Tee Aitch)
When one begins to communicate in other languages it usually starts with a rough
sound that we repeat to understand and properly pronounce it. What starts rough can
become smooth with practice by being a good listener and using the REPEAT-LEARN
process. This smoothing process occurs when a tense vowel becomes reduced and
when an unvoiced consonant becomes voiced. The most common words are the
smoothest, the most reduced, the most often voiced. There are several very common
words that are all voiced: this, that, the, those, them, they, there, then, than, and though.
The strong words such as thank, think, or thing, as well as long or unusual words such
as thermometer or theologian, stay unvoiced.
The sound of the TH combination seems to exist only in English, Greek, and Castilian
Spanish. Just as with most of the other consonants, there are two types-voiced and
unvoiced. The voiced TH is like a D, but instead of being in the back of the teeth, it is a
few centimeters lower and forward, between the teeth. The unvoiced TH is like an S
between the teeth. Most people tend to replace the unvoiced TH with S or T and the
voiced one with Z or D, so instead of thing, they say sing, or ting, and instead of that,
they say zat or dat. (Dat is usually more commonly heard here in BA)
To pronounce TH correctly, think of a snake’s tongue. You do not want to take a big
relaxed tongue, throw it out of your mouth for a long distance and leave it out there for a
long time. Make only a very quick, sharp little movement. Keep your tongue’s tip very
tense. It darts out between your teeth and snaps back very quickly-thing, that, this. The
tongue’s position for the unvoiced TH is similar to that of the S, but for TH the tongue is
extended through the teeth, instead of hissing behind the back of the teeth. The voiced
TH is like a D except that the tongue is placed between the teeth, or even pressed
behind the teeth. Now we are ready for some practice.
1.1.8 Listening
The throng of thermometers from the Thuringian Thermometer Folks arrived on

Thursday. There were a thousand and thirty-three thick thermometers, though, instead
of a thousand and thirty-six thin thermometers, which was three thermometers fewer
than the thousand and thirty-six we were expecting, not to mention that they were thick
ones rather than thin ones. We thoroughly thought that we had ordered a thousand and
thirty-six, not a thousand and thirty-three, thermometers, and asked the Thuringian
Thermometer Folks to reship the thermometers; thin, not thick. They apologized for
sending only a thousand and thirty-three thermometers rather than a thousand and
thirty-six and promised to replace the thick thermometers with thin thermometers.
th = voiced (17) th = unvoiced (44)
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1.1.9 Practice
Now that you have listened, it is time to repeat. DON´T BE SHY!!! This is not easy for
native English speakers either. The idea, now, is to read it slowly concentrating on
tongue position and rhythm. Team up with a classmate and practice together. One
student can speak while the other watches your tongue positioning and pronunciation.
JUST FOR FUN
Tongue Twisters
The sixth sick sheep on the sixth ship of sheep.

This is a zither. Is this a zither? I thought the zither was made of this and that, not these
and those zithers.
OK. You think you are getting good at these? Try this one. Start to read slowly then try
to say it faster after you have pronounced every TH word correctly.
I thought a thought , but the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought. If
the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought
so much.
1.1.10 S or Z sounds
The sound of the letter S (s) is only if it follows an unvoiced consonant. Otherwise, it
becomes a Z in disguise. When an S follows a vowel, a voiced consonant, or another S,
it turns into a Z (z). The following exercises will let you hear and practice S with its dual
sound. There are many more Z sounds in English than S sounds .In Spanish the S (s)
sound is very light and almost unspoken. This could cause confusion when
distinguishing between singular and plural subjects in spoken word. Let’s take a look at
some differences in the chart below.
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When S becomes Z. Contrast:
S Z
1. price prize
2. peace peas
3. place plays
4. ice eyes
5. hiss his
6. close to close
7. use to use
8. rice rise
9. pace pays
10. lacey lazy
11. thirsty Thursday
12. bus buzz
13. dust does
14. face phase
15. sue zoo
16. loose lose
17. moose shoes
1.1.11 The J and H sounds
1.1.11.1 The H Sound
The soft H sound (has, have had) as used in English is not present in Spanish
pronunciation sounds. Therefore, mispronunciations occur when the H sound is
replaced by the Spanish J sound. For example: jaf = have or jad = had. A true H sound
in English should push breath forward when you speak. Think of a time when the
elevator is broken and you live on the 17th floor. By the time you walk up all those
stairs, you will be out of breath and probably pronouncing the H sound naturally.
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Now listen to the following text and try to hear the H sound being pushed out from the
throat.
“Help!” hissed the harried intern. “We have to hurry! The halfwit who was hired to help
her home hit her hard with her Honda. She didn’t have a helmet on her head to protect
her, so she has to have a checkup ahead of the others.”
1.1.11.2 The J Sound

The English J sound is another sound that is not present in any Spanish word. So, the
tendency is to replace it with the most similar sound in Spanish, which is the “sh” sound.
In that way, for example, “just” is pronounced as “shast”.
Proper pronunciation of the J sound should be similar to a “dj” sound (just – “djast”).
Now listen to the following text and try to hear the J sound.
James Jackson just arrived from Germany. He joked about his journey, although he was
exhausted. “I just took the first plane I got to, but it was nowhere near a jet”, he said.
“Can you imagine trying to sleep in a piece of junk? The journey was just terrible and
dinner was something like jellyfish on ginger bread. “
1.1.12 The –ED endings (never say ed)
Unlike the English language, in Spanish one pronounces each letter individually. So, for
example regular verbs can be mispronounced simply because you follow what you
know from your native tongue. Worked then sounds like wor-kehd with a distinctive ed
sound like in Eduardo as the last sounding syllable. Unfortunately, English does not
follow this way of pronunciation. Regular simple past tense verbs have 3 different
sounds and none of them are pronounced the way they look.
Let’s now listen to a story told in the past tense and listen for the three distinctive
sounds used with words ending in –ed.
1.1.13 Listening
The following are excerpts from famous novels. Listen to the regular past tense verbs in
the stories and notice how they are pronounced
"He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women , nor of great occurrences, nor of great
fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now
and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved
them as he loved the boy."
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John Winston Lennon, the great musician and composer was born in Liverpool on 9
October 1940. John Lennon was educated at Dovedale Primary and Quarry Bank High
School - hence The Quarrymen which Lennon formed and Paul McCartney was to join,
and later George Harrison. Lennon went to Liverpool College of Art, but did not get a
degree. In 1960 The Quarrymen became The Beatles and in 1962 they were joined by a
new drummer, Ringo Starr. None of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison or Starr could read or
write music. The Beatles performed in clubs in Hamburg and, famously, The Cavern in
Liverpool. The Beatles had their first single, 'Love Me Do', produced by George Martin
on the Parlophone label on 5 October 1962. The Beatles split in 1970, after John
Lennon was focusing more on Yoko Ono. After divorcing his first wife, Cynthia in 1968,
Lennon married Ono a year later. In 1971 Lennon released Imagine. On 8 December
1980 John Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman outside Lennon's New York
apartment.
1.1.14 How to Pronounce -ed in English
The past simple tense and past participle of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:
base verb past simple past participle

(v1) (v2) (v3)
work worked worked
In addition, many adjectives are made from the past participle and so end in -ed.
For example:
I like painted furniture.
The question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?
The answer is: In 3 ways - / Id/ or / t/ or / d/
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If the base verb ends in example example pronounce extra

one of these sounds: base verb*: with -ed: the -ed: syllable?
unvoiced t want wanted

/ Id/ yes
voiced d end ended
p hope hoped
f laugh laughed
x fax faxed
unvoiced sh wash washed / t/
s gas gassed
no
tch watch watched
k like liked
play played
all other
sounds,
Voiced allow allowed / d/
for
example...
beg begged
* note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, "fax"
ends in the letter "x" but the sound /s/; "like" ends in the letter "e" but the sound /k/.
Exceptions:
The following -ed words used as adjectives are pronounced with /Id/:
aged
blessed
crooked
dogged
learned
naked
ragged
wicked
wretched
jagged
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1.1.15 Reduced sounds
The American intonation consists of many combination of sounds that are not typical to
second language speakers. Since you probably first became acquainted with the
English language through the printed word, this is always a big challenge. Unfortunately,
spelling does not always tell you how they sound. Word stress or intonation will
determine the pronunciation. Let’s now work on listening to words. Concentrate on
hearing the pure sound, not in trying to make the word fit a familiar spelling. Otherwise,
you will be taking the long way around and giving yourself both a lot of extra work and
an accent!
Articles (such as the, a) are usually very reduced sounds. Before a consonant, the and
a are both stronger sounding and noticeable, but when added to vowel sounds they
become indistinct. For example, an apple can sound like a napple or the easy way can
sound like theezy way. In a sentence, intonation can also make a clear vowel sound
disappear. When a vowel is stressed, it has a certain sound; when it is not stressed, it
usually sounds like uh, pronounced eh and small words like to, at, or as are usually not
stressed, so the vowel disappears.
In this section we will concentrate on recognizing how reduced sounds sound and how
to identify them.
1.1.16 Listening
The preposition to usually reduces so much that it is like dropping the vowel. Listen to
these sentences and see if you can understand the sound variations. The pronunciation
becomes a t eh or t a sound.
LOOKS LIKE… SOUNDS LIKE…
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. T’day

I will see you tonight. T’night
Are you working tomorrow? T’morrow
I am going to work. T’work
Do you want to go to school again? T’school
I have to go to the store. T’th’store
We have to go now. We haftah go now
He went to work. He wentah work
They hope to find it. I hoptah findit
I cant´t wait to find out. I can’t waitah
We don’t know what to do. We dont know wadda do
Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t jumptah conclusions
To be or not to be… To be or not t’be
He didn’t get to go. He didn’t get tah go
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If the same to follows a vowel sound, it will become d¨or deh .
LOOKS LIKE… SOUNDS LIKE…
He told me to help. He told meedah help.

She told you to get it. She told joo tah geddit
I go to work. I godeh work
at a quarter to two adeh quardeh to two
The only way to get it is… Thonly wadeh gehdeht is tah
You’ve got to pay to get it. Yoov gadah pay to geddit
We plan to do it. We plan de do it
Let’s go to lunch. Let’s godah lunch.
The order number was 6-2-4 The order number wahz sixda four
1.2 WORD CONNECTIONS-LIAISONS
In American English, words are not pronounced one by one. Usually, the end of one
word attaches to the beginning of the next word. This is also true for initials, numbers,
and spelling. Once you have developed strong intonation, you need to connect each
sound and give it a coherent rhythm and flow. This section is going to introduce you to
the idea of liaisons, the connections between words, which allows us to speak in
sound groups rather than individual words. Just as we have discussed and practiced
the sound of each letter and particular groupings with consonants and vowels, now we
will learn how to connect words. Again, we are more concerned with students being
able to identify word liaisons when LISTENING therefore, we will practice with listening
exercises.
Words are connected in four main situations:
o Consonant / Vowel
o Consonant / Consonant
o Vowel / Vowel
o T,D,S, or Z + Y
1.2.1 Consonant / vowel liaisons
Words are connected when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts
with a vowel sound, including the semivowels W, Y, and R.
Word Connections
Example: My name is…= (my naymiz)

Because I´ve = (beecuzai)
Pick up on the American intonation = (pikup ontha Americanin tohnation)
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In the preceding example, the word name ends in a consonant sound (m) (the e is silent
and does not count), and it starts with a vowel sound (i), naymiz just naturally flows
together. In because I’ve, the (z) sound at the end of because and the (ai) sound of I
blend together smoothly.
When you say the last line (pikup ontha Americanin tohnation), you can feel each sound
pushing together.
What’s the Difference Between a Vowel and a Consonant?
In pronunciation, a consonant touches at some point in the mouth. Try saying (p) with
your mouth open-you can’t do it because your lips must come together to make the (p)
sound. A vowel, on the other hand, doesn’t touch anywhere. You can easily say
(e)without any part of the mouth, tongue, or lips coming into contact with any other part.
This is why we are calling W, Y, and R semivowels.
1.2.2 Practice
Listen to the following words and write them down the way they sound.
Examples: hold on = hol don turn over = tur nover

tell her I miss her = teller I misser
On personal pronouns, it is common to drop the H (teller=tell her)
read only___________________________
fall off_____________________________
follow up on_________________________
come in_____________________________
call him_____________________________
sell it_______________________________
take out_____________________________
finish up____________________________
work on_____________________________
ask about____________________________
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1.2.3 Consonant / consonant liaisons
Words are connected when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts
with a consonant. What is a similar position? Let’s look at the chart below.
Behind the teeth In the throat At the lips

t, d, j, ch, l, n,s,z,sh,y k,g,h, ng, r p,b,f,v,m,w
1.2.4 Practice
Say the sound of each group of letters out loud (the sound of the letter, not the name:
(buh) not (bee). There are three general locations-the lips, behind the teeth, or in the
throat. If a word ends with a sound created in the throat and the next word starts with a
sound from that same general location, these words are going to be linked together. The
same with the other two locations. Follow the instructors lead.
Examples: I just didn’t get the chance. = I jusdidn’t ge the chance.

I’ve been late twice = Ivbeen lay twice.
In the preceding examples you can see that because the ending (st) of just and the
beginning (d) of didn’t are so near each other in the mouth, it’s not worth the effort to
start the sound all over again, so they just flow into each other. This is why it is
important to stress that listening is the key to understanding.
1.2.5 Practice
Reconnect the following words after listening to the way the instructor pronounces them.
example: finish the escalation = finish theescalation

start up the computer = stardup the computer
business deal ________________________________________________
credit check ________________________________________________
the top file ________________________________________________
sell nine new cars ___________________________________________
sit down _____________________________________________________
some work needs checking _____________________________________
check cashing ________________________________________________
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let them make conditions _____________________________________
had the _____________________________________________________
both days _____________________________________________________
1.2.6 Vowel / vowel liaisons
When a word ending in a vowel sound is next to one beginning with a vowel sound, they
are connected with a glide between the two vowels. A glide is either a slight (y) sound or
a slight (w) sound. How do you know which one to use? This will take care of itself- the
position your lips are in will dictate either (y) or (w).
For example, if a word ends in (o) your lips are going to be in the forward position, so a
(w) quite naturally leads into the next vowel-( go away = gowaway). You don’t want to
say go...away and break the undercurrent of your voice. Run it together: gowaway is
actually a more rhythmic and smoother sound.
After a long e (ee) like feel sound, your lips will be pulled back far enough to create a (y)
glide or liaison: (I also need the other one = Iyalso need the yother one. Don’t force this
sound too much, though. It’s not a strong pushing sound.
1.2.7 Practice
Reconnect the following words as described above. Add a (y) glide after an (e) sound
and a (w) glide after an (u) sound. Do not forget that the sound of the American O is
really (ou).
1. go anywhere_________________________________
2. so honest_____________________________________
3. through our___________________________________
4. you are______________________________________
5. he is_________________________________________
6. do I?______________________________________
7. I asked_____________________________________
8. to open_____________________________________
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9. she always__________________________________
10. too often____________________________________
1.2.8 T, D, S, or Z + Y liaisons
When the letter or sound of T, D, S, or Z is followed by a word that starts with a Y, or its
sound, both sounds are connected. These letters and sounds connect not only with Y,
but they do so as well with the initial unwritten (y).
T + Y = CH
What’s your name = whatcher name
D+Y=J
Did you see it? = Didjah see it?
S + Y = SH
Yes, you are = Yesshu are.
Z + Y = ZH
*How’s your family? = Howzhier family?)

*note that the contraction sound of how’s sounds like the (z)
NOTE: This section will include further examples with supplememts handed out in
class.
1.3 COLLOQUIAL REDUCTIONS AND LIAISONS
In order for you to recognize these sounds when used by native speakers, they are
presented here, but we do not recommend that you go out of your way to use them
yourself. If, at some point, they come quite naturally of their own accord in casual
conversation, you can give them a try, but please do not force yourself to talk this way.
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MCI 000-000
Again, this is an exercise focused on LISTENING and UNDERSTANDING first.
I have got to go. I’ve gotta go

I have got a book. I’ve gotta book.
Do you want to help? Do ya wanna help?
Let me see your work. Lemme see ya work.
I’ll let you know. I’ll letcha know.
Did you do it? Dija do it?
No, not yet. No, naw chet.
What do you think? Whaddyu think?
What did you do with it? Whajoo do with it?
How did you like it? Howja like it?
When did you get it? When ju geddit?
Why did you take it? Whyju tay kit?
Why don’t you try it? Why don chu try it?
What are you waiting for? Whaddya watin’for?
What are you doing? Whatcha doin’?
How is it going? Howzit goin’?
He has got to hurry. He’s gotta hurry.
I am because I can. I am cuz I can.
I could have gone if... I coulda gone if...
Could you help me, please? Couldjoo help me, please?
Don’t you get it? Doencha geddit?
Tell her I miss her. Teller I misser.
Tell him I miss him. Tellim I missim.
1.3.1 Extremely extreme reductions
Did you eat? Jeet?

No, did you? No, joo?
Why don’t you get a job? Whyncha getta job?
I don’t know, it’s too hard. I dunno, stoo ahrd.
Could we go? Kwee gou?
Let’s go! Sko!
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2 MODULE 2 : DIALECTS AND ACCENT INTERPRETATION
Welcome to the second part of the Phase II Oral Communications training. In this
phase, we will be discussing the varieties of spoken American English across the USA.
We will first look at and discuss the different regions in which you, as MCI employees
here in Buenos Aires, are continually in contact with. Once we have identified the
regions that have caused the greatest break in communications, we will focus on
listening and how we can identify different ways in which regional dialects are spoken.
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this Module, the student will:
 Differentiate the varieties of spoken American English across the USA.
 Develop skills to understand accents from different regions.
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The active study of dialect structures further offers an approach for developing critical
thinking skills for employees here at MCI. The knowledge of language, including
dialects, involves a unique form of knowledge in that speakers know about language
simply by virtue of the fact that they speak it. Looking at dialect differences provides a
natural laboratory for making generalizations drawn from carefully described sets of
data. Students can hypothesize about certain dialect forms and then check them out on
the basis of actual usage patterns.
2.2 WHAT IS A DIALECT ?
A dialect is a regional variety of language with differences in vocabulary, grammar, and

pronunciation. There are four basic dialects in the US:
o New England (East Coast)

o Midlands (Middle to Northern
o Southern
o Western
We will discuss each of these regions according to the US states which MCI employees
are in contact with the most.
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2.2.1 New England (East Coast)
Boston, Massachusetts:
This is one of the most distinctive of all the North American dialects. R´s are often
dropped, but an extra R is added to words that end with a vowel. A is pronounced Ah.
 "Park the car in Harvard Yard" becomes "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd."
 No syllable-final (r), far = fah or Carter= Cahtah.
 "I had no idea" becomes "I had no eye-dee-ya"
 Pronunciation of (O) in caught, bought.
 Faster speech tempo
 Some films which are good to hear the Bostonian pronunciation are Good Will
Hunting and Mystic River
Brooklyn,NYC vicinity/ New York
Unlike Boston and other urban dialects, New York City stands alone and bears little
resemblance to all the other dialects in this region. It is distinctive not only because of
the “NYC accent” but also because on any given day you can hear English spoken as a
second language from people from everywhere in the world!
.
 Faster speech tempo
 No syllable-final (r), far = fah or Carter= Cahtah.
 Words beginning with TH become D as in Day instead of They
 /OI/ pronounced /3r/ and /3r/ pronounced /OI/. When asked if the apartment had
heat in the winter the landlord replied "Shua. We got a brand new url boyna." ("Sure.
We got [purchased] a brand new oil burner.")
 (also South:) loss of r in some dialects.
 faster speech tempo
 The films of Woody Allen and Martin Scorcese are excellent examples of the New
Yorker dialect.
Maine and Downeast:
Older native Maine (USA) residents pronounce "yes" or "yeah" as "ayuh", with the
stress on the second syllable.
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2.2.2 The Midlands
Midwest (Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Lower Peninsula of Michigan):
 /O/ merged with /a/. "not" sounds like "naht" (/nOt/ --> [nat]), "opportunity" like
"ahppertunity" (NOTE: This is standard in Connecticut, an eastern state.)
 Preservation of non-prevocalic
 Many people from Chicago use the Da instead of The sound with Th words.
Minnesota (esp. rural), Upper Peninsula of Michigan, North Dakota:
 /O/ merged with /a/. ("Father" rhymes with "bother".)

 Preservation of non-prevocalic
 "roof", "book", and "root" all use the same vowel (SAMPA [U]).
 Use of German/Scandinavian "ja" as an affirmative filler or emphatic; Standard US
English "yes" is used to answer questions and to start an explanation.
 Tendency towards a "sing-songy" intonation (the area's earliest European settlers
were primarily Scandinavian, and this has influenced the local dialect). More
recently, this has been reinforced by an influx of Asians, most of whom speak tonal
languages.
 Known as "Yooper" in Upper Pensinsula of Michigan [UP = Yoo-Pee]
 For a stereotypical (if somewhat overdone) example of Minnesotan, refer to the
movie Fargo. For a more normative example, Garrison Keillor speaks with a typical
urban Minnesota accent.
St. Louis and vicinity:
 Older St. Louisans (probably born earlier than 1960) tend to merge the /Or/ sound as
in for with the /Ar/ sound of far. This accent is otherwise a typical Midwestern
General American-like accent.
 Many younger speakers are picking up the Northern Cities Vowel Shift heard in
Chicago, eastern Wisconsin, and much of Michigan. This vowel shift causes words
like cat /k&t/ to become more like /kEt/ and talent /'t&l,nt/ to be more like /'tj&l,nt/
or /'tEl,nt/. Younger generations also tend to pronounce not more like /nAt/ (naht), as
do older generations in this area. This does not necessarily mean a complete
merger between /A/ and /O/, however.
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2.2.3 Southern
South (Coastal Virginia, North Carolina through Louisiana and Texas):
As the northern dialects were originally dominated by Boston, the southern dialects
were heavily influenced by Charleston,NC; Richmond, VA; and Savannah, GA. They
tend to drop R´s . In contrast the R sound is distinctive and longer-sounding in the
Texas region.
 monopthongization of /ay/ as [a:], eg. most dialects' "I" --> "Ah" in the South.
 (also some East Coast:) los of the r in words.
 slower speech tempo
 putting two modals together as if the second were an infinitive: "I might could do
that."
 Coastal Southern speech is non-rhotic.
 The southern drawl (lax vowels become long or dipthongalized).
 loss of final d after another voiced consonant: and(d), tol(d)
 first syllable accented (rather than the second) in such words as: guitar, insurance,
July, police, elope etc.
South Midlands (Appalachia, Tennessee through Texas):
 monopthongization of /ay/ as [a:], eg. most dialects' "I" --> "Ah" in the South.
 raising of initial vowal of /au/ to /?u/ (/{u/); the initial vowel is often lengthened and
prolonged, yielding /?:w/.
 nasalization of vowels, esp. diphthongs, before /n/.
 raising of /?/ to /e/; can't --> cain't, &c.
 South Midlands speech is rhotic. This is diagnostic for Yankees to whom it all sounds
"Southern."
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MCI 000-000
US DIALECTS MAPS
Map 1
Map 2
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01 Pronunciation and Dialects

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English Pronunciation, Phonetics and

North American Dialects

**This document is for reference only.**

Developer(s): Billy Roche

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

Upon completion of this course, students will:

1 MODULE ONE: ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

For audio pronunciation: Merriam Webster OnLine http://www.m-w.com/

For phonetics: Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary :

1.1 THE ALPHABET IN REVIEW

o circuit (the “s” sound )

o job (the same as the “g” in generation)

o many (sounds like “any” with an m)

o notice (same sound as the “kn” in “know”)

o quiet (the “kwa” sound)

o yes like Yah Yah Yah!!!! you, yellow etc

o zebra (be aware of the “z” sound in “easy”)

1.1.1 Vowel sounds in English

Of course, they found no bomb.

Because so many English words sound similar, misunderstandings among English-

An English-speaking woman who was traveling in Mexico saw a sign in front of a

1.1.4 The V and W sounds

1. Perry berry fairy very wary

JUST FOR FUN

1.1.7 The TH- pronunciation

The throng of thermometers from the Thuringian Thermometer Folks arrived on

th = voiced (17) th = unvoiced (44)

JUST FOR FUN

The sixth sick sheep on the sixth ship of sheep.

When S becomes Z. Contrast:

1.1.11 The J and H sounds

1.1.11.1 The H Sound

1.1.11.2 The J Sound

1.1.12 The –ED endings (never say ed)

1.1.14 How to Pronounce -ed in English

base verb past simple past participle

work worked worked

I like painted furniture.

The question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?

The answer is: In 3 ways - / Id/ or / t/ or / d/

If the base verb ends in example example pronounce extra

unvoiced t want wanted

unvoiced sh wash washed / t/

1.1.15 Reduced sounds

LOOKS LIKE… SOUNDS LIKE…

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. T’day

If the same to follows a vowel sound, it will become d¨or deh .

LOOKS LIKE… SOUNDS LIKE…

He told me to help. He told meedah help.

1.2 WORD CONNECTIONS-LIAISONS

1.2.1 Consonant / vowel liaisons

Example: My name is…= (my naymiz)

What’s the Difference Between a Vowel and a Consonant?

Examples: hold on = hol don turn over = tur nover

On personal pronouns, it is common to drop the H (teller=tell her)

1.2.3 Consonant / consonant liaisons

Behind the teeth In the throat At the lips

Examples: I just didn’t get the chance. = I jusdidn’t ge the chance.

example: finish the escalation = finish theescalation

business deal ________________________________________________

credit check ________________________________________________

the top file ________________________________________________

sell nine new cars ___________________________________________

sit down _____________________________________________________

This document is for reference only.