Reduced Forms

Here's a great list of reduced forms. Some folks might consider these lazy English, but just about everyone does this to some extent in natural interactions.

Check it out.

English Phonology and Phonetics: Materials for Assimilation in English Phonemic or Phonetic Transcription. Effects of other Phonemes on Alveolar Conso

Here are quite a few rules and examples for Assimilation in English. Assimilation is when a sound changes based on the following sound.

See this site for a large number of examples.

Common phrases

Here is a short, yet helpful list of common phrases and their pronunciation.

This could be very useful.

AUE: The Audio Archive

This is another website that has audio samples that you can compare across different types of English speakers. There are more samples, but it is a little more difficult to compare.

See how you like it.

EEAWW: Sound Clips

This is very interesting. This site allows you to hear a passage read by 8 different English speakers. One male speaker and one female speaker from New Zealand, Australia, North America, and England.

Check it out.

Pronunciation Lessons

This is an interesting site that has audio to accompany the lessons. The audio isn't great, but it is ok. Also, the speaker is British, so you will likely hear some differences between their pronunciation and your teacher's.

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

...and a few WORDS from Caroline...and others

This is a great list of minimal pairs.

These are the same kind of words that we have used for practice in class. Say them and listen for the fine distinctions in the sounds. Recording yourself is a good way for you to hear how you pronounce these sounds. It's hard to listen to yourself as you talk :)

Perfect Pronunciation

This is a website sponsored by Merriam-Webster, the dictionary giant.

It has a wide range of resources that feature Flash-driven audio examples and drills.

Stress - Patterns - Authentic American Pronunciation

Here is an interesting resource for help with Stress Patterns in English.

Let's practice /z/

This page is good because it contains both video and audio examples of the /z/ sound being used.

The audio quality isn't great, but I think that it is good enough to hear the sound and how it is used in different words.

Eva Easton's Authentic American Pronunciation

This is an interesting site that offers a good deal of text and audio assistance with pronunciation.

Most of the help with with individual sounds, but there are also aspects of single and multiple word pronunciation.

Check out the "Consonant Sounds" for guidane with the /z/ sound.

Phonetics: The Sounds of English and Spanish - The University of Iowa#

This is a fantastic resource from the University of Iowa. It is a Flash interface that helps you with English (and Spanish and German) pronunciation. Not only are there samples of sounds, but there are also animations showing the positioning of the lips, tongue, and throat.

Go check it out.

Welcome to SNU Pronunciation

Welcome to SNU Pronunciation. The Pronunciation Clinic at SNU is meant to work on students English language pronunciation.

What is native English pronunciation? The answer to this question will likely be different depending on who you ask. The English language is indeed a global language, but this doesn't mean that everyone pronounces it the same. Pronunciation differs both within countries (New York vs. Los Angeles) and between countries (UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, India, ect).

Therefore, sounding like a "native speaker" is not the goal of this course. Our goal is to make you easier to understand by all speakers of English.

However, I am an American born and raised in the Chicago area. I have my own distinct pronunciation. Since I will be your model for much of the class, you will be exposed more to "American" pronunciate. To give you more exposure to a broad variety of English speakers, I will bring in auto recordings from various resources.

Lastly, you may be asking, "Dan, why do we have to come to this blog?" The answer is simple. There are many resources online that you can utilize to practice outside of class. A couple hours a week of practice will not go very far. On this blog, I will post links to online resources. These online resources can provide practice opportunities for you to do on your own 7 days a week. Check back often for new postings.