American Accent: Top 10 Essentials

Not sure where to start your American accent training?

Start here with this course! Learn the top 10 essentials of the American accent with Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist and professional American accent and voice coach!

What will I learn?

You’ll learn the top 10 essentials of the American accent through detailed lessons on:

• how to identify and pronounce stressed and unstressed syllables in American English

• how to master American English rhythm with the most common word reductions.

• the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) of every vowel and consonant of American English

• how to pronounce the most challenging consonants of American English, the R and T consonants

• how to pronounce the most challenging vowels of American English, the AH /ɑ/, UH /ʌ/, EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ vowels

• how to smooth out your spoken American English through linking in connected speech

• Each chapter also includes pronunciation videos, helpful text explanations, downloadable worksheets, and chapter quizzes to test your knowledge.

Who should take this course?

This speaking course was designed to improve the clarity and fluency of non-native speakers of American English. However, if you are a native speaker of English who grew up speaking another dialect or accent and you want to learn more about the American accent, you could also benefit from this course.

What English skill level should I have before I take this course?

The material in this course is best for a skill level of intermediate and above. However, I would encourage beginners of English to enroll and try to follow along with the videos and exercises (captions are available). It’s never too early to start learning about American English pronunciation!

Why should I take this course on the American accent?

Pronunciation can’t be learned from a book. Once a word is spoken out loud, its pronunciation often changes, and the only way to learn about that pronunciation is to listen to native speakers and then imitate them. This course will give you the opportunity to do just that – listen to and imitate native speakers of American English, with helpful pronunciation tips and guidance along the way.

But even more important is this course will teach you the rules that govern American English pronunciation, such as:

• How a vowel is different from a consonant

• Which words to stress and destress in a sentence

• How to reduce the vowel in an unstressed syllable

As you become more aware of the sounds and patterns of spoken American English, your pronunciation skills will greatly improve!