Jane Wellborn – Accent Reduction Made Easy (US EngSsh)

“Ideal modestly priced material for ESL and speech students, who can practice as they drive to and from class.” — BOOKLIST, July 1998

The reasons why in the beginning I speak all of the sounds used in standard American English are so that you can preview the whole program, can see the different ways in which the sounds are spelled, and can know for sure what sound the symbols represent. There is time to repeat after me all of the sounds and words.

Most of my students use the tapes in the car without the book. Before you drive in the car, read the book with tapes at least once to see the different spelling of the sounds. The purpose of this program is to help you change the muscle habits of your mouth by saying correctly over and over again the 5 or 6 sounds which you personally need. The pocket-sized drill book matches the tapes exactly and has many extra drills not on the tapes. You can use the book without the tapes or the tapes without the book.

There are sounds for Southerners such as the “r” (3) and the “l” (4), which Southerners often skip; the “ing” (5) which they pronounce “in”–some say “singin”; and there is the diphthong (38) to help them pronounce “nice white rice” so that it doesn’t sound flat. There are exercises for the “th” (1 & 2) which some Southerners pronounce as “d” or “t.”

There are many other helps for everyone if you will read the book closely, follow the instructions, and practice often.