ACCENT AMERICA! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

How long does it take to see results?

Changing your accent depends in large part on how much you practice. Each aspect of an accent is a “habit,” and changing even one habit can be difficult and requires determination and persistence. Even with focus and regular practice, pronunciation improvement takes time. Be wary of promises of results in days or weeks. Typically it takes months to achieve lasting results.

Why do you use the international phonetic alphabet?

The international phonetic alphabet is an optional feature of the program. Phonetic transcriptions on the back of the lesson pages give you the option to “see” what you heard on the audio, confirm what you think you heard, or help determine appropriate sounds to use in your pronunciation.

If the international phonetic alphabet is different than the dictionary,
why not use the dictionary symbols?

Different dictionaries use different symbols, and some dictionaries designed for foreign-born speakers use the international phonetic alphabet. (See Our Recommendations.) If you’d like to translate the phonetic symbols used in Accent America! with common dictionary equivalents, see Interpreting Pronunciation Symbols.

How do I practice to get the most benefit from the program?

In addition to regular practice, record your practice sessions, so you can “remove yourself” and listen to yourself as others do. Compare your recorded pronunciation to native speakers by recording both the speakers modeling sounds and your own pronunciation.

Why do you include a page on different spelling for each sound?

Most English sounds have multiple spellings. For example, the words see, sea, she, seize, ski all contain different spellings for the [iy] sound. Recognizing that a sound can be spelled multiple ways is an important milestone in pronunciation acquisition.