TRANSCRIPT
Today we are going to cover the pronunciation of words that you definitely use very often.
If you have the goal of improving your English speaking, you really want to focus in on the words of frequent use. This is the most efficient way to see rapid change in your pronunciation. It will also really improve your speaking confidence. It makes sense right?
When you know how to say the words that you often use, you create these comfortable moments across your sentences where you know you are doing the right thing.
Here is what you are going to learn:
- How to pronounce the months of the year with a clear Standard English accent
- Where to place the stress and emphasis when you pronounce each month
- A quick foolproof method to increase your speaking practise so that you can start correcting any mistakes you notice you are making on these words
But first, before we get started, make sure you pick up your copy of the High Voltage Speaking Drill Framework, over on our website. We will be using it together. If you are not familiar with this resource, I’ve linked a video tutorial where I show you how to use it below.
So pick that up right away if you don’t already have it and let’s get started.
Pronounce the months of the year
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!
Janu’ary
See that little apostrophe in the phonetics, that tells you where your emphasis belongs so you really want to stretch out the vowel that follows the apostrophe like this…
(models mouth shape)
Make it long and strong relative to the other sounds in the word.
‘February
The first /r/? Yeah, it’s actually not there for most Australians, even cultivated ones! Just drop it.
Have another listen..
February.
March
Keep that vowel nice and long
‘April
Here the stress goes to the front. Give the first sound more duration.
[MODEL]
May
Oh this one is easy fixed. Make sure it sounds like “day”
June
The biggest mistake I hear at Voice Science with this word is when my clients make the vowel sound too short.
Stretch it, keep it long, make your lips very tight and tense your tongue.
Your tongue muscle should feel tight here (point under your chin). If it is relaxed, you will say this word incorrectly.
Ju’ly
‘August
Ah my cheeky birth month. Don’t trust the letter ‘A” there. To get this word right you want to go all in and tight on the mouth like this,
[MODEL]
The first sound has got to sound the same as words like “author, or, order and law” ok?
Sep’tember
This one is not too hard. From now on we are moving downhill- the last 4 months of the year have the same musical rhythm. Listen to this
[CLAP for]
Ba BA ba
September, October, November
So here you are bulging the middle syllable and you can also increase your voice pitch a bit. Sing it!
Oc’tober
No’vember
De’cember
The middle e has a different symbol- notice that. This will be achieved if you make a schwa sandwich. See the upside down “e”. If that symbol concerns you, and you never saw it before, you have to get very familiar with it. You know why? It is the most common sound of English. We call it the schwa and it is NEVER stressed. Have a listen.
[MODEL SCHWA IN ISOLATION]
Now let’s connect two of these on either side. Notice my mouth shape is neutral.
My tongue is also central.
Ok here we go…
“December”
What’s your dream for your English Speaking?
What’s your dream for your English speaking?
Is it to speak comfortably and confidently so that you can progress at work?
Perhaps you desperately want to increase your accuracy on words that you feel slowing you down?
Maybe it’s to learn more about the sounds of the language so you can represent it better and speak eloquently.
Or perhaps you are really into a certain accent like Australian English or British English and want to get as close as you possibly can to it.
Remember your dream.
Everyone has a different dream for their communication.
So I want you to remember today, right now, what your dream is for your English, but let’s add to that something that you MUST NOT FORGET.
DON’T FORGET TO WORK.
If you don’t put in the work, your dream will stay just that.
And if you are unsure of how to work on your pronunciation so you can finally achieve your dream of speaking more comfortably and clearly, keep listening because I am here to help you and show you how to do the work!
Enrol and Start the Work Right Now!
As we conclude this tutorial I want to remind you, when you work on your pronunciation that it is really normal to be unsure about what sounds you need to fix, especially if English isn’t your first language.
Which is why I custom engineered Your Personalised Pronunciation Audit.
A neat and engaging way for you to get the feedback you need on your English speaking right now, wherever you are.
I have developed this audit because I believe that you can learn anywhere. And you can improve anywhere.
Your personalised pronunciation audit makes our expert clinic accessible to you no matter where you are in the world.
After working with 1000s of clients who want to improve their English I saw that there was a real need for tailored feedback on English speaking globally that is precise and strategic so that you can learn exactly what your pronunciation needs to sound more confident and comfortable.
Well that was fun wasn’t it!
I hope that this tutorial gets you on task and that you had fun and feel even more inspired to do some work for your speaking . If you found it valuable please don’t forget to give it a like & subscribe to our channel. You can also get extra tips for your communication over on our FB youtube channel and instagram.
Got a friend who could really do with this tutorial to help their English speaking and pronunciation practice? You should definitely share these pronunciation tips. Because we are in the communication game together. Because I am here trying to advocate for the importance of communication confidence and comfort and as I always say, “communication is like string theory, it’s the foundation of everything” so go get them. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you next time!
Ciao!
XO