American English Vowels for Chinese Professionals

Name: American English Vowels for Chinese Professionals
Rating: 4.7 (85 reviews)

American Vowels for Advanced Students with a Chinese Language Background

Created bySheila Lebedenko

Last updated 11/2024

English

What you'll learn

Learn to speak clearly with more of an American accent and less of a Chinese accent.

Course content

8 sections • 21 lectures • 3h 34m total length

Introduction3:35
Print out the written lesson in the "downloadable materials" section. Use it to follow along and take notes as you work your way through the course.
Muscle Exercises for Proper Placement14:55
Strengthen and/or increase flexibility in your tongue, lips, jaw, throat, and diaphragm for proper placement

The Vowel Chart - Method 118:08
Beginner Tongue Circles - Method 25:23
Tongue circles present a different way to look at vowels and a different way to produce them, which relies more on on the tongue and less on the other parts of the face, such as the jaw, lips, palate and nasal cavity. Relying more on the tongue will give help place your voice in the middle of the mouth and give you a truly American accent. Let's start with just 3 points on the tongue circle (low, upper left and upper right.)
Full Tongue Circles - Method 219:56
Learn how to stretch the tongue around the vowel circle. We will include all the Long and Short vowels here.
Full Tongue Circles part 2 (with diphthongs, or moving vowels)11:20
Here is more practice with full tongue circles and also the diphthongs, or moving vowels: Long I, OU and OI.
Reverse Tongue Circles5:36
Practice Tongue circles in the opposite direction to make your tongue work more flexible.

Vowel Lengthening9:07
Learn how consonants affect the length of a vowel. Then learn how to distinguish "app" from "ab." among other pairs. Also, learn how to not put vowels at the end of words which end in consonants. Then make it a habit by listening to and repeating the words with the repetition audio located in the downloadable materials section. Imitate the words exactly as you hear them.
Vowel Lengthening

Front Vowels Overview6:09
Learn the definition of a front vowel and how to distinguish between them.
Long E vs Short I - with Chinese Accent Analysis (Both Methods)11:57
Learn to distinguish between the tense Long E and the relaxed Short I, as in Read vs. Rid. After watching the lesson, be sure to practice the repetition audio in the downloadable materials. Repeat each phrase after me 8-10 times to develop muscle memory and change your habits! Practice as much as you can!
Long A - with Chinese Accent Analysis (Both Methods)9:22
Learn detail about Long A and see it in example sentences. Some focus is put on Long A at the end of a word as in "allay."
Long A vs Long E, Short E & Short A -with Chinese Accent Analysis (Both Methods)19:41
Learn to distinguish Long A from Long E, Short E and Short A, as in Sake, vs. Seek vs. Sec vs. Sack.
Short A vs. Short O- with Chinese Accent Analysis (Both Methods)6:52
Learn to distinguish between Short A and Short O. This helps distinguish American English from British English. Don't forget to drill yourself with the repetition audio located in Downloadable materials.
Front Vowels

Central Vowels: Overview (Both Methods)2:29
Learn how to produce the 3 central vowels and how to distinguish between them.
ER- with Chinese Accent Analysis (Both Methods)12:31
Learn how to produce ER, the many spellings of ER and how to distinguish it from different sounds that have similar spellings to ER.
Short O and Short U - with Chinese Accent Analysis15:07
Learn to distinguish between Short O and Short U. Learn how to distinguish between Short U and other "O" spellings. Learn to differentiate between different types of "AR," as in "scarf" vs. "scarves."
Central Vowels

Back Vowels: Overview2:28
Learn the definition of a back vowel, what the back vowels are and how to distinguish between them.
Short Back U and Long U3:04
Learn to distinguish the gentle short back U from the tense Long U.
Long O and Short Back O9:13
Learn to distinguish between the Long O and the Short Back O. Also learn to distinguish between Long O and Short U. Finally, learn how to pronounce the OR sound, as in "board."
Back Vowels

Requirements

a working knowledge of English

Description

Meaning can be altered when listeners don't understand your vowels. Changing one vowel slightly can completely change the meaning of a word. Not spending enough time on one vowel can also change the meaning! Learn how to correct the American English vowel pronunciation errors that native Chinese speakers frequently make. It's not too late to learn! It doesn't matter how old you are.

The instructor uses a vowel chart to demonstrate the similarities and differences between all the vowels. Then she presents a different method using a tongue circle chart. Then she describes and shows exactly how to produce each vowel for both methods and puts the vowels in example sentences that use advanced vocabulary from professional settings, such as high tech and business.

Quizzes are included to test your understanding of concepts taught.

The written lesson can also be downloaded, so you can follow along and takes notes while watching the videos.

Repetition audio exercises are included so you can listen download them, listen on the go, and repeat the target words over and over until they become part of your muscle memory! Each time you listen to the sentence, you will notice something different about it and repeat what your hear. Once you've listened and repeated 6-7 times, you'll be quite good at producing the native sounds demanded by that sentence!

But don't stop there! Watch and listen again! The information is dense, and you will surely focus on something different on your second watch-thru. Keep practicing!

Students are encouraged to ask the instructor questions and even meet with the instructor to check progress. Students can attend a free monthly office hour on Zoom to ask questions and receive live correction.

You can learn to speak English more clearly!

This class can be taken before or after the course on consonants, or simultaneously. It is recommended to take vowels and consonants before studying the word stress, rhythm courses, or melody courses.

Who this course is for:

Students and professionals in the US who are from Chinese speaking countries

American English Vowels for Chinese Professionals

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 19min

Vowel Overview5 lectures • 1hr

Vowel Lengthening1 lecture • 9min

Front Vowels5 lectures • 54min

Central Vowels3 lectures • 30min

Back Vowels3 lectures • 15min

Moving Vowels1 lecture • 12min

Accent Analysis & Placement Correction for Chinese speakers1 lecture • 16min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: