Intonation In American English: Syllables And Words

Take a deep dive and zero in on the pitch and length of your English syllables and words. Make your speech FLOW!

What you'll learn

Understand the difference between vowels and consonants.

Understand the different between voiced and unvoiced sounds.

Be able to hear and say the different pitch tones – Short Flat and Long Drop.

Understand and be able to say a Vowel Peak to allow for clearer communication.

Understand and be able to say mutli-syllabic English words with proper intonation.

Make progress on your journey to be able to communicate effectively and enjoyably.

Requirements

There are no pre-requisites for the course.

Description

This course takes a magnifying glass to intonation in English, zooming in on the pitch and the individual syllables of words. Pitch, syllable length, and ratio between stressed and unstressed syllables are all thoroughly examined and explained, followed by drills to be spoken out loud by students – from single-syllable words to five-syllable words. Words are drilled one at a time; no phrases or sentences are drilled in this course. Our focus is on making sure that our word intonation is precise in order to allow our speech to flow effortlessly. This course was created by me as the result of two decades of teaching students one on one. This is my original approach; I don't know of any other courses like it. If you feel comfortable with your pronunciation in English (as a second language) but feel there is something missing, or that your speech is over-pronounced, or that you become fatigued or out of breath when speaking, this could be just the course you need. All levels are welcomed to take this course. The topic is very specific and detailed and may most benefit learners who have a very high level of English, but have speech that is not flowing exactly the way they would like it to.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Intonation in (American) English

Section 2: Your Goals and Your Current Speech

Lecture 2 A few quick thoughts about your goals for the course!

Section 3: Basic Concepts: Getting it In Your Body and Muscle Memory

Lecture 3 Introduction to the Basic Concepts

Lecture 4 Getting it In Your Body, and Muscle Memory

Section 4: What are Consonants and Vowels? / What is Pitch?

Lecture 5 Introduction to Consonants, Vowels, and Pitch

Lecture 6 What are Consonants and Vowels?

Lecture 7 What is Pitch?

Section 5: The 2 Pitch Tones: Vowel Length; Voiced and Unvoiced Sounds

Lecture 8 The Short Flat and Long Drop Pitch Tones

Section 6: The Single Syllable: Building a Strong Foundation

Lecture 9 Introduction to the One-Syllable Drills

Lecture 10 Drill: Pattern 1a: Words Ending with Vowels

Lecture 11 Drill: Pattern 1a: Words with Voiced Endings

Lecture 12 Drill: Pattern 1b: Words with Unvoiced Endings

Section 7: The Two-Syllable Patterns: Introduction and Pattern 2a

Lecture 13 Introduction: Moving into the 2-Syllable Word Drills

Lecture 14 Theory: Understanding the 2-Syllable Pattern 2a

Lecture 15 Drill: Pattern 2a

Section 8: The Two-Syllable Patterns: Pattern 2b

Lecture 16 Theory: Understanding the 2-Syllable Pattern 2b

Lecture 17 Drill: Pattern 2b

Section 9: The Two-Syllable Patterns: Pattern 2c

Lecture 18 Theory: Understanding the 2-Syllable Pattern 2c

Lecture 19 Drill: Pattern 2c

Section 10: The Three-Syllable Patterns: Pattern 3a

Lecture 20 Theory: Understanding the 3-Syllable Pattern 3a

Lecture 21 Drill: Pattern 3a

Section 11: The Three-Syllable Patterns: Pattern 3b

Lecture 22 Theory: Understanding the 3-Syllable Pattern 3b

Lecture 23 Drill: Pattern 3b

Section 12: The Three-Syllable Patterns: Pattern 3c

Lecture 24 Theory: Understanding the 3-Syllable Pattern 3c

Lecture 25 Drill: Pattern 3c

Section 13: Four-Syllable Words

Lecture 26 Introduction to 4-Syllable Words/ Theory: Understanding Pattern 4a

Lecture 27 Drill: Pattern 4a

Lecture 28 Theory: Understanding the 4-Syllable Pattern 4b

Lecture 29 Drill: Pattern 4b

Lecture 30 Theory: Understanding the 4-Syllable Pattern 4c

Lecture 31 Drill: Pattern 4c

Section 14: Five-Syllable Words

Lecture 32 Introduction to Five-Syllable Word Patterns

Lecture 33 Drill: Pattern 5a

Lecture 34 Drill: Pattern 5b

Lecture 35 Drill: Pattern 5c

Lecture 36 Drill: Pattern 5d

Section 15: Conclusion: You Did It! Congratulations and Onward!

Lecture 37 Congratulations: Now Let Go of the Technique and Enjoy Speaking!

The course is intended for second-language speakers of English who want to refine there communication skills, specifically by learning about and practicing intonation in syllables and single words..