UPDATED:  December 1, 2006 8:44 PM
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YOU AND YOUR ACCENT

By: Sharon Heffley

Non-native speakers tend to have more pauses between words than native English speakers.  That makes their speech seem rapid and choppy.    To breathe, Americans usually pause at the end of a sentence and where a comma appears if we were writing.  We may also pause before phrases and clauses.  These word groupings allow us to keep ‘thought clusters’ together so we are more easily understood. 

Ex:  The board will meet on Wednesday to vote on the new bylaws.   There are no commas here to tell you when you can take a break in speaking.  However, we do have two thought groups that provide guidelines.   The first is

The board will meet on Wednesday.  It’s a complete thought, but the speaker wants to add more information so she adds to vote on the new bylaws.   If you must take a break, this is where it will occur naturally.  It would be awkward to say... The board will meet- on Wednesday to vote on the new bylaws.

Thought clusters are determined by grammar and context.  A noun/verb phrase thought group is Jim and Sally/ went to the mall.   Native speakers, usually don’t pause in such short sentences, but some of my clients inappropriately use multiple pauses-  Jim/  and Sally/  went to the mall.

We can also pause before or after important information.  This helps keep the listener focused.  In part two / we’ll discuss implementation.

Mimic TV and radio speakers.  Listen to their phrasing.  Determine what their ‘thought group’ was.  Try to regulate where your pausing should go.  Practice will help you to develop some new habits.

 We plan to offer an intensive accent modification program that will meet all day on February 24 and 25, and March 24, 2007.  This program includes work on pronunciation, syllable stress and fluency.  For more information, visit our website or call. We offer a $100 early registration discount before Dec. 20th.

Sharon Heffley is a speech-language pathologist specializing in communication skills for non-native speakers of English.   She can be reached at 703-757-5353 or visit her website at www.accentmodification.com

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