When I tell people what I do for a living I get all kinds of remarks and questions from them.  Everyone always wants to know how and why we do this.  They want to know what textbooks we use, and how we conduct our “classes”.  They want to know all about the “structure” of the classes. 

No Ordinary Language School

It is very difficult for many people, teachers in particular, to understand that this is no ordinary language school, and that we don’t teach in an ordinary way.  Rather, we have found that by working individually with clients, and designing their “lessons” around exactly what we feel they need to know, or what they want to know, we have tremendous success. 

Really Speak English

We teach very little grammar and formal structure here at the LakeTahoe Institute of English – we teach what you need to know in order to be able to actually speak English, to have satisfying conversations with other English speakers, and to have confidence in your ability to speak English.  Click on the following link if you would like to see a short video of me talking about how we got the idea for starting this kind of language school:  Founding the Lake Tahoe Institute of English.

Before coming to the Lake Tahoe Institute of English many potential clients want to see photos of where they will be staying.  I know it is intimidating to think of coming to a place for several weeks, work one-to-one with an instructor, and stay in an unknown place.  We can describe it all we want on the website, but nothing says it like pictures.  So, Kim and I put together a little video of where you will be staying.  We hope you will consider enrolling in our program.  To see where you will be staying, click on the title,  A Tour of the Lake Tahoe Institute of English, Enjoy. (And I have to say, we are total amateurs at making videos, so please forgive much.  Kim, though, is far better at this than I am.)

A lot of people think that as adults they can’t learn a new language, or that they can’t learn it as well as a child can.  And a lot of adults would like to learn a language for reasons as varied as needing it for business or travel, for personal enrichment, and because research shows that learning another language is one of the best ways to keep your brain working well.  The good news is that adults can learn new languages, and they can do it as well as children, given the right learning conditions.  Watch the this video, Adults Learn Language Better Than Children, to learn more about this topic.

After driving to Phoenix to visit our daughter for a brief winter vacation, Kim and I then flew East, to the tiny Bahamian island of Abaco.  We’ve been there many times, as it is one of our favorite places in the world.  Where Phoenix is desert dry and brown, with the only thing we love about it being Eve, our daughter, the Bahamas is a group of islands that is totally delightful.  We began going there because of the water, but have gone back over and over again because of the pure pleasure of being amongst what has to be the kindest, happiest group of people we’ve ever met.

Lush and Lovely

The Bahamian Flag

Surf's Up at Treasure Cay Beach

Day After a Storm - Treasure Cay Beach and the Bahama Beach Club

This particular group of islands, the Abacos, was settled about 250 years ago by Loyalists from America.  They were on the British side of the Revolutionary War, and wanted to remain loyal to the crown. When it was no longer possible to remain in America and be a loyal British subject, this group relocated to the Abacos, bringing their African slaves, who were later emancipated, with them.  These descendants of these same people, white Abaconians and black Abaconians, have remained on these tiny islands ever since, forging a very distinctive society for themselves.

Abaconian Accents

One thing I find so interesting and charming about Abaconians is their accent.  They all speak English, however the English spoken by white Abaconians differs greatly from that spoken by black Abaconians.  As far as I can tell, the Island of Abaco is more integrated than most parts of the United States.  People live together, work together, and speak with each other every day.  And yet these two groups continue to speak English with completely different accents after 250 years of living in the same tiny place.

White Abaconians speak with a kind of flat, half Boston, half British accent.  It is very distinctive, yet easily understood by any English speaker.  No matter what the situation, or how rapid the speech, I can understand it as easily as I can understand any west coast American speech.  Although inflections differ, the music and rhythm of the speech is classic English.

Black Abaconians, however, sound completely different.  One of the most charming aspects of Bahamians is the lilting, musical sound of their speech.  There is laughter and kindness in the sound.  There is a song in every sentence.  It is a beautiful thing to hear.

The interesting thing, to me, is that it is a very easy speech to understand most of the time.  Clearly, though, it has a different beat from common American English or British English, and when Bahamians choose not to be understood, when they increase the pace of their conversations, when they clip their words a little more closely, when they don’t enunciate quite so clearly, it is impossible for me, a teacher of language, skilled in comprehension of heavily accented speech, to understand anything.

The Musicality of a Language

In previous posts I have discussed the musicality of a language, and how it impacts comprehension.  Here is an incredible example of it, within my own native language of English.  The very thing that makes Bahamian English so charming is what also can make it impossible for even an English speaker to understand.

Some of our clients at the Lake Tahoe Institute of English are too worried about improving their American accents so that no one will know they are not a native speaker of the language.  Not only is this nearly impossible for an adult, it is, in my opinion, not a good idea.  Accents in English are charming.  We Americans love a foreigner, especially one who speaks good English.  An accent is appealing, so long as it is understandable.

What speakers of English as a second language should strive for is pronouncing sounds in such a way that they can be understood by other speakers of English, whether it be their first or second language.  We just need you to be understandable to us, not to be American (or British, or whatever).  Master most of the sounds, and, most of all, master the rhythm of the language.  Then you will be understood.

In the last 2 posts, I’ve talked about pronunciation as a function of the position of the mouth when speaking English. There is, of course, more to it than that, although I believe mouth position makes the biggest difference in speaking English clearly and understandably.

But, it is not the only thing. Also very important is where the stress is placed in a word, and the music, or intonation of the language. Today I’m going to give you the bad news about word stress in English, and the best way to cope with it.

Bad Habits

English, Russian and Greek have the same bad habits when it comes to word stress. That is, just like most else in English, it is irregular. Which syllables are stressed varies from word to word. There are no rules. This is very difficult for speakers of other languages to understand, since most languages have very specific rules about stress, with few exceptions.

For example, in French, the last syllable is stressed. In Spanish, it is normally the next to last syllable. In German, it is the first syllable, with some exceptions, and in Japanese, the stress is even.

One of the things that makes speakers of English as a foreign language difficult to understand (but also what makes their accents so charming) is that they continually stress the wrong syllables in a pattern familiar to them. In English, the syllables in a single word can be stressed in a number of different ways, with each way having a different meaning. So, it is very important to stress the syllables correctly.

Here are some examples of words that look like they would be pronounced the same, but are not:

noble: honorable, distinguished, aristocratic
Nobel: a prestigious award of achievement

invalid: a sick or disabled person
invalid: not valid, void

personal: individual, private
personnel: a group of people employed in an organization or place of work

pronouns: parts of speech that subsititute for nouns, such as he and she
pronounce: to say words

advantages: benefits or gain
advantageous: beneficial, useful

content: subject matter of a book, speech, etc.
content: satisfied and happy

So, you can see how important it is to stress the correct syllables in order to convey the correct meaning.

As Ususal, Listen!

As usual, the best thing you can do is listen and listen and listen to spoken English. You can memorize some pronunciations, but with enough listening, the correct pronunciation will sound right intuitively. Soon, it will become habit.

Also, it is very helpful if you become aware of the stress rules in your own native language. Once you are aware, then you can guard against using your habitual stress rules to pronounce English words while you word to make the correct stresses habit.

English is such a difficult language! So many rules, and so many exceptions to every rule. How anyone trying to learn the language could possibly remember even half the rules and exceptions is beyond me. Trying to memorize and master the rules makes learning so tedious and frustrating. Plus, that’s not how to learn a language.

In this second of a series of posts about pronunciation, I will be talking more about pronouncing the sounds of English. I don’t mean, at least at this time, the sounds of the letters, or where you place stress in a word. I mean the basic sound of the entire spoken language. I talked about this in the last post, and want to continue here. I’m talking about the point of articulation and point of resonance that makes the sound of the words.

The Point of Resonance in English

As you may recall from my last post,  in English, the point of articulation and resonance is in the middle of the mouth. English is spoken from a kind of a hollow in the middle of the mouth, the tongue most often bounces off the gums above the front teeth, and the lips, jaws, and corners of the mouth remain relatively relaxed, at least as compared to many other languages. In order to improve your English accent, your mouth must be in the correct position. The best way to learn the correct position is to imitate the English accent of someone speaking your own native language.

Getting Your Mouth In Position

At first, when you get your mouth in the correct position, your jaw, lip and tongue muscles will no doubt feel tight and tired. Keep practicing, though, until it becomes natural and instinctive when speaking English. This is really important. You cannot make the sounds that are exclusive to any language without having your mouth in the right position. An example of this is English speakers trying to roll their r’s. Unless we tense our tongues, lips and corners of the mouth, we cannot speak forward in our mouths enough to make the rolling sound. It just won’t work. Just try to roll an r sound with the point of articulation being in the center of the mouth. That’s why you laugh at us!

German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Polish are among the many frontal, or dental languages. The tongue in these languages is always somewhere around the front teeth, tapping against them. This is not the case in English. English is spoken as if the speaker has a hot potato in the mouth.

Following are a few examples of how the mouth is held in other languages, by way of comparison to English.

It’s All In Your Mouth

In English, the jaw is fairly relaxed, and the mouth is held in a medium open position. The tongue is held in the middle of the mouth, and the corners of the mouth are relaxed. The tongue hits the gums above the front teeth more often than the teeth themselves.

In French, the tongue is kept slightly raised to make a narrow tunnel in the vocal cavity. The muscles at the corner of the mouth are tensed and the lips protrude a bit when speaking. The tongue is always in the vicinity of the front teeth, in a more forward position than it is in English. The point of resonance is high.

Spanish speakers keep their jaws loose, their mouth in a medium open position. The tongue is held slightly raised and forward, always in the vicinity of the front teeth. The lips are relaxed, but the muscles at the corners of the mouth are slightly tensed. The point of articulation is near the front of the mouth.

In German, the jaw is tight, and the mouth is held in a somewhat closed position. The tongue is held slightly raised and forward. The lips are relaxed, but slightly protruded, and the muscles at the corners of the mouth are a bit tensed. The point of articulation is back in the mouth.

Russian speakers keep their jaws loose, with their mouth in a fairly wide open position. The tongue is held raised and slightly back. Lips are relaxed and slightly protruded, and the muscles at the corners of the mouth are relaxed.

Imitate Accents

Practice imitating the various accents of foreign speakers speaking your native language. That is where it is easiest to see how each language requires a different mouth position to speak the language properly. Then, practice speaking your own language with an English accent over and over again, until you can feel the difference between how you would normally hold your mouth to speak, and how you need to hold your mouth to speak English.

You know, it’s one thing to speak another language, and it is entirely another to speak another language so that it can be understood by others. I know that sounds pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t pay any attention to speaking clearly and understandably. And that, really, is the most important part of communicating. Well, of course! You can have the largest vocabulary in the world, but if I can’t understand what the heck you are saying, you have wasted your breath.

What really drives me crazy are all those pronunciation diagrams that are out there which supposedly show you where your tongue is supposed to be in your mouth when you are speaking. Maybe it’s just me, but I can never figure out what they’re showing. And even if I could figure it out, how could I put it into action? I can’t see what I am doing and match it to the side-view drawing. And how could I possibly remember that, when I am in the middle of talking, anyway? It’s like learning grammar – fairly useless as a practical exercise to help learn to speak another language.

Mouth Position is Critical

I think the best way to start working on pronunciation is to get your mouth position right. Every language requires its speakers to hold their lips, mouth, tongue, and jaw in a different position. The proper sounds cannot be made unless the mouth is held properly. Mouth position is critical.

So, first notice how you hold your mouth when you speak. Is your jaw relaxed or tense? How about the muscles at the corners of your mouth? Tight or relaxed? Your lips? Are they relaxed against the teeth, or do they push forward a bit when you talk?

And where does it feel like you are making the sound in your mouth, approximately? Forward, middle, high, low, back? Each of these positions makes a big difference in the sounds that are created. This point in your mouth is called the point of articulation, and creates the point of resonance. It is difficult to scientifically analyze these points of articulation and resonance, but, with practice, it is easy to feel them.

Imitate Accents

So, don’t spend time learning exact rules for mouth positions. Pretend you are an actor, learning to do an accent for a film. Imitate the sounds that an actor makes. In your native language, imitate someone who speaks your language with an English accent. Can you feel how you have to hold your mouth to speak with an English accent? That is how you have to hold your mouth when you speak English. Only it won’t be funny when you’re actually speaking English!

Speak From the Middle of the Mouth

In general, American English is spoken from the middle of the mouth. A hollow is almost created with the tongue, which is held in the middle of the mouth. The tongue bounces off the ridge of gums directly above the front teeth, not so much the teeth themselves. The lips are back and relaxed against the teeth. The jaw is fairly relaxed and loose, and the muscles at the corner of the mouth are relaxed.

For now, pay attention when you are speaking to how you hold your mouth. Pay attention when you are watching television to how speakers of your native language hold their mouth as compared to those speaking English. Try to get a feel for what it looks and feels like.

In my next post, I will explore this topic some more, and give some suggestions as to how you can learn to speak with a better American English Accent.

Most of us feel, when we are learning to speak another language, that if we could just think and talk faster, we would be speaking better. In my experience teaching English as a second language at the Lake Tahoe Institute of English, it is exactly the opposite that is true.

A LAZY SOUNDING GROUP

We American English speakers are a lazy group, in general. Because we speak from the middle of our mouths, we can’t make sounds as quickly as in other languages. We need to speak fairly slowly in order to speak clearly. If English as a second language learners would force themselves to speak more slowly, rather than more quickly, they would sound much better to a native English speaking ear. So, all you language learners out there, keep it slow, keep it lazy. You will be amazed at how much better understood you will be.

THE POINT OF ARTICULATION

Remember, too, to hold your mouth in the correct position. The point of articulation for English is in the middle of the mouth. The tongue is not held taut, as in many languages, but is rather lazily held in an almost hollow shape. The tongue moves slowly, and does not punch the front teeth. Relax your jaw, and, especially, relax the corners of your mouth. Don’t work your lips too much; keep them back and relaxed. Remember, slow and lazy is good.

In general, when speaking English the lips are more relaxed and back than in many languages. Two exceptions to this are when saying the letters R and W. In order to properly enunciate these two letters, the lips push out dramatically (for English) and with force.

TIPS TO BE UNDERSTOOD

And, a final tip for speaking English clearly, so that you can be understood, is to keep the consonant sounds strong. Remember, vowel sounds are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. All the other letters are consonants. Give these letters more force and clarity when you speak. That is, of course, except when there are exceptions, as there always are in English, and the letter is silent or aspirated. 

And, don’t forget to enunciate the final p, b, t, and d sounds.  Many speakers of English as a second language drop those sounds off the ends of words, which makes them very difficult to understand.

So, slow down, take it easy, don’t try to go too fast.
The song Summertime, from Porgy and Bess demonstrates, both through the lyrics, and also the tempo of the song, just what I’m saying. Follow this link to give it a listen:

Summertime

Maria Joao and Boni

Worksheets:  A Sigh of Relief

Maria Joao, from Portugal, and I were discussing how best to learn a language the other day.  She was remarking that she rationally understands that immersion learning is the best, and the fastest, way to learn English, but that she sometimes just really wants to have a worksheet in front of her.  As you know, we hardly ever use them, but on the rare ocasion that we do, she says she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees one in my hand!

That’s interesting, because virtually all of our clients claim to hate worksheets.  They find them tedious, boring, and generally not so beneficial.  They can learn the lessons on the worksheets, but find they don’t use the lessons in practice.  Yet, sometimes, as with Maria Joao, you can almost feel their relief when we hand a worksheet to them.

Most Adults Love Structure

I think that some of this has to do with our need for structure.  Adults, especially, like order, rules and structure.  Even when we say we don’t like it, I think that sometimes having structure forced upon us allows us to relax a bit.

We don’t have to think quite so hard with imposed structure.  Sometimes it is really nice to be told what to do.  It gets very tiring to be using all of our senses, thinking, working, trying to figure out what someone is saying, how to respond to them, how to generate a question. 

How lovely to fill in a blank on a worksheet!  It gives us a degree of security to know that all we need is one simple word to fill in a blank, and then we will be right.  We will have demonstrated that we have mastery over a tiny bit of the frustrating English language.

So, on occasion, to give our clients a break, we do a worksheet or two.  It is reassuring.  It is restful.  It allows them to stop thinking in English, and allows them to think about English.  It becomes an intellectual exercise instead of an intuitive exercise.

Feeling Good

A word of caution, though.  I think it is good to have a sense of the formal structure of the English language.  It gives you something to hang your hat on.  When all else fails, you can think about the language.  You won’t be speaking fluently, but you can stop, think, refer to a lesson, or a point of grammar, and then continue on.  It makes you feel good.

Feeling Better

What makes you feel better, though, is actually speaking English and understanding English.  This is only accomplished with many hours of practice listening to real English being spoken, and of speaking real English with a native English speaker. 

Feeling Best

There is really no short cut.  You just have to dive in, and listen and speak, and listen and speak, and listen and speak, until you think you can’t do it any more.  Then you have to do it some more.  And the more you do at one time, the faster you will learn.

So, use the occasional worksheet if you need to. We do here at the Lake Tahoe Institute of English.  But, focus the majority of your time on listening and speaking.  You will be a far better speaker of English if you do.

We Don’t Use Our Brains

The problem with us as we age is that we just don’t use our brains enough.  We get in learning ruts, and that is why we become less sharp.  Posit has developed a program that individuals can use with their home computers and a set of earphones that will train the brain to think better and more quickly, and to listen more accurately as well.

This program is generally meant for older adults, but as a 55 year old, I have found it very useful.  And, in addition, we have found it very useful in teaching English as a foreign language.

What Did You Say?

The biggest obstacle that our clients have is understanding English spoken at full speed.  This is not what language classes train you for.  Many also have difficulty hearing sounds in the English language that are not used in their native language.

The Brain Science Program, regardless of the native language of the listener, tunes listening and hearing skills, priming clients to understand more and more of normally spoken language.

At the Lake Tahoe Institute of English, our clients spend time every day working with this program.  After just a couple of days, the results are noticeable.  It’s as if the language has slowed down to become comprehensible to the learning brain.  Previously indistinguishable sounds become distinct, and therefore, reproducible and comprehensible.  After using the program, all language becomes much more clear.

Change Your Brain

Adults can change their brains to allow them to understand langugage, any language, more easily, and from there, it is a much smaller step to speaking.

Take a look at the Posit website, at http://www.positscience.com/.  I also highly recommend Doidge’s book, although, I have to warn you, it is not an easy read for someone new to English.