On June 24, 2010, The L2 Accent Reduction Centre conducted a workshop with PICS (Progressive Intercultural Community Services. One of the items we covered was the varations of the T sound in North American English. Many people who grew up learning English in India produce different T sounds, which are more closely related to British English. Most Hindi and Punjabi speakers use a strong T sound in unstressed syllables. In North American English, the sound T is replaced with a D like sound when it falls between two vowels in an unstressed syllable. Words like daughter, city, water, skating, waited… all have this D like sound but many English speakers from India say these with a strong T sound. As well, it is common that a Hindi speaker will drop the sound of T. This often happens when T is at the end of a word. Punjabi speakers, on the other hand, do not aspirate the T sound enough and it can sound more like a D to a Canadian. For more information about how to make the T sound, and more, visit our accent reduction guide.
Posts Tagged ‘Indian accent’
English In India
Friday, June 25th, 2010American vs British Accent: Hugh Laurie
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009Even though a majority of our clients speak with a foreign accent, the same difficulties can be experienced when British accents are heard in America. Click here. In this interview between Ellen DeGeneres and Hugh Laurie, see how Hugh’s pronunciation of the “ch” sound throws Ellen off as she perceives to hear the “sh” sound. Chinwag becomes Shinwag.
These are the same types of barriers that face immigrants who struggle to be heard correctly. Sounds that carry over from their first language (L1) into their second language (l2) can cause communication breakdowns and misperceptions.
Most Americans have a better ear for the British accent, which lessens the percentage of miscomunications, since British accents are common on many TV programs and advertisements. Unfortunatley, Filipino accents, Indian accents, Spanish accents, Chinese accents, and so on are not as popular and more likely to generate barriers.