My pronunciation

[Fenek]

I'd like to work on my English pronunciation. But to work on it, I need to know what I should improve. That's why I'm asking for your help. I've recorded myself saying a short text in English. I'd like you to tell me what my most blatant and repetitive mispronunciations are. I'll appreciate that.

Here's the sample: http://boraczek.fm.interia.pl/haugen.wav

And here's the text:

The ancient Greeks and Romans spread their languages as far as their domains extended, and modern imperialists have sought to do the same. But within the modern world, technological and political revolutions have brought Everyman the opportunity to participate in political decisions to his own advantage. The invention of printing, the rise of industry, and the spread of popular education have brought into being the modern nation-state, which extends some of the loyalties of the family and the neighbourhood or the clan to the whole state. Nation and language have become inextricably intertwined. Every self-respecting nation has to have a language. Not just a medium of communication, a 'vernacular' or a 'dialect', but a fully developed language. Anything less marks it as underdeveloped.

[Geist]

Your accent really isn't bad at all. One of the things you might work on would be the "th" (þ and ð). The other discernable thing I noticed was that (sometimes) you tend to nasalize a vowel if it's followed by "n" (it sounded to me, for example, like you pronounced "ancient" with something like a nasalized "a", without a distinct "n" following it). There are other inconsistencies, but I'll leave them to those with expertise in analyzing accents. Overall, though, great work thus far.

[Le Serpent Rouge]

Posso capirti perfettamente Fenekino. Hai una buona pronuncia nonostante alcune influenze slave. Per esempio l’acca aspirata nelle parole ‘have’ e ‘has’ pronunzi come il russo ‘X’ (mi dispiace non so l’equivalente polacco, forse ‘h’? ). In inglese il fiato non passa per i denti così ma probabilmente già lo sai e veramente non importa. In realtà mi piace il tuo accento, non porta via niente dal linguaggio parlato.

A proposito, studi l'inglese britannico o l'inglese americano...o non fa niente?

[Fenek]

Thanks a lot, Geist!

Grazie mille, Serpentello!

A proposito, studi l'inglese britannico o l'inglese americano...o non fa niente?

Cerco di parlare inglese americano, ma ovviamente sono esposto anche all'inglese britannico ed è probabile che li mescoli.

I hope more people comment on my sample... BTW, please don't hesitate to repeat what others already said, this will be useful too! Just please tell me what you noticed.

[parousia]

I'm not sure what you're aiming for... wanna sound like a native? ... but for communication purposes, your accent is good. I can understand every word you pronounce in the recording. Since you're interested, here are my layman observations:


ancient -- I hear sh (as in shirt) but it should be more like an(t)sh - hard to describe

world ("within the modern world") -- I don't hear you pronouncing the l very much...

education -- I hear the d in edu, but we really pronounce it eju (j as in job)

anything ("anything less..") hmmm... seems like the y is a bit short; the y should be pronounced like the e in "be"

You can listen to an AmE pronunciation of every word in the Merriam Webster Dictionary here:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?b ... &x=13&y=14

Please keep in mind that I only know American English!

[Psi-Lord]

ancient -- I hear sh (as in shirt) but it should be more like an(t)sh - hard to describe

Very interesting—the Cambridge English Pronouncing dictionary does give the pronunciation of 'ancient' as [ˈein(t)ʃ^ənt], i.e., with [ˈein(t)ʃ^ənt] being standard, but with possible variations with a [t] included. I'd never seen it.

[Geist]

I hear it as "ain-chent".

[bodhisatva]

I'd like to work on my English pronunciation.

Look at "American Accent Training". The book and the CDs can be easily found in emule

[Luís]

I'd like to work on my English pronunciation.

Look at "American Accent Training". The book and the CDs can be easily found in emule

That's an interesting website. I decided to take their PhonePass® Spoken English Test. I was on the phone speaking to a machine for like 10-15 minutes. But it was fun!

[Gormur]

I hear it as "ain-chent".

I pronounce it "ainshent". Must be a regional difference.

[Fenek]

Thanks, parousia!

I'm not sure what you're aiming for... wanna sound like a native?

I'd love to, but I don't believe I can ever made it. I want to sound as native-like as possible, anyway

[Kazimer]

Good job! I was able to understand you with out any trouble. Over all very well done. Also, you didn't change speed much or speak too slow or too fast which sometimes is a problem for some.