GET BETTER at COMPREHENSION! [What makes American English sound American?!?]

In this video we’ll analyze real conversation to help you get better at comprehension and teach you what makes American English sound American.

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Video Transcript:

Let’s analyze real conversation to find out what makes American English sound American and how you can improve your listening comprehension.

In this video, I’ve just made a mess and I’m doing my best to clean it up. At the end I’ll even put in an imitation training section so you can work on mastering the American accent. First, here’s the whole conversation we’ll analyze.

I just spilled something on my carpet. Unfortunately, in my office right in the middle. So now, I have to spend a few minutes trying to get the stain out. I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste, I really like it, but I was picking stuff up off my office floor when Sawyer called me. “Mom I need you”, and I said “I’ll be there in a second.” And of course, some charcoal toothpaste fell out of my mouth right onto the floor.

Now, let’s do the analysis.

I just spilled something on my carpet.

I just spilled something on my carpet. So we have a couple stressed syllables there. I’m hearing ‘spilled’ and ‘car’ as the most, I just spilled something on my carpet. Now, I’m making my intonation go up because I’m going to say a little bit more about it. So that’s why ‘pit’ is higher than car, carpet.

I’m Rachel and I’ve been teaching the American accent on YouTube for over 15 years. Go to Rachelsenglish.com/free to get my free course, The Top Three Ways to Master the American Accent.

I just spilled something on my carpet.

I just spilled something. Do you hear that smoothness? How do we get it? I just spilled. Well, first of all, I dropped the T there. It’s common to drop the T in a cluster like ST when it’s followed by a consonant. It’s common to drop the T between two other consonants. I just spilled.

I just spilled—

I just spilled something—

Spilled something. So we have a dark L, a D sound, an S, all linking together really smoothly with no break, there’s no lift to say something is a separate word than spilled. We don’t do that in American English unless we want to really stress something. Spilled something.

Just spilled something—

The energy just keeps going forward. So the D, dd isn’t released but ‘spilled’, the vocal cords make that D sound and then go right into the S. I just spilled something. I just spilled something. No breaks there. Now, I want to point out the L here, spilled, that is the dark L, and I don’t lift my tongue tip for that, spill, but the back of my tongue shifts down and back a little bit to make that dark sound. I just spilled something.

I just spilled something—

Okay, now here’s a controversial question. Do you think you should brush your teeth before or after breakfast? Let me know in the comments. I love reading them.

Now beware, ‘something’ has that unvoiced th, tricky, tricky, something. We don’t want something, we don’t want two S’s if we can avoid it, we want something. Something.

Something—

on my carpet.

On my carpet. On my, on my, on my. Those two words, a little bit lower, flatter and pitch, less volume, a little less clear. Of course, those are our unstressed words for contrast with our stress words. Carpet. It sounds like I as in sit T, doesn’t it? I would actually have to look it up to know if the dictionary calls IH as in sit or schwa because to me, they really sound the same in an unstressed syllable. IH as in sit sounds the same as schwa, carpet, carpet, with a really clear abrupt stop there for the stop T.

on my carpet—

unfortunately,

Unfortunately, unfortunately. One word thought group, stress on the second syllable, and I’m going up again so it’s unfortunately.

Unfortunately,

The stressed syllable has the AH as in law vowel but followed by R, that does change it. So, it’s the lips round a little bit more and the mouth closes a little bit more, so instead of AH, it’s oh, oh, more lip rounding, tongue shifts back just a little bit, un-for-tu, so the first T is a CH sound the second. The second T is a stop T. Fortunately.

Unfortunately,

in my office.

Unfortunately, in my office. So my intonation keeps going up while I finish my thought. In my office. So, the stressed syllable of office is where I have the pitch change. In my office, office.

In my office,

right in the middle.

Right in the middle, right in the middle. And again, going up and pitch, still connecting my thought about what’s happened, what I’m doing.

It’s right in the middle.

Right in, right in. I notice I do a stop T there, right in, instead of a flap T to connect. Right in, right in the middle. So that would be pretty common, but by not connecting it by doing a stop T I’m stressing the word even more. It would have been convenient to have this stain over on the side of my carpet, but instead it’s in the middle, it’s right in the middle.

It’s right in the middle.

Right in the middle. Right, right, right. In the, in the, in the. The next two words, less long, less clear, those are my unstressed words. In the, in the, in the. See if you can do that with as little mouth movement as possible. In the, in the middle. And then a pitch change, more volume, a little bit more time given. Middle.

It’s right in the middle.

Middle. This is so tricky, we’ve got a flap sound. Just like the word ‘metal’. M-e-t-a-l. Both of these words end with the same sounds, and that’s flap schwa dark L. And these two sounds combine to just the dark L. Middle [flap]. So the front of the tongue flaps against the roof of the mouth and then the back of the tongue, uhl, shifts down and back for the dark L. Really tricky sound combination and if you go to the consonants course, you will find a soundboard that focuses just on these sounds together. Flaps followed by dark L. Like in metal like in middle. But again, this L is a dark l so don’t lift your tongue tip for it.

The middle,

so now,

So now. So the word so, not too clear, not very stressed. So now, but the word now I have a couple pitch changes on it. So now.

So now,

So, so, so, so not really a whole diphthong here. So, so, so, so now.

So now,

I have to spend a few minutes.

So now, I have to spend a few minutes. So my verb and my noun getting my length, my stress. I have to spend a few minutes and that’s typical verbs nouns, also sometimes adjectives and adverbs, those are our function words that tend to get the stress.

I have to spend a few minutes,

The H is a little bit unclear, it can be dropped. I have to, I have to, I’m not sure I’m really hearing it, but I definitely want to point out ‘have’ followed by ‘to’, this is a really common combination of words, and usually how we pronounce that is we change the V sound to an F. Haf-to, and then that connects into the true T with schwa. I have to, I have to, have to, have to. Isn’t that funny how the T changes the V?

I have to—

I have to, I have to, I have to.

I have to—

spend a few minutes.

Spend a few minutes. Really smooth and connected, spend a few. The D in spend releases right into the schwa. Spend a, spend a few minutes. Even though we see the letter U here, that is also the IH as in sit vowel, just like the first syllable, minutes.

To spend a few minutes–

trying to get the stain out.

Trying to get the stain out. Okay. Trying to, trying to, trying to get the. Okay, we have stress on try, trying to. I’m not really hearing the T and to. Let’s talk about why. Well, first, let’s address the TR cluster, that almost always sounds like a CHR in American English and that’s what I’m hearing here.

I’m not hearing try, I’m hearing CH, chry.

trying to get the–

Trying to becomes tryin’ to. Okay, what is happening. So, ing, it’s fairly common to drop the NG sound and just make an N Sound, trying to. Now, we have an N followed by a T and it’s pretty common to drop the T after N so that also gets dropped by changing the NG ending to an N ending we then drop the T. So now we just add the schwa to the end of the word. So trying to becomes tryna. Tryna, tryna, tryna.

Trying to get the—

stain out.

Trying to get the stain out. Trying to get the, get the, get the. Stop T, both words said pretty quickly. Stain out and then I stress stain going up, stain out. The word out, just part of that rising intonation and a stop T.

Trying to get the stain out.

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

I’ve been using this new. So there we go again, my verb. I’ve been using, it’s my first peak of stress, my first stress word. I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste. Then my noun and one of my adjectives, charcoal toothpaste.

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

And actually, I do make my intonation go up a little bit at the end, toothpaste. Still talking, still forming my idea. Intonation going up shows a couple things. It shows that you’re uncertain or it can be that you’re asking a yes no question or it can be to signal that you have more to say and that’s what’s happening here. Keeps going up because I’m sitting here talking to my camera and I haven’t completed my thought about this stain on my carpet.

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

I’ve been, I’ve been, I’ve been. So the V almost gets lost here next to the B. You can think of it as just the I diphthong, I’ve been, I’ve been, why is that?

I’ve been—

The ending V honestly is a pretty weak sound, which is why have to loses the V and it instead becomes an F. So here the B is just sort of taking over that V sound. I’ve been, I’ve been, I’ve been. Even though I don’t think of it as being dropped, I definitely hear it as dropped when I go back and listen. I’ve been, I’ve been.

I’ve been—

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

I’ve been using this new. Smoothly connected, using, that letter S is a Z. Using this new charcoal toothpaste. So, new, also an adjective not stressed here. I’m really stressing charcoal, the kind of toothpaste that it is and it’s just the first syllable the stressed syllable that’s going to have that stress. Charcoal. We still have an unstressed syllable there. Coal, coal, coal. And guess what? It ends in a dark L, the next sound is a consonant. Don’t lift your tongue tip for that. Coal, coal, charcoal.

Charcoal—

Toothpaste.

Toothpaste, toothpaste. Too clear true Ts. One because it begins a stressed syllable and the other because it’s part of a cluster. If a word ends in a cluster like ST, FT and it does not link into a consonant, like here it’s the end of my thought so it doesn’t link into anything. Then you will hear a true T.

Toothpaste.

I really like it.

I really like it. I really, I’m really stressing the word really.

I really like it.

I really like it. So ‘real’ and ‘I’ get my stress, one of them is up down, the other is down up. I really like it. Lots of intonation change there. I’m not saying I really like it, but I really like it. Much more varied. That adds more emotion more stress to it. I don’t just think it’s okay, I really like this toothpaste.

I really like it.

The word ‘really’ has several pronunciations. The way I’m doing it here. Re-, first syllable stress, rea-lly. So you can think of this as a light L, you can lift your tongue tip. This is a light L, it begins the word, you can lift your tongue tip. I really. I really like it. I really like it.

I really like it.

Smoothly connected, a little bit more length on the R to stress it. I really like it, like it. This ending K releases right into the IH as in sit vowel to make that a smooth connection and then we end with a stop T.

I really like it.

But,

But, but. It’s own sort of separate little word. But. Stop T, abrupt ending.

But,

I was—

I was. Now, I was. There a little two-word thought group I put a little break there. What is the stressed word. Only one of them is.

I was—

I was. I was is not was but it’s was, I was. I would write that w schwa Z, it all links together really smoothly but was doesn’t have much of a vowel. I was, unstressed, reduced.

I was—

picking stuff up.

Picking stuff up. So, a phrasal verb to pick up. I’ve really put stress on both parts of that phrasal verb. Picking stuff up.

Picking stuff up—

Picking stuff up. A little bit of a break here even. Picking stuff up. And that little break lets me emphasize that beginning vowel a little bit more. Stress that word. This is what happened. I was picking stuff up. Now I’m using this intonation, I’m a little frustrated about what happened and that’s why I’m stressing the story a little bit more.

Picking stuff up.

Stuff, also has that UH as a butter vowel, so stuff up, same vowel, uh, uh.

Stuff up—

off my office floor.

Off my office floor. So stress on off, off my office floor, then floor has two changes in pitch.

Off my office floor,

Why do we do that? We do that when we’re exasperated. When we want to add more emotion. It’s not just my office floor but it’s my office floor.

Off my office floor—

Off my office. I love this. Off is all AH in law F, off my office, and office begins with the same two sounds. So we have stressed, unstressed. And then stressed, unstressed. Off my office.

Off my office—

Off my office, off my office. Off has a little bit of stress but not like floor, which has a lot of stress. You’ve probably noticed the word office ends in the S sound. IH as in sit S. Office.

My office—

Floor,

The word floor, door, core, more, those are both written, those are all written schwa R, not a pure A, but more closed. Oo, oo, oo. Floor.

Floor.

when Sawyer called me.

when Sawyer called me.

When soy, stressed syllable, peak of stress. Sawyer called me. Another stress word, changing direction. I’m still making my pitch go up. Because I’m still telling all the parts of my story, and when I get to my conclusion, my pitch will go down.

When Sawyer called me.

When Sawyer called me. And linking together, no breaks or skips between our words.

When Sawyer. Sawyer is written with the OY diphthong, schwa R ending, Sawyer called me. Called me. Dark L, D-M. No break. AH as in law, dark L, don’t lift your tongue tip. D, don’t release the D, just go right into the M. Called me, called me. And then of course the E vowel. So, dark L, no lifting of tongue tip. Called. Oh, sorry I was almost going to make my intonation go up down, but here it goes down up. Called me. Do you hear the D sound before the M but without D, a release. Called me. It’s hard to hold that out, but the vocal cords vibrate. Tongue is in position for the D.

When Sawyer called me.

Mom I need you.

So my voice is higher, is breathier, as I’m quoting my son. Mom, I need you. So me, the person he’s calling, the person whose attention he’s getting, and the verb, both stressed. Linked together smoothly. Notice the D, into the Y, that is becoming a J sound. Need you. Need you.

Mom I need you.

And I said—

Mom I need you. And I said. So all of this linking together I’m not putting a break because of the period I’m still connecting it. Mom I need you, and I said—

And I said, and I said. Little bit of pitch change on ‘said’ but ‘and’ and ‘I’, pretty flat, dropped the D, and I, and I, and I, and I said.

And I said,

I’ll be there in a second.

I’ll be there in a second. So again, my voice is a little breathy, my pitch is a little higher because I’m quoting myself in the past. I’ll be there in a second. So two stressed syllables there.

I’ll be there in a second.

B and Se, the words ‘I will’, become all, all, all.

I’ll be there—

Said so quickly. You can think of it sort of is being this word. I’ll, but really fast.

I‘ll, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll be I’ll be. I’ll be there. I’ll be there in a second. And ‘in a’, linking together really smoothly. This is the schwa of course. Unstressed. Less volume, flatter and pitch.

I’ll be there in a second.

Second. Second. So, not hearing a d released. Second, second, but it’s almost like a little stop after the nd, second, because it’s not second. The end doesn’t just keep going down. It does sort of cut off, which has us feel that D. Second.

For a second.

And of course, some charcoal toothpaste.

So, I put a break here, breaking up my thought groups, the connection is really smooth, what are ,our stressed syllables?

and of course some charcoal toothpaste.

And of course, and of course. So, the word of course, and of course, is stressed, the D gets dropped, and of, an of, an of.

and of course,

Little bit of a down up, and of course. And just like the word core, more, door, floor, it’s AH as in law, R, so not a pure vowel but lips round a bit more, tongue shifts back a little bit, o, o, o, o, course.

and of course,

some charcoal toothpaste.

And of course, some charcoal toothpaste. Okay, so let’s look here. And of course, some, no break. Linking together with a single S sound. And of course, some.

and of course, some—

Also, some is not some, but it’s sum, reducing to the schwa, said really quickly. Sum, and of course, sum,

and of course, some—

charcoal toothpaste.

Charcoal toothpaste, so stress on char, going up, charcoal toothpaste.

Some charcoal toothpaste.

Some charcoal too, so dark L here, don’t lift your tongue tip and it links right into a true T, toothpaste, try to get that unvoiced TH there if you can. Tooth. Toothpaste.

Some charcoal toothpaste.

Paste, paste. Do you hear that true T release? If I linked it into to the word ‘fell’, toothpaste fell, the T would be gone. It would be dropped, because it would come between two vowel sounds. But because I put a little break here, separating it away from the word, I do make that a clear true T. Toothpaste.

Toothpaste—

fell out of my mouth,

Fell out of my mouth. Fell, exaggerated. Scoop up, fell out of my mouth. Up down and then back up again.

Fell out of my mouth,

Fell out of my, fell out of my. So, let’s talk about the word fell. That’s a dark L, fell. But when a dark L links into a vowel or diphthong, then we do lift our tongue tip. Fell out, out. It’s almost like a light L begins the next word, fell out, fell out, fell out of my. Let’s look at our three words, out of my.

Fell out of my—

Fell out of my, fell out of my, out of my, out of my, out of my. Smooth, right? Flap T, the word of reduces to just the schwa and that schwa links smoothly into the M. Out of my, out of my, out of my, out of my. Out of my becomes out of my, out of my. Smooth, connected, easy to say. Out of my. Or in this case, since our pitch is going up, out of my, out of my, out of my.

Fell out of my—

fell out of my mouth,

Fell out of my mouth, fell out of my mouth, mouth, mouth. Again, unvoiced TH, tongue tip does come through there. Mouth, mouth, mouth, mouth.

My mouth—

right onto the floor.

Right onto the floor. Right onto the. So, we have some nice smooth connection of flap T, helps us with that. Right onto the, right on, right on. So, the T, you might look and say wait, this is not a vowel, no G and H are consonant letters but in IPA with the I, they make the I diphthong. So, right has the I diphthong before it. So, the T is made of flap T, because it comes between two vowels or diphthong sounds. Right on, right on.

Right onto the floor.

Right onto the. Super light, super duper light true T here. I’ve definitely heard that become more of a flap T, onto, onto, but I’m hearing a really like true T I think, onto, onto, onto, that’s definitely not to but tuh, schwa, onto, onto, onto the, onto the, onto the.

right onto—

right onto the floor.

Right onto the floor. Okay, so again, floor, I have two pitch changes. It just shows exasperation and emotion and I did promise you when I got to the end the story that my intonation would go down and look, it doesn’t.

Right onto the floor.

I was wrong. I actually know that I did keep going with this little monologue, but I had to cut it off to make this video a decent length. So it’s sort of a conclusion, but I also did keep going and share a few more thoughts I think that’s why. I made my intonation go up again at the end. Floor, I was so annoyed by the whole thing.

Right onto the floor.

And again, just like with course, this floor a plus r is not a pure a but a little bit more rounded. Flo-o, floor, floor.

The floor.

In case you’re curious, I did get the stain out, I also don’t use that charcoal toothpaste anymore, even though I liked it. Alright, let’s listen to this monologue one more time.

I just spilled something on my carpet, unfortunately, in my office, right in the middle.

So now, I have to spend a few minutes trying to get the stain out.

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

I really like it. But, I was picking stuff up off my office floor when Sawyer called me. “Mom I need you.” And I said, “I’ll be there in a second.” And of course some charcoal toothpaste fell out of my mouth, right onto the floor.

In this training section, you’ll hear each sentence fragment twice in slow motion then three times at regular pace. Each time, there will be a pause for you to speak out loud. Imitate exactly what you hear. Do this training twice a day, every day this week and see how the conversation flows at the end of the week.

I just spilled something on my carpet.

Unfortunately, in my office, right in the middle.

So now, I have to spend a few minutes,

trying to get the stain out.

I’ve been using this new charcoal toothpaste.

I really like it. But,

I was

Picking stuff

up off my office floor.

when Sawyer called me.

‘Mom, I need you.’ And I said,”

“I’ll be there a second.”

And of course, charcoal toothpaste

Fell out of my mouth,

right onto the floor.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this video, I absolutely love teaching about the stress and music of spoken American English. Keep your learning going now with this video and don’t forget to subscribe with notifications on. I absolutely love being your English teacher. That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.