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Glossary

Below is a list of terms you may find helpful in understanding more about improving your English accent.
Accent
The distinct way of speech that an individual from a particular region, country or social class uses in pronunciation of the same language;  the unique pronunciation of speech that often involves producing greater stress, force or pitch of certain syllables or words.  Accents can be regional (the difference between the speech of someone from Boston versus someone from Texas) or foreign (the difference between someone who was raised speaking English versus someone who learned English as an adult).
Accent modification
"Accent reduction" or "accent neutralization" - analyzing an individual's pronunciation of speech and making small changes to decrease common accented patterns; the goal is to learn a General American English (see below) accent in order to increase an individual's ability to speak clearly, NOT to eliminate an individual's existing accent
Affricates
​Consonant sounds that are produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract and then releasing it. The two English affricate sounds are /tʃ/ and /dʒ/.
Alveolar
​Consonant sounds produced when the tongue is close to or touching the ridge behind the teeth, on the roof of the mouth. The six English alveolar sounds are /t, d, s, z, n & l/.
Articulation
Moving the lips, teeth, tongue and jaw to produce sounds
Auditory discrimination
​The ability to differentiate one speech sound from another
​Auditory perception
Hearing and interpreting the difference between American English sounds and speech patterns from those of non-native English speech, such as differentiating between non-native and native English speech, or hearing the difference between background noise at a restaurant and speech sounds
Bilabial
Consonant sounds produced when both lips partially stop the air. The four English bilabial sounds are /p, b, m & w/.
Code switching
Moving back and forth between multiple languages (or dialects using the same language) during conversation
Consonant sounds
A speech sound that is not a vowel (and one that is made with a more closed vocal tract)
Consonant cluster
Group of two or three consonants that have no vowel in between them (e.g. break, board, string)
Diphthong
Sound formed by combining two vowels in a single syllable
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Teaching individuals who come from non-English speaking homes and backgrounds English language skills, including conversational English, listening comprehension, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary
Fricatives
Consonant sounds produced by pushing air through a narrow pathway in the mouth or throat, causing audible friction. The nine English fricative sounds are /f, v, θ ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ & h/.
​General American English (GAE)
A variety of the English language that is generally used in professional communication in the United States (speech that is often used by television and radio broadcasters)​​
Glides
Semi-vowel sounds produced by allowing air to flow over the body of tongue. The two English glide sounds are /w/ and /j/.
Glottal
 Consonant sounds produced using the glottis, or space between the vocal folds. The two English glottal sounds are /ʔ/ and / h/.
Interdental
Consonant sounds produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower teeth. The two English interdental sounds are /θ/ and /ð/.
​International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
A written alphabet that corresponds to sounds of languages created by the International Phonetic Association
​Intonation
A certain rising and falling pattern of speech; intonation often communicates feelings and can help a listener determine if a question or statement is being made
Labiodental
Consonant sounds produced using the lips and teeth, more specifically, the top teeth making contact with the bottom lip. The two English labiodental sounds are /f/ and /v/.
Lax
Those vowel sounds that do not require much muscle effort to produce. Examples of lax English vowel sounds include /I, ɛ, æ, ʊ, ɚ, ʌ & ə/.
Lip roundedness
Position of the lips, when producing a vowel sound (rounded, neutral, spread)
Liquids
Consonant sound produced when the tongue tip creates partial closure in the mouth, resulting in a resonant, vowel-like sound. The two English liquid sounds are /l/ and /ɹ/.
​Manner
Air flow through the vocal tract when producing a sound (e.g. stop, fricative, affricate, nasal, glide, liquid)
​Minimal pair
Pair of words that differ by only one sound or tone
​Monophthong
Vowel that has one single sound
Nasals
Consonant sounds produced when air is released through the nose as a result of the lips or tongue blocking airflow through the mouth. The three English nasal sounds are /m, n & ŋ/.
Native language
The language a person learns from birth. It may also be referred to as a “first language” or a “mother tongue.”
Palatal
Consonant sounds produced by raising the blade (behind the tip) or body (middle part) of the tongue toward the hard palate (middle part of the roof of the mouth). The five English palatal sounds are /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ, ɹ & j/.
Place
Location of constriction in the vocal tract when producing a sound
Pronunciation
The standard way sounds and words are spoken
Reduced speech
The way native speakers reduce or eliminate sounds from words or phrases to make them more concise.  Examples include: contractions - he would to he'd or should have to shoulda)
Speech
The ability to express thought through verbal expression/spoken words
​Stress
Emphasizing certain syllables and words in speech
Stops
Consonant sounds produced by blocking (or stopping) the airflow in the mouth. The seven English stop sounds are /p, b, t, d, k, g & ʔ/.
Tactile and visual cues
Hints that involve the lips, jaw or nose that will help your produce a speech sound
Tense
Those vowel sounds that require more muscle effort to produces.  Examples of tense English vowel sounds include /i, e, u, o, ɝ, ɔ & ɑ/.
Tongue advancement
Tongue position when producing a vowel sound (front, central or back)
Tongue blade
Top, flat surface of the tongue, right behind the tongue tip
Tongue height
Elevation of the tongue position/how high or low it is when producing a vowel sound (low, mid or high)
Uvular
Consonant sounds produced using the far back part of the tongue (uvula). No examples of uvular sounds exist in English, but examples include the uvular trill /R/ commonly found in Austria, the French-speaking part of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Dutch, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,  Sweden, Switzerland, as well as some parts of Puerto Rico, Cuba & the Dominican Republic)
Velar
Consonant sounds produced when the back of the tongue contacts the velum (soft palate). The four English velar sounds are /k, g, ŋ & (w)/.
Vowel sounds
a speech sound made with the vocal tract open
Voicing
Existence of vocal fold vibration when producing a sound
Word-to-word linking
Blending sounds together and changing a sound’s tongue placement to a more neutral position.