In this course, you’ll practice the sounds of American English that might sometimes be confusing. You'll practice both consonant and vowel sounds. You’ll also learn about the things that give English its special “music,” such as how to stress the right syllable in a word, how to make your voice go up and down in a natural-sounding melody, and how to naturally connect sounds and words. Learning these things will help you speak more clearly and make sure that others can understand what you're saying.
This course is useful for English language learners who want to improve pronunciation of American English for better communication.
Note that access to all of the lectures and handouts are free to anyone, but the graded assignments and quizzes are only available in the paid version of the course. You will need to submit recordings of your own pronunciation for graded assignments.
Tricky American English Pronunciation
提供方
University of California, Irvine
教学大纲 - 您将从这门课程中学到什么
周
1Welcome
In this course, you will learn about the consonant and vowel sounds of American English and practice some of the difficult sounds. You will also learn about and practice intonation and stress. Practicing these things will help you improve your pronunciation and make your speech easier for others to understand.
2 个视频 （总计 1 分钟）, 1 个测验
Tricky Consonant Sounds
In this first week, you will practice the consonant sounds of American English. Consonants are the sounds where the air coming up from your lungs meets some obstacles on the way. The first sounds in the words time, sand, and moon are consonants. After a quick quiz to find out which consonant sounds are the most difficult for you, you’ll practice some pairs of sounds that might be confusing and learn some tricks for telling them apart, and you’ll start to understand how your mouth moves when you say these sounds.
9 个视频 （总计 58 分钟）, 8 个阅读材料, 5 个测验
9 个视频
Consonants Overview5分钟
Tricky Consonant Pairs Part 19分钟
Tricky Consonant Pairs Part 210分钟
Consonant Pairs Practice5分钟
Final Consonants and Consonant Clusters7分钟
Final Consonants Practice6分钟
Shadowing a Conversation4分钟
Pronunciation Tips5分钟
8 个阅读材料
Consonants Pre-Test Directions5分钟
Supplemental Materials2分钟
Consonants Overview2分钟
Tricky Consonant Pairs2分钟
Final Consonant Clusters1分钟
Shadowing Directions2分钟
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3分钟
4 个练习
Consonants Pre-Test24分钟
Tricky Consonant Contrasts Practice Quiz10分钟
Final Consonants and Consonant Clusters Practice Quiz10分钟
Graded Quiz20分钟
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2Tricky Vowel Sounds
This week, you’ll practice some tricky vowel sounds in American English. Vowels are sounds that come out of your mouth very smoothly, like the first sounds in apple, ocean, and out. Vowel sounds are very important for being understood in English. They’re the “heart” of each syllable, and they need to be said clearly to avoid misunderstanding. Our goal is to help you pronounce English in a way that can be easily understood by listeners in real life, and mastering vowel sounds is an important step toward that goal. Now let’s practice the vowel sounds of American English.
9 个视频 （总计 50 分钟）, 7 个阅读材料, 5 个测验
9 个视频
Vowel Sounds Overview3分钟
Tricky Vowel Contrasts Part 17分钟
Tricky Vowel Contrasts Part 26分钟
Tricky Vowel Pairs Practice6分钟
Unstressed Vowels6分钟
Unstressed Vowels Practice5分钟
Shadowing a Conversation3分钟
Pronunciation Tips5分钟
7 个阅读材料
Vowels Pre-Test Directions5分钟
Supplemental Materials5分钟
Tricky Vowel Contrasts2分钟
Unstressed Vowels1分钟
Shadowing Directions2分钟
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3分钟
4 个练习
Vowels Pre-Test24分钟
Tricky Vowels Practice Quiz10分钟
Unstressed Vowels Practice Quiz10分钟
Graded Quiz20分钟
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3The Music of American English Pronunciation
This week, you’ll learn about some things that give English its special rhythm and melody. You’ll learn about syllables—the small chunks of sound that make up the “beats” in words—and word stress—the way some parts of words are emphasized more than others. You’ll also see how some words become shorter and weaker when we talk. Since these words are used very often in ordinary speaking, we can’t understand spoken English without them. Our goal this week is to help you use the music of English to communicate more effectively and to be understood more easily when you speak. Enjoy learning about the music of American English pronunciation.
11 个视频 （总计 66 分钟）, 8 个阅读材料, 5 个测验
11 个视频
Syllables and Word Stress6分钟
Syllables and Word Stress Practice4分钟
Intonation8分钟
Intonation Practice8分钟
Linking in Connected Speech8分钟
Linking Connected Speech Practice6分钟
Reduced Words6分钟
Reduced Words Practice4分钟
Shadowing a Conversation2分钟
Pronunciation Tips6分钟
8 个阅读材料
Supplemental Materials5分钟
Thought Groups and Intonation1分钟
Supplemental Materials5分钟
Connected Speech and Reducing Sounds1分钟
Supplemental Materials10分钟
Shadowing Directions10分钟
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3分钟
4 个练习
Syllables and Word Stress Practice Quiz10分钟
Intonation Practice Quiz10分钟
Connected Speech Practice Quiz10分钟
Graded Quiz20分钟
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4Other Tricky Things
In this final week of the course, you'll look at a few more tricky points in American English pronunciation. First, you’ll learn about the different ways to pronounce the –s and –ed word endings, which have important grammatical meanings, and you’ll learn when to use each kind of pronunciation. Next, you’ll practice pronouncing numbers like 14 and 40, 15 and 50, 16 and 60 that can cause misunderstandings. You’ll also learn about the pronunciation of the words “can” and “can’t” –the difference between them might surprise you. Finally, you’ll practice some sound changes that happen when words come together in common spoken expressions like "gonna" for "going to," "wanna" for "want to," and "shoulda" for "should have."
8 个视频 （总计 45 分钟）, 8 个阅读材料, 5 个测验
8 个视频
-S and -Ed Endings Practice5分钟
Some Tricky Words6分钟
Some Tricky Words Practice6分钟
Common Linked Expressions5分钟
Common Linked Expressions Practice4分钟
Shadowing a Conversation3分钟
Pronunciation Tips5分钟
8 个阅读材料
-S and -Ed Endings1分钟
Supplemental Materials10分钟
Tricky Words1分钟
Common Linked Expressions1分钟
Shadowing Directions2分钟
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3分钟
Learn More1分钟
4 个练习
-S and -Ed Endings Practice Quiz10分钟
Tricky Words Practice Quiz10分钟
Linked Expressions Quiz10分钟
Graded Quiz20分钟
讲师
Tamy Chapman
Instructor, International ProgramsUniversity of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education
Marla Yoshida
Academic CoordinatorInternational Programs
关于 University of California, Irvine
Since 1965, the University of California, Irvine has combined the strengths of a major research university with the bounty of an incomparable Southern California location. UCI’s unyielding commitment to rigorous academics, cutting-edge research, and leadership and character development makes the campus a driving force for innovation and discovery that serves our local, national and global communities in many ways.
常见问题
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退款政策是如何规定的？
有助学金吗？
Do I need any special equipment for this course?
You will need a computer, smart phone, or other recording device to record your voice in .mp3 format for graded assignments.
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