Pronunciation Guide: A Brief Introduction to American English

English is spoken as a first language in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, and a number of other countries.  It is therefore no surprise that learners frequently aren’t sure which country’s pronunciation guide to follow.

SEE ALSO: English Pronunciation from Shakespeare to Modern Times

Usually, they choose either British or American English, and your choice should depend on your circumstances and priorities.  If you want to do business in the European Union, it might make sense to learn British English, while a businessperson in the Far East would probably benefit from training in Australian pronunciation.

For various cultural reasons, however, American English is familiar throughout the world.  People are exposed to it in film, television, and music, and news networks across the globe report on events in the United States.  You therefore can’t go wrong with American pronunciation.

Characteristics of General American: East and West

American English pronunciation guide is best understood by comparing it with other dialects, and in this article we’ll use British English for that purpose.

In the United States, the “standard” dialect is called General American (GA).  Since GA is more of a concept than an actual dialect, it is hard to locate its place of origin (if there is one).  People from many regions claim to speak without accents, so it would be difficult to find much agreement on the matter.  It is safe to say, however, that certain American dialects are closer to GA than others.

For historical reasons, the English spoken along most of the East Coast has more varieties than any other region.  This is due to the fact that these have been going their separate ways since the first English settlers came to the New World.  In contrast, the West Coast has a much shorter history, and its population is a mixture of many American dialects.

The English spoken in the western part of the country is therefore more neutral, since the more irregular features have canceled each other out.  Certain parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic United States might also claim to speak “pure” American English.  Be that as it may, if we don’t know exactly what GA is, we at least know what it isn’t.  Below are listed a few of its most recognizable characteristics.

Yod-dropping

Yod-dropping is the loss, in certain contexts, of the sound usually represented by the letter y (as in the word yes).  A good example is the word student; in British English, this y sound (called “yod”) is inserted before the u, so it is pronounced “styudent,” while in American English the yod is usually dropped.

Syllable-final r

There is hardly a need to describe this phenomenon, as it is familiar to everyone.  Basically, the r in words such as car is dropped in British and retained in American.

/t/ and /d/ between vowels

This is yet another famous American tendency.  When between vowels, American t and d merge, both sounding more like the d.  Linguists would say that this sound is neither d nor t, calling the phenomenon intervocalic alveolar flapping.  However, for our purposes, it is convenient to say they both end up sounding like d.  The words wading and waiting therefore end up sounding very similar.

The /o/ sound

In American English, the o in words such as fox is pronounced like the a in father.  If you want to sound American, it is important to get this right.

Pitch

Aside from the points made above, American English often sounds like a low drone in comparison with British English; that is, the pitch is lower and often somewhat monotonous.  To hear an example of this phenomenon and some of the others discussed above, refer to the link below.  Note how the Australian woman pronounces some of the words in a low pitch when imitating American speech: