The Secret To English Fluency = BREATH (NOT SPEED)
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- čas přidán 4. 02. 2023
- So many learners of American English think that to sound more natural when speaking, they need to talk faster. The reality is that speaking fast, though, does not actually make you sound more fluent in American English! In fact, did you know that talking too fast can actually LOWER your score on English language tests like IELTS?
But if speaking fast English is not the answer, how can people sound more fluent?
Well, the answer actually comes down to breath. As in, how much air are you allowing to pass through your mouth and body as you speak? This Fluent American English pronunciation video will show you techniques to sound more natural and fluent when speaking by helping you to add more airflow when you talk.
The Secret To English Fluency = BREATH (NOT SPEED)
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JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: • How to Improve America...
Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.
Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: • Mission: English FREE ...
Your channel is heavily underrated, Sir. There are so many CZcams tutorials on linking and flow, but none seem to truly address the root issue, which is proper breathing. Without proper breath, the linking cannot occur naturally or subconsciously. You really opened my eyes.
Hi A.D., thanks for the kind words! How did you find the channel?
@@FluentAmerican I guess it is the algorithm because I searched a lot of videos on the American accent.
@@a.d.4802 thanks for sharing! this is helpful
This one is very cool, especially to our non-native speakers when we are learning to speak at the very beginning.
Normally on our mind, FAST means you're fluent and you're good at English, but at times you're not understood actually.
Hope we can get more such exercises and tips, thank you Geoff 😁
hey Jassay, great to hear from you again!
It's funny because tests like IELTS will actually LOWER your score for speaking too quickly. It just doesn't have the effect that language learners think it does. We'll keep it coming; thanks for the support!
Most underrated channel❤
appreciate your kind words!!
Need help adding more breath to your speech? Here are some techniques! czcams.com/video/gzmyR83FdH0/video.html
Or check out our video course, 4-Step American Accent. It goes through breath and the 3 other key concepts for a natural sound: www.fluentamerican.com/4stepamericanaccent
Outstanding video i enjoy your every videos thanks for the making extremely useful videos i think people should benefit this channel thanks.
appreciate your saying that; here to help!
hey man not sure why you have 6k subscribers just yet, but i ve been seeking for that teaching videos an eternity and you’re number 1 ! Please continue!
thanks so much Sam! So glad you found us; how did you get to this video?
@@FluentAmerican just put in search tab “ tongue position when speaking american”. And yes all the success comes out the placement. I can feel it. Especially in the morning when i get up, i feel my voice in a low timbre, when everything is relaxed, the words fly out super easily and smooth. It gets harder the more time passes and at the end if the day i get my voice lifted up that makes me speaking english much harder and less accurate. So am learning how to control it all the time in a low/relax way.
@@SeriousSam-wd4wj haha that's funny you say that; my students who take classes first thing in the morning also generally notice their placement is lower (also, always when done in moderation, a little alcohol can also lower placement)
Great
thanks as always!
Thank you so much for the video, I find it super helpful!
thanks as always for your support man! So glad it was useful!
so glad i stumbled upon this channel yay~~~~!!!!
eyy thanks Social Vibe! How did you find us actually?
Greatly appreciate this video content, this sums up almost every accent problem I’m struggling with
hey Bilal, thanks soo much for the kind words! I'm curious; what makes you interested in studying pronunciation?
Search algorithm
@@bilalaz123 thanks!
with the same idea and logic when saying "regularly", does "what are" sound like "water" then?
what will have more of a schwa; water will have either an /a/ or /ɔ/
Breath maybe... when I first get rid of my French accent LOL
thanks for writing! breath may be one of the factors giving you a French accent
I just wanna say this video is really goooood
Thanks soo much for the kind words! Did you try the exercises/notice a difference?
@@FluentAmerican it is a game changer binge watching your videos now
when doing the dark L, can you still lift it up a little and touch the lowest part of the upper teeth? also, where do you keep the top of the tongue when it is down behind the lower teeth?
good question! there is a good amount of flexibility here, but it might be helpful to get started with your tongue touching the lower teeth or bottom of the moith
quick Dark L tips: czcams.com/video/0W2r-E3hGwg/video.html
comparing native and nonnative L: czcams.com/video/o_1aS5wbZ6o/video.html
Can you please give me tips on how to say words like "Award" and "Quota" more smoothly and easily? I believe a lot of people find "w +or" and "w+ou" combo very hard to say. Please help! Thanks!
Hi again! Let's use "award" as an example. I recommend starting with the vowels and linking them with breath first (a-ar). Then, add one consonant into it (a-ard). Finally add the rest (award). I'll try tp make a video when I can
hmm is it a +w +ar +d? not a + w + or+d? ,maybe can be both?
Nice one😊 Somebody mentioned on your last stream that he has a constant blocked nose and that makes him sound nasal. I have something similar. Do you think the reduced flow of air through the nose could reduce the flow of air when speaking? Or is that air coming mostly through the mouth and not the nose?
hi again, and thanks as always! I think a blocked nose could lead to a more nasally sound (think how people talk when they have a sinus infection or cold). That becomes more profound when people naturally speak with a higher placement too. However, engaging the diaphragm more can help avoid the most nasally of sounds
@@FluentAmerican Thanks, I'm focusing on speaking from the diaphragm. But it takes time to get used to that I guess.
it does, but just keep checking it a couple times every day
@@FluentAmerican Thanks, Geoff! I'm also doing some exercises that I saw from one guy on CZcams. Do you mind if I send you a link for you to tell me if that can further help? It's nothing specific about pronunciation, but some of the exercises especially bringing down the vowels are quite similar to your exercises for bringing the placement down.
@@SycAamore of course!
What do you mean by you don't need to keep your tongue up or down in your mouth when making the flap t ?
Like how would you make that flap otherwise ?
transitioning from vowel to vowel fast enough can often be enough for your listener; slightly shifting the back of the tongue higher and lower can also work
@@FluentAmerican I saw the video about the n,m,s,z.. sounds made with the middle part of the tongue instead of the tip which actually stays behind the bottom front teeth!
I noticed that among native speakers of English that they do actually use the traditional way of making these consonant sounds with the tip of the tongue touching the upper palat BUT fast AND very light.
I guess it's like 50/50 some native English speakers use that and this.
@@raonarjasari9646 the goal here is to show different options that may help with fluency and flow. It's also to recognize that there isn't just one possible mouth position. for instance, in our Telegram group, my assistant teacher LeNora pronounces dark L with a higher position while I generally keep my tongue down. Do what works for you as long as you are able to keep air flowing and not block your breath/tense too much
@@FluentAmerican alrighty!!
About the dark l,
Do you always put your tongue directly on the upper palat just after making the sound like 'All (you make the o and the dark l and immediately put your tongue back on the upper palat and you say=>) people.
All people.
@@FluentAmericando you have Instagram btw ?
the English subtitle is borked just wanted to let you know that
Hmm the timing might have gotten thrown off. Thanks so much for sharing; maybe the auto-generated ones work better in this case?
made some adjustments
@@FluentAmerican yes auto is pretty accurate and works fine
when you say words like "quota" "yadda" is the last word "a" strict;y schwa sound or can it be the "ah" sound?
also, do you have a video about "j" sound as in "year" and "yield?
My /j/ video is old but the content itself is helpful I think: czcams.com/video/xJ-cRIRVnhs/video.html
you'll definitely want more of a schwa: czcams.com/video/7Qc38hEDfTA/video.html
Thanks as always John!
@@FluentAmerican Thank YOU
How about just read books?
can you elaborate?
But do Americans really practice breath when they speak?
Hi cafeden!
Every language has a different relationship with breath. Many limit breath more when speaking, cutting it off in the throat. It isn't something native speakers practice; it is just a feature of their language
But how come Americans speak fluently without proper breathing? I have seen it lol
thanks for writing! can you elaborate on "proper breathing"?