General American Pronunciation Mission – Video #1

Happy Independence Day everyone ❗

Today is July 4, and it’s a good day to start the General American Pronunciation mission, is it not?

You can watch the video above and see how good (or should I say – bad?) I am at speaking like an American, and I would definitely love to receive a few comments pointing out what sounds I should pronounce differently, which words I’m not getting right etc.

And even if you think I’m terrible at speaking like an American and that there’s a long, long way for me to get there… At least it’s a start, is it not? 😉

Here’s what I’m doing to sound like an American speaker:

• pronouncing the ‘r’ sound clearly;
• pronouncing the ‘l’ sound distinctly;
• getting my ‘th’s right;
• emphasizing the first syllables of certain words – such as ‘possible’, ‘probably’, ‘a lot of’ and others;
• above all – I’m trying to speak in a way that makes the whole mouth resonate; basically I’m keeping my cheeks a little bit inflated.

I’ll say it once more – I know I’m not getting everything right, but it’s a start nonetheless!

I also know that I probably won’t be able to pass as an American at the end of this mission anyway, but I’d like to think that I can realistically aim for 70 – 80% resemblance to a native-like American pronunciation.

So please don’t hesitate to leave your comments below if you have anything to point out regarding the way I:

• pronounce certain sounds;
• pronounce certain words;
• maintain the rhythm of my speech

Thanks for watching this video and see you soon again!

Robby 😉