Many of the students I work with speak English very quickly. This makes it difficult to understand what they are saying! Sometimes they speak quickly because they feel nervous. Sometimes their fast speech is simply a carryover from the way they speak their native language.
If you speak English too quickly, your listeners have to work harder to understand you. Pronunciation errors are more likely to occur when you speak fast because you are not taking enough time to articulate the correct sounds and patterns. Here are a couple of things you can do to slow down your rate of speech so that people will understand you more easily.
Use thought groups
When native English speakers are talking they divide long sentences into smaller sections called thought groups. At the end of each thought group there is a brief pause. This pause gives listeners a bit of time to process what was just said.
Use syllable stress and schwa
Using syllable stress correctly will also slow down your speed. That’s because when you use syllable stress you control your pitch and the length of your syllables. The rhythm of stressed syllables with long clear vowel sounds combined with unstressed syllables with the reduced schwa vowel sound will naturally slow down your speech.
Lengthen vowel sounds in stressed syllables and before voiced consonants
Native English speakers do not pronounce all vowel sounds with the same length. The vowel sounds in stressed syllables and the vowel sounds that occur before voiced consonants are longer in duration that other vowels. If you employ the rules for vowel lengthening in your speech it will help you slow down your pace.
Find a speech model
Find a family member, friend or trusted co-worker who speaks at a speed that is easy to understand. Then try to match your speaking rate with theirs during conversations. Pace yourself against them. You may feel like you are speaking too slowly but chances are you are not!
Practice
Changing your speed will feel strange in the beginning, but speaking more slowly will help listeners to process and understand what you are saying. Keep practicing your speed by employing thought groups, syllable stress and vowel lengthening. Find a speech model to measure yourself against. With daily practice your new speaking rate will begin to feel comfortable, especially when you notice that people are comprehending your message!
Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation teacher and accent reduction coach. She currently lives in South Florida. Read more articles by Susan at http://www.confidentvoice.com/blog/
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