Accent Reduction
for speakers of Romance Languages
This is the overview of the Accent Reduction and Pronunciation program for Romance language speakers. The Romance languages are rather varied in sound inventory. Because of this, the syllabus includes classes that are mandatory for some students but not for others.
Still, there are many commonalities that tie these languages together and there are common problems that Romance language speakers will usually need to address in order to improve their English pronunciation and accent. These problems include lack of aspiration for plosives, lack of reduced vowels, and a syllable-timed rhythm to speech.
Language-specific areas of focus
Spanish
Spanish has a lot of weakened plosive consonants, especially intervocalically, and one area of focus is to avoid weakening these consonants. Additionally, as standard Spanish only has five vowels, the 15-20 vowels of Standard English will be another major focus.
“Excelente maestro, lo recomiendo ampliamente. Da muchos tips de pronunciación para nosotros los hispanohablantes! Su clase es dinámica y te motiva a participar, tomaré mas clases con él.”
— Sofia, Mexico
“I have tried other pronunciation classes and they do not have the methodology to teach pronunciation or accent reduction or the knowledge of phonetics . I highly recommend Adrian.”
— Doris, New York
👉 Join my Facebook group for Spanish speakers learning American English
Portuguese
Portuguese has a lot of nasal vowels but not many final nasals, and so a large focus for Portuguese speakers will be working on nasal sounds or sounds adjacent to nasal sounds.
“'Adrian é um ótimo professor. Esforçado, atencioso e com um audição impecável. Sua habilidade idiomática lhe permite explicar com precisão o porque do seu sotaque. O recomendo especialmente para idiomas latinos.”
— Eduardo, Rio de Janeiro
“Hi Adrian! I appreciate the pronunciation materials that you carefully tailor to us, and your ability to identify when we mispronounce and to correct it. I observe in myself how much my pronunciation has improved during the 6-month weekly practi[c]e with you; and more importantly, I now feel more confident when I speak English with others as I can identify where my weaknesses and strengths are. This course is invaluable to me. Thanks a lot for your dedication and keep up with your good work!!!”
— Cleusa, Sao Paulo
👉 Join my Facebook group for Portuguese speakers learning American English
French
For French speakers, the biggest issue will rhythm and intonation. French has a very distinctive melody with stress always falling on the last syllable of the word.
“Exactly the kind of teacher I was searching for. A well-structured professional with a holistic approach towards pronunciation and a real focus on the mechanics behind it.”
— Jonathan, Paris
“Thank you Adrian for your help. Your lessons are very helpful to improve my accent :) and after few lessons I already see the difference.”
— Bruno, Geneva
Italian
Italian speakers similarly will have to work on their rhythm, but also their vowels, as at seven vowels, it is still few compared to English’s 15-20 vowels.
“I really love Adrian's way of teaching. Understanding and learning the correct pronunciation is challenging, especially if you have acquired some "bad habits". Changing those habits and becoming aware of what happens in your mouth when you speak can be really difficult and sometimes frustrating, but using visuals and with very clear explanations Adrian can really make you see and not only hear your mistakes.”
— Alessandra, Bari