“u” and “you”
Accents are always evolving. And one of the more modern aspects of the American accent is the sound “ju” pronounced just like the word “you”.
While the sound itself isn’t new, the way we are using it in everyday speech is changing. Take a look at the words:
new, student, reduce, Tuesday
In the past, these words would have likely been pronounced with the “you” sound: n(j)ew, st(j)udent, red(j)uce, T(j)uesday
However, in modern American English, we are dropping this “you” sound from common words and simply pronouncing the “u” vowel. This is because in certain consonant combinations, the “j” consonant can be difficult to articulate. You will notice that in words with the sounds: tu, du, nu, su, lu, we rarely will pronounce the “j”.
Try this out in the following sentences:
We can reduce the amount of trash that we produce by reusing the aluminum cans.
We could use a few new solutions for this particular issue.
Some of the words include the “you” sound like few, use, particular, while the other words in bold will NOT have the “you” sound.
At the end of the day, if you pronounce these words with the “you” sound, you will likely still be understood. However, it is something that is being phased out of the accent, due to the fact that these consonant combinations can be challenging to say quickly.
Stress
Stress has a huge impact on our understanding of words and how we express our thoughts. But, have you ever noticed how difficult stress can be in English?
That’s because we don’t have many rules for how to judge where the stress should be in a word. For words like:
object, record, produce, suspect
Without context, there is no way to know how these words should sound just by looking at them. So, how do we indicate stress?
In American English we use 2 tools to help show stress: volume and duration. By making a syllable louder and making the vowel sound long, we can bring attention to the stressed parts of words more easily. For the words
“OBject” and “obJECT”
I can show the difference between these 2 very similar words by moving the stress to another syllable.
Here are some sentences to help you practice this:
The OBject is on the table. I obJECT to the committee’s decision.
She broke the REcord for the fastest mile time. Can you reCORD the meeting?
The market sells fresh PROduce. Factories proDUCE goods for consumption.
The police questioned the SUSpect. I susPECT he is hiding something.
Can you hear the difference?
5 Key Strategies for Fluent and Confident Speech
When you think of fluency, what comes to mind? There are many components that can impact our fluency, such as how we breathe, our tone, our consideration of emphasis, and much more.
To get my free guide: 5 Key Strategies for Fluent and Confident Speech sent directly to your inbox, click the button below
Breath: Why It Matters
Breath is the foundation to speech. A steady flow of oxygen to the brain is the reason we are able to create thoughts and subsequently articulate them. Without a good breath, you may find it very difficult to get your voice to sound the way you would like it to. This can be particularly challenging when we are speaking in stressful situations. Take a look at this video to learn more about how to use your breath effectively while speaking under stress.