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  • In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to study American English by looking

  • at a short text. Topic: where I live.

  • I call this a Ben Franklin exercise. This is when you take very good notes, very detailed

  • notes, on what you're hearing. And then go back and try to record yourself based on what

  • you've written down, the notes. Did you write down a flap T, or the way two words link together?

  • After you've recorded yourself, compare it to the original. Did you do everything that

  • you wanted to do? In this video, we're going to take notes together.

  • I live in New York City, in Manhattan, currently in midtown. But I do move around a lot. I've

  • been in New York for about five years, and I've already moved four times.

  • One if the first things I notice is how my voice goes up at the end of the word 'city',

  • city, city. That's because of the comma here, and I'm not done, I'm going to keep going,

  • I'm going to say more about that.

  • I live in New York City. [2x]

  • I also notice how connected that first line is. I live in New York City. There are no

  • breaks.

  • I live in New York City. [2x]

  • And I notice the ending consonant sound of 'live' links into the beginning of the next

  • word, live in, v-in, v-in, live in.

  • I live in New York City. [3x] In Manhattan.

  • In Manhattan. Again, my voice went up at the end. Again, there's a comma here, and I'm

  • about to give more information about that. New York City, Manhattan, more specifically

  • midtown. So, my voice is going up at the end of each of these little phrases to signal

  • that there is more information yet to come about this.

  • In Manhattan. [2x]

  • I notice that the stressed syllable of 'Manhattan' is the middle syllable. Manhattan. Also, I

  • hear that I'm not really pronouncing these T's as True T's. That would be 'Manhattan',

  • -tan. But I'm saying Manhatt-an, with a little break. That means these T's are stop T's.

  • In Manhattan. [2x]

  • Also, the last syllable, -an, is really just the N sound. So the letter A there is representing

  • the schwa sound. Manhattan, Manhattan.

  • In Manhattan. [3x] Currently in midtown.

  • Again, I did not hear the release of this T. That would be currently, I heard 'currently',

  • with a stop, that's a stop T. Currently, currently. And, in this three-syllable word, I notice

  • that stress is on the first syllable. Curr-, curr-, currently.

  • Currently in midtown. [2x]

  • Midtown. Stress on the first syllable here, and that is a true T. Midtown. Currently in

  • midtown.

  • Currently in midtown. [3x] But I do move around a lot.

  • The stressed syllables in that sentence are do, round, and lot. But I do move around a lot.

  • But I do move around a lot. [2x]

  • Let's talk about the T pronunciations here. But I do, but I, but I. I'm hearing that as

  • a flap T, or a D sound. But I, but I. It's also very connected. But I do, but I do.

  • But I do move around a lot. [2x]

  • The final T, lot, I did release that and give it a true T sound.

  • But I do move around a lot. [2x]

  • Again, this sentence was very linked together, the ending V consonant here linking onto the

  • next vowel, move-a, move-a, va, va, va, move around. But I do move around a lot.

  • But I do move around a lot. [3x] I've been in New York for about five years,

  • The stressed words in this sentence fragment: New, York, and Five, Years.

  • I've been in New York for about five years [2x]

  • So how are the unstressed words pronounced? The contraction I've, the word been, and in:

  • they're all quite quick and linked together. I've been in, I've been in, I've been in New

  • York. And the words 'for' and 'about': for about five years. I notice I'm reducing this

  • to the schwa, for, for, for about five years, for about five years. I've been in New York

  • for about five years. So, these three words, I've been in, very quick. They're unstressed.

  • New, York: the pace slows down a bit there, so those words are longer because they're

  • stressed. Then, for about. Those two words, unstressed, are again quite quick. For about.

  • And then 'five' and 'years' are both given more time because they are stressed.

  • I've been in New York for about five years, [3x]

  • and I've already moved four times.

  • Here I'm hearing 'al-' and 'moved', 'four' and 'times' as being the most stressed syllables

  • in that sentence fragment. And I've already moved four times.

  • And I've already moved four times. [2x]

  • I also notice I'm not really pronouncing the L here. This syllable is coming out more as

  • the AW as in LAW, already, already.

  • And I've already moved four times. [2x]

  • Also, did you notice how I reduced the word 'and'? And I've already moved. Nn, nn, nn,

  • the schwa N sound. And I've already moved.

  • And I've already moved four times. [3x]

  • So, just a few lines of speech, but there's really a lot to study about reductions and

  • stressed words, the way T is pronounced, and how words link together.

  • I hope this has given you some ideas on how to take notes and study the speech of native

  • speakers. Do this on your own. Take video and audio clips that interest you, or that

  • have topics that are important to your field of work. After you take good notes, record

  • the text yourself, and compare to the original recording. What do you still need to work

  • on, or what did you do well? This is a great way to improve your pronunciation.

  • That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to study American English by looking

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