Why do American’s Speak with their Mouth Wide Open?

The correct pronunciation and voice projection of American English depends on an open mouth position.  The English speech sounds require the sound resonance created by an open mouth.  Speech sounds are made by the changes in mouth opening, as well as lip, teeth, tongue, and soft palate movement, and vocal cord vibration.  Let’s consider the…

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10 Words that are Frequently Mispronounced

Check out this helpful video on how to correctly pronounce: business, candidate, wasn’t, espresso, probably, et cetera, escape, athlete, other, Alzheimer’s disease. I was surprised to find that I had been incorrectly pronouncing “et cetera” and “espresso.”

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How do people perceive your speech?

Our speech can affect how we are perceived.  Three patterns that may negatively influence how others regard us are: Use of filler words.  Sloppy pronunciation. Speed Talking. Filler Words: Filler words or non-words include:  um, ah, and, like, ok, you know.  Everyone uses filler words, but it is the overuse that affects how we are…

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Showcase Your Best Self in a Job Interview

New college graduate?  Entering the final year of college and expecting to interview in the Fall semester?  Changing jobs after a few years in the workforce?  The job search process is grueling, and takes many steps of preparation to succeed.  Performing well during an interview is essential. As we all know, first impressions are important,…

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More Silent Letters-#3

English is a continually evolving language comes from many linguistic sources including Old French, Latin, Norse, Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and many others. English is a phonetic language but with many exceptions. The spelling of words in English can tell you its’ origin and evolution.  Silent letters help identify the word’s origins. Students in spelling bees…

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