If you have problems being understood when you speak with American friends and colleagues you are not alone! Here are three accent reduction strategies you can apply to improve your American English pronunciation and speak with confidence.

Accent Reduction Strategy 1-Use Syllable Stress

You must learn English syllable stress rules and patterns if you want to improve your American English pronunciation. That's because Americans listen for syllable stress patterns to identify words when people are speaking.

In English words with two or more syllables, one syllable always receives strong stress or emphasis. Here is a common syllable stress pattern: 90% of two syllable English nouns are stressed on the first syllable. That means that you should pronounce the words TEA-cher and STU-dent with strong emphasis on the first syllable. The second syllable is reduced.

A good dictionary, such as the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, will show you which syllables receive stress.

Accent Reduction Strategy 2-Lengthen the Vowel Sounds in Stressed Syllables

The vowels in stressed syllables take on a special quality in spoken English. These vowels must be lengthened and pronounced with a high pitch in order to make words comprehensible to American listeners. Lengthening vowel sounds in stressed syllables is vital to the rhythm of spoken English so you must do this if you want to improve your American English pronunciation. For example, when you say TEA-cher you need to lengthen the EA and say it with a high pitch.

Accent Reduction Strategy 3-Use the "schwa" Vowel Sound in Reduced Syllables

The vowels in reduced syllables are not pronounced long and clear. Instead, these vowels have the "schwa" sound. The schwa is a low pitched "uh" sound. For example, when you say the word STU-dent the e in the second (or reduced) syllable sounds like "uh" so the word sounds like STU-duhnt.

The schwa is sound is the most frequent sound in spoken English but many learners are unaware of it. Learning to use the schwa sound for vowels in reduced syllables is one of the very best ways to improve your accent.

By studying the three accent reduction strategies that I describe here, you can begin improve your American English pronunciation. You will feel more confident and you will enjoy speaking English with American friends and colleagues!

Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation and accent reduction instructor in Washington, D.C. For her free Accent Reduction http://accent-reduction.confidentvoice.com/, e-course and more American English Pronunciation resources, visit http://www.ConfidentVoice.com.