Do you speak English with a foreign accent? Many highly educated people read and write English perfectly. However, when they speak they have an accent that causes communication problems. There are a number of factors that contribute to accented speech. Here are four factors that may be causing you to have an accent when you speak American English.

1. The way you use syllable stress and intonation

People typically use the stress and intonation patterns from their native language when they speak American English. Since your native language uses stress and intonation differently than we do in English this will contribute to your accent. Your speech may sound it too choppy, too fast or it may sound too flat. Learning how to speak using American English syllable stress and intonation patterns will really help you to reduce your accent sound more American.

2. The duration of your vowel sounds

When you are speaking American English you must lengthen the duration of vowel sounds in stressed syllables. You must also lengthen vowels that come before voiced consonants. Many non native speakers say the vowel sounds in stressed syllables and before voiced consonants with a short duration. That makes their speech sound choppy and accented to American listeners.

3. Using voiceless consonant sounds instead of voiced consonant sounds at the end of words

Using voiceless consonant sounds instead of voiced consonant sounds at the end of words will contribute to your accent. Non native English speakers frequently pronounce the word final /g/ as a /k/ so that the word dog sound like dock. Or they pronounce the word final /z/ as /s/ so that the word peas sounds like peace. Learning to used voiced consonants at the end of words (and lengthening the vowel sounds that come before these) will help you reduce your accent.

4. Sound substitution or approximation

Non native speakers often substitute a sound they are familiar with from their own language for American English sounds. For example, Russian speakers often substitute the /v/ for /w/ so that the word wine sounds like vine. People from many languages substitute the /iy/ sound for the /I/ sound so that cheap sounds like chip.

Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation and accent reduction teacher in Washington, D.C. Visit her website at American English Pronunciation http://pronunciation.confidentvoice.com/ to find out about the best books and software for pronunciation and accent reduction.