Common Pronunciation Traits in Accent Reduction for Individuals from India Who Speak with an Accent
Many individuals from India have moved to the United States and are currently employed in various professions. Although a large majority of Indians have been taught to speak English in school from an early age, their speech contains a distinct accent, varying in degree of severity. Having an accent may be a hindrance to being completely understood in one’s professional and social lives. With the aid of a professional speech therapist, accents can be significantly reduced by focusing on specific sound production differences, intonation problems, and grammatical errors.
One of the most common challenges for Indian speakers of English, is pronouncing the /w/ and /v/ sounds correctly. Frequently, these sounds are substituted for each other as in the following words: wine/vine, west/vest, and went/vent.
Another common difficulty for Indian speakers of English is distinguishing between voiced and voiceless consonants. For instance, when a word begins with a voiceless consonant, such as a /p/ in the word “pig”, it may be pronounced more like a voiced consonant /b/ as in “big”. This also may apply in words beginning with /k/ sounds, such as “cold”, being pronounced more like “gold”; and /t/ sounds, such as “town”, being pronounced more like “down”.
Often, individuals from India produce /r/ sounds in many positions of words with a “trilled” or “rolled” /r/. This is very different from the manner in which /r/’s in American English are produced. Additionally, some /r/’s in the middle of words, such as “learn”, “bird”, and “first” are omitted and sound more like an “uh” rather than an “er”. And when an “er” is at the end of a word, such as “spider”, the “er” may be produced as “uh”.
Some Indian speakers of American English speak with a very fast rate which may cause further intelligibility difficulties for their listeners. Therefore, along with learning to modify some specific sounds, slowing down the rate of speech is another helpful way to increase intelligibility.
Through the Accent Reduction course that I teach and consistent practice, many Indian individuals who speak English as a second language have improved their communication skills and have learned to speak Standard American English with a markedly reduced accent. Learn more about the program here, and contact me with any questions you have!
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About Derra Huxley, Speech and Language Pathologist
I am a California-licensed Speech-Language Pathologist in Los Angeles. I earned my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Northridge. I work as a Preferred Trainer with LDS & Associates – Accent Modification Program, and I am a member of CORSPAN (Corporate Speech Pathology Network). I collaborate with people of all ages to improve their communication and pronunciation skills in schools, hospitals, and private practice settings. To learn more or to contact me, complete this form or reach me at 818-421-7444. I look forward to hearing from you!