Revised 12/2023

ESL 73 - Accent Reduction (3 CR.)

Course Description

Provides contextualized practice at the high intermediate/ advanced level to improve the speech intelligibility of non-native speakers of English. Focuses on problems of American English sound/spelling patterns, word endings, syllables, stress, rhythm and intonation common to speakers of different language backgrounds. May include individualized practice in consonant and vowel production. Credits are not applicable toward graduation. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

To help non-native speakers of English be more readily understood by native speakers and to help them better understand native speakers of English in professional and academic settings. This course will help make non-native English speech more intelligible; however, it will not totally eliminate “foreign accents”. 

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

An English placement test recommendation for ESL Level 3 or higher or successful completion of ESL 24.

Course Objectives

Goal 1 - Students will be able to produce sentences with improved rhythm and pausing.

Objectives

Students will be able to produce a sentence with appropriate:

  • stress at the word level
  • a stressed syllable that is higher in pitch, louder, has a longer vowel, and a full vowel
  • unstressed syllables with a reduced vowel
  • sentence stress
  • pauses at thought groups, phrases, and clauses

Goal 2 - Students will be able to use intonation patterns appropriately.

Objectives

In a sentence, students will be able to appropriately:

  • use grammatical intonation patterns
  • convey emotions through intonation

Goal 3 - Students will be able to produce phonemes and allophones of English within the context of a word or phrase.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • articulate allophones in isolation
  • modify pronunciation of phonemes according to preceding and following sounds

Goal 4 - Student will be able to understand fluent speech at a normal rate.

Objectives

Student will recognize:

  • pronunciation changes in unstressed syllables
  • stress changes in phrases