Introduction
I’ve been creating accent reduction videos on YouTube for over six years. During that time I’ve gotten requests for a book. I always resisted because my ideas on pronunciation and how to teach it are always evolving, thanks to what I learn from teaching. I’m still not done learning. Hopefully I’ll never be! But I started to see the importance of writing a book for organizing my thoughts on pronunciation, and setting up a structure for study. Many people find a video through search and don’t have any idea how it fits into the bigger picture of American English and accent reduction. This book presents the ‘big picture’ of American English pronunciation as I see it. It is broad, but not deep. I look forward to completing other books, videos, and courses in the future that will go deep, that will elaborate upon the groundwork presented in this book. As I’ve been exploring pronunciation, one thing that initially surprised me was how much opinion comes into play. There are teachers I respect who have different ideas than I do about how something should be pronounced, and how it should be taught. There is no one right way to speak English, or to teach it to non-native speakers. Truly, this is Rachel’s English. This is my way of teaching how I talk, as clearly and methodically as possible.
In school, I did not study how to teach English, or pronunciation, or any foreign language. I did not study linguistics. I did not study how to teach anybody anything. I studied Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, and Music (vocal and opera performance). As I became interested in how Americans speak, and how to teach that, while living in Germany, I came to realize that what I studied was actually very significant. What I have developed in Rachel’s English and this book comes directly from those fields of study: from singing, increased body and voice awareness, connection to rhythm and melody, a keen ear and the ability to imitate. From applied mathematics and computer science: a linear and modular mind, able to break down my vocal awareness into small, teachable chunks. Developing Rachel’s English, from the beginning, has been about experience and first-hand investigation more than book learning. This book is written only to support practical experience, perhaps in ways that are sometimes unconventional. I hope something in it will help you communicate more effectively and confidently in English.
