Ice-Kagen
Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2019
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- French
- Home Country
- Belgium
- Current Location
- Belgium
Hello!
I'm studying translation and interpretation in English and Russian at university in Belgium. Even though most English teachers in my country have a strong preference for British accent, I like American English more. At the beginning of my studies at university, they told me I was allowed to pick my favorite accent, as long as I pronounced correctly and didn't mix things up. Back then, my pronunciation was pretty bad and I wasn't really aware of the differences between British and American English. So, in order to speak English better, I started to study phonetics on my own. And I've been studying it intensively for more than one year now. I also try to practice English as much as possible and to listen to a lot of spoken English. I'm still really far from sounding like a native speaker, but I hope that someday my accent will be close to perfect. This year, my English teacher comes from the United States. She speaks with a General American accent and her pronunciation is really similar to what is indicated in the dictionary. However, even though she says she allows us to speak with an American accent, I feel like there are certain features of General American that she won't let us use even if they are indicated in the dictionary and used by many native speakers, including herself.
For example, she allows us to pronounce the letter r all the time and to pronounce words like "can't" or "pass" the American way, but she won't allow us to use flap Ts. She also says that even if many Americans pronounce it that way, it's incorrect to pronounce "not" as /nɑːt/ rather than /nɒt/. Yet, it's written in the dictionary and of course, she also pronounces it that way.
She also insists that there's a yod in words like "new" or "pneumonia". She absolutely wants us to pronounce /nju:/ and /njuːˈmoʊ.njə/ rather than /nu:/ and / /nuːˈmoʊ.njə/(and of course, she doesn't), even if all dictionaries say those words are not pronounced that way in American English.
And to be honest, all of that makes me very confused. I don't get why she acts like that... She says she doesn't want us to mix up accents, but the accent she wants us to adopt is clearly a mixture between British and American English. I'm also quite frustrated, because I'd really like to improve my oral skills in American English during class, but I can't due to her nonsensical restrictions. Furthermore, she is extremely severe and I wouldn't dare contradict her. But, every time I have a lesson with her, I feel really stressed and I try to avoid to speak as much as possible, because I'm afraid of being judged for pronouncing in a way she deems incorrect, while she uses it herself. I really don't get why she wants us to pronounce in that specific way. Could someone explain it to me? And anyway, what should I do?
I'm studying translation and interpretation in English and Russian at university in Belgium. Even though most English teachers in my country have a strong preference for British accent, I like American English more. At the beginning of my studies at university, they told me I was allowed to pick my favorite accent, as long as I pronounced correctly and didn't mix things up. Back then, my pronunciation was pretty bad and I wasn't really aware of the differences between British and American English. So, in order to speak English better, I started to study phonetics on my own. And I've been studying it intensively for more than one year now. I also try to practice English as much as possible and to listen to a lot of spoken English. I'm still really far from sounding like a native speaker, but I hope that someday my accent will be close to perfect. This year, my English teacher comes from the United States. She speaks with a General American accent and her pronunciation is really similar to what is indicated in the dictionary. However, even though she says she allows us to speak with an American accent, I feel like there are certain features of General American that she won't let us use even if they are indicated in the dictionary and used by many native speakers, including herself.
For example, she allows us to pronounce the letter r all the time and to pronounce words like "can't" or "pass" the American way, but she won't allow us to use flap Ts. She also says that even if many Americans pronounce it that way, it's incorrect to pronounce "not" as /nɑːt/ rather than /nɒt/. Yet, it's written in the dictionary and of course, she also pronounces it that way.
She also insists that there's a yod in words like "new" or "pneumonia". She absolutely wants us to pronounce /nju:/ and /njuːˈmoʊ.njə/ rather than /nu:/ and / /nuːˈmoʊ.njə/(and of course, she doesn't), even if all dictionaries say those words are not pronounced that way in American English.
And to be honest, all of that makes me very confused. I don't get why she acts like that... She says she doesn't want us to mix up accents, but the accent she wants us to adopt is clearly a mixture between British and American English. I'm also quite frustrated, because I'd really like to improve my oral skills in American English during class, but I can't due to her nonsensical restrictions. Furthermore, she is extremely severe and I wouldn't dare contradict her. But, every time I have a lesson with her, I feel really stressed and I try to avoid to speak as much as possible, because I'm afraid of being judged for pronouncing in a way she deems incorrect, while she uses it herself. I really don't get why she wants us to pronounce in that specific way. Could someone explain it to me? And anyway, what should I do?
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