Why It's Hard To Understand Americans

What if I told you that there’s an easy explanation as to why it seems Americans talk too fast?

Romain, you wanna make that easier for everybody to understand ?

What if I told you that there’s an

easy explanation

as to

why it seems Americans talk too fast?

Clearly, those are the same words,

but they sound very, very different when spoken

by an American

and when spoken by a French person.

I’m Christina and you’re watching Speak Better, Feel Great TV.

The place to boost your English and boost your career.

Today, you’re gonna learn why normal spoken English

is so challenging to understand.

Ya ready?

A few weeks ago, you learned about syllable stress

in this video.

That’s part of the reason why natural spoken speech sounds so fast.

Remember, Romain?

Yes,

Right. There are strong syllables

good job little buddy yeah right

The weak syllables aren’t fully pronounced

and they all have the same sound

A very weak

In phonetics,

it looks like this:

And here’s a fun fact to impress your colleagues:

The schwa

that weak “uh” sound

accounts for

30% of

the sounds in English.

30%!

If so much of English is just

“uh”,

it’s no wonder you have difficulties understanding native speakers!

I don’t understand you because you talk like you have a hot potato in your mouth!

Well…

That’s because the weak syllables make it sound like Americans don’t articulate.

Like you have a potato in your mouth.

Compare how these phrases sound when spoken by a lovely French person,

and when spoken by

an American with a horrible American accent.

Do you hear all those weak “uh”s?

Did you hear all those schwas?

And that’s one reason why it’s hard to understand Americans when they speak.

Because what you read

is a lot different from what you hear:

This isn’t easy, I know.

But don’t worry.

Next week’s Speak Better, Feel Great video

will be dedicated to interactive exercises to help you

improve your comprehension of the schwa.

It’s a huge part of spoken English, and

and I want to help you

to stop feeling like your American colleagues

all have potatoes in their mouths.

So,

if you want to improve your comprehension of this crucial aspect of English with next week’s video,

go immediately to christinarebuffet.com and

sign up

for the Speak Better, Feel Great newsletter.

You’ll also get regular bonus to help you

boost your English and boost your career even more.

I’m Christina from Speak Better, Feel Great TV,

see you next time!