1. Understand how the mouth muscles work

First you explore how the mouth works. Remember that speech is physical activity. It’s important to understand how the mouth muscles work so that you are able to change the way you speak.

2. Train the muscles

The course provides different physical exercises to make the mouth muscles stronger and more flexible. This will give you the control to create new sounds more easily.

3. Learn some IPA (phonetic) symbols

English spelling is confusing. It’s not easy to guess the pronunciation of a word from the spelling (e.g. the “b” in “debt” is not pronounced!)

By learning the difference between letters and sounds – and by using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) – the process of pronouncing words becomes much simpler.

Don’t worry if you want to avoid IPA symbols – they are not essential to improving your accent.

4. Focus on important topics

There are 20+ pronunciation topics that have been chosen and ordered according to your native language. Priority is given to sounds that will improve intelligibility (=people understanding you) and reduce the impression of a “foreign accent”.

Helpful comparisons are made between the sounds in English and the sounds in your native language.

5. Guidance on how to practise

The course gives clear instructions on how to practise and how to incorporate new sounds into your everyday speech.

6. Speak clearly & confidently!

After studying this course, you will have a deeper understanding of English pronunciation and you will be able to communicate more effectively in English.

Of course!

Sign up (no credit card details required) and you’ll get access to the course introduction and first lesson for free.

You’ll also be able to see all the lessons that are included.

Unlike other courses or textbooks, the course is organised according to your native language. This means you will concentrate on the most important aspects for you first (and don’t have to learn the parts that you can do already).

Uniquely, the course includes:

• Speech muscle training
• Muscle settings (exploring the overall sound of your voice and how you hold your speech muscles)
• Modern English rhythm and intonation
• Ear training games
• Animations (to show you how sounds are made inside the mouth)
• Click-for-IPA (by clicking the IPA button, you’re instantly able to see phonetic transcriptions)
• Control audio speed (you can slow down audio to help you hear sounds more easily)

Additionally, the course explains how to make all the vowels and consonants in English. Further differences to other courses are that it:

• Uses a sense-based approach.
  • For each new vowel or consonant, we explore how it feels in the mouth, what it looks like in the mirror, and how it sounds. This allows you to learn quickly and accurately.
• Teaches contemporary British English pronunciation.
  • There’s no point sounding like the Queen (i.e. a very old-fashioned and posh form of English, which would sound humorous to a native speaker).

Your native language has a sound system that is different from the sound system of English. It is also different from the sound systems of other languages.

This means that a Mandarin speaker will have different challenges compared to a Portuguese speaker when learning English pronunciation.

Of course variation exists within each language: for example, there are many different varieties of Arabic. However all speakers of a language will usually have similar challenges when approaching a language like English. Where necessary, reference is made to specific varieties (for example a sound that is more important for Brazilian Portuguese speakers to learn rather than European Portuguese speakers). In the course for Chinese learners, references are made to Mandarin and Cantonese.

When you log into the course, you will see a list of lessons. Your lessons have been designed and ordered to prioritise improving your intelligibility (i.e. people understanding you) and reducing the impression of a “foreign accent”. The lessons also include comparisons with words and sounds in your native language to help you understand why you pronounce English in a certain way.

If you grew up bilingual, you can change the native language in My Account at any time. Your lessons will automatically change.

If your language isn’t listed when signing up, choose the my language isn’t listed option and you’ll receive a course which covers the main issues that non-natives face when approaching English pronunciation.

Yes!

You will be asked to record a text containing all the sounds of English (this will take 5 minutes to read). After you have sent this via email, Luke will respond telling you what to focus on in the course. You can purchase this service here.

Alternatively, you can ask Luke for some free advice in the online classroom.

If you want 1:1 coaching with me / ask a pronunciation question, then join my online classroom sessions. These are not structured classes, but an opportunity to get live support.

These take place regularly (usually one hour per week – but this depends on my schedule) and at different times (to suit different time zones). After subscribing to the course, you will be able to see the next dates and register by clicking Bookmarks -> Online Classroom in the sidebar.

When you enter the online classroom, type in the chat window what you would like (e.g. I’d like to get some coaching / read a text and get feedback / know what to focus on / ask a question via video) or simply type a pronunciation question.

The online classroom works on a first-come first-served basis. For coaching, each student will receive approximately 10 minutes. I can’t guarantee that I will have time to talk to everyone, but I will try to prioritise people who have not had a chance to speak to me before.

Technical Requirements

Access is through your internet browser so you don’t need to download any special software, but ensure your internet browser is updated.

If you’d like to chat via video you’ll need to use a computer or laptop (not a tablet or phone). Check your webcam/mic are working and that you have a good internet connection.

Privacy

The online classroom is open to all course subscribers. Your personal details (name, email, native language) will not be revealed to other attendees during the class. But if you post a question in the chat, your first name will be visible to other attendees.

Your webcam/microphone will be switched off by default when you enter. But if you choose to chat to Luke via video then other attendees will be able to see/hear you and are likely to find out your first name and native language. Of course, you are free to watch other students being coached and learn from them.

The online classroom is not recorded or stored in the course in any way.

If you feel uncomfortable turning on your webcam, you can request to turn on your mic only.

The course is suitable for adult learners with an intermediate or advanced level of English.

You will be charged every month, every 6 months or every year depending on which subscription plan you choose. The course content is the same (you are just choosing how often to be charged).

It works out cheaper per month to take the annual subscription rather than the monthly subscription.

If you want to switch from one subscription plan to another: (1) cancel your current subscription, (2) wait until it expires, (3) subscribe to a new plan.

To cancel your subscription, click Account Settings -> My Subscription (in the course sidebar) and then click Cancel.

You must cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date to avoid being charged again. If you cancel your subscription, you will still have access to the course until your subscription expires.

You can find out when your next billing date is in My Subscription.

You will be learning the Standard Southern British English Accent (SSBE), which is based on the accent in South-East England. You may have also heard of this accent as Non-Regional Pronunciation (NRP) or Modern RP.

It is perceived as a neutral*, intelligible, and contemporary English accent. As well as being associated with education, prestige and wealth, it is also widely understood across the world. For these reasons, it is the best accent to learn.

You may have also heard of the terms Received Pronunciation (RP), BBC English, or Oxford English. These names tend to refer to a more old-fashioned English accent, but some people might use them to refer to a contemporary accent.

(* No accent can really be neutral, but many native British English speakers would perceive this as neutral, standard or “not having an accent”)

This depends on how long it takes you to learn and how much time you have to study.

The course has a large amount of material which is organised according to what will make the biggest difference to your accent first. You do not have to complete the entire course in order to improve.

You can see what lessons are in the course by signing up.

Speaking is a physical process – we move muscles to create speech sounds. In order to speak in a different accent, you need to re-train those muscles. You have been speaking the way you do since childhood, so it will take some time to change your muscle habits.

The amount of time it takes to improve your accent depends on:

1. Your native language (and how close the sound system/rhythm is to English)

2. How long you have been speaking English

• Changing the way you speak involves breaking habits. If you have been speaking English with a strong foreign accent for a while, it may take longer to break those pronunciation habits.

3. Your current level of English pronunciation

4. How often you practise

5. How quickly your speech muscles adapt

6. Your identity and whether you like England!

• Everyone (consciously or unconsciously) adjusts their voice according to who they speak to. If you identify with the person you’re speaking to, you’re likely to make your speech sound more like them. If you already have a strong sense of identity which you don’t want to change – or if you dislike the other person – then you’re likely to make your speech sound different to them.
• This means that if you dislike English culture or can’t identify with English people, you’ll find it harder to change your accent.
• If you don’t like the sound of English, you’ll find it more challenging to create English sounds because you don’t really want to sound English!

7. Your personality. If you’re positive, confident, open and willing to take risks, you’ll improve more quickly. Why? Because:

• You’re more likely to socialise with native speakers and therefore practise new sounds.
• You’ll find enjoyment in creating new, unfamiliar English sounds.
• Your sense of identity is more fluid so you don’t mind sounding English.

Like all new skills, some people are naturally good at it, and others have to work harder. Most people will notice improvements after a few months.

To speed up the process, the course prioritises what will make the biggest and obvious improvements to your accent first.

The course uses a sense-based approach: for each new vowel or consonant, we explore how it feels in the mouth, what it looks like in the mirror, and how it sounds. This trains you to understand whether you are making a sound accurately or not.

At the beginning of the course, you record a text which contains all the sounds in English. This acts as a benchmark recording. You can re-record the text after spending some time in the course to measure your improvement.

Additionally, there are games to test your learning and to check whether you can hear the difference between sounds.

Plus you can join Luke in the online classroom and ask for feedback. Or purchase detailed feedback here.

You access the course through your internet browser.

This means you can use it on your computer, laptop, tablet and phone.