Afrikaanse uitspraak-probleme in Engels

5 Engelse uitspraak-wenke vir Afrikaanssprekendes wat hul Engelse aksent wil verbeter

Accent Reduction for Afrikaans Speakers

5 English pronunciation tips for Afrikaans speakers who want to improve their English accent:

1) The KIT-BIT Split

• Here, we are talking about words that generally have a single ‘i’ in the spelling.
• The words kit and bit rhyme in a Standard English accent. They both have the vowel [ɪ].
• In Afrikaans, kit has the vowel [ɪ] and bit [ə].
•  Here are the rules in Afrikaans:
• • Pronounced as [ɪ] when it is in the stressed syllable and:
  • • Next to a velar consonant (/k, g, ŋ (NG)/): lick, kiss, gift, big, sing
    • Before /h/: hit
    • At the beginning of a word: inn
    • Before /ʃ/ (SH): fish
    • Sometimes before /ʧ/ (CH) and /ʤ/ (J): ditch, bridge
  • Otherwise it is pronounced like a [ə]:
    • bit, lip, tin, slim, minute, limited
• So if you are an Afrikaans speaker, isolate the correct vowel sound [ɪ] in words like bit, kiss, hit etc. and start using it in words like bit, lip, tin etc.

2) R

• Don’t touch the top of your mouth when making a R sound.

3) Devoicing

• In Afrikaans:
  • /b/ at the end of a word will sound like a /p/.
  • /d/ at the end of a word will sound like a /t/.
  • /g/ at the end of a word will sound like a /k/.

• In English, the sounds must stay the same. Compare:
  • cap – cab
  • sheet – she’d
  • back – bag

4) TH

• This sound is made by putting the tip of the tongue by the back of the upper front teeth. Ensure it is touching the teeth.
• Don’t make a F, V or D sound. Compare:
• F – fin – thin
• V – fervour – further
• D – den – then

5) “e” and “a”

• Lower the tongue both of these vowel sounds!
• Compare:
  • set – sat
  • bed – bad
  • head – had

Are you an Afrikaans speaker? Do people keep asking you to repeat what you’re saying?

Sign up for a free lesson on my online course and start improving your accent today.