The SCHWA Sound! English Pronunciation Lesson
The SCHWA is the sound you NEED to know and use if you want to sound natural and relaxed when you speak English!
/ə/
Want to IMPROVE your PRONUNCIATION? 👀 Watch this lesson next for another tricky English sound: https://youtu.be/wCkONOv2JJM
This lesson will show you how to use the schwa to improve your English pronunciation, reduce your accent and to sound more natural when you speak! THIS sound - the schwa /ə/ - is the secret to NATURAL English expression. It's the most common English sound - you will hear it in almost every English sentence that is spoken!
I'll teach you how to recognise the schwa sound in the International Phonetic Alphabet so that you can improve your pronunciation WITHOUT a native English speaker!
The sound will help you to
- use common reductions (reduced forms in spoken English)
- reduce your accent (accent reduction)
- sound natural when you speak English
- use correct rhythm and tone
- listen to native English speakers speaking at a natural speed
My video lessons are created to help English learners to improve their pronunciation and speaking skills. Please note that the pronunciation of some of these words differs between English accents. I speak with an Australian English accent 🙂
---------- TIMESTAMPS ----------
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Why is the schwa sound so important?
02:20 What schwa sounds like
03:52 Making the schwa sound
05:05 Why is the schwa sound so common?
07:28 Where to find the schwa sound
07:43 Unstressed structure words
09:01 Unstressed syllables
12:05 Schwa sound challenge
13:50 Extra schwa sound practice
#mmmEnglish #NaturalEnglishPronunciation #SpeakingEnglish #Schwa #IPA #EnglishPronunciation #EnglishTeacher #YouTubeTeacher
Read the full transcript of this lesson on my blog here: https://www.mmmenglish.com/2018/12/06/sound-natural-when-you-speak-english/
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💡 Listening Tips
- 🔁 Enable looping for continuous relaxation
- 🔊 Keep volume moderate - rain works best not too loud
- 🎛️ Try the Ambient Sound Mixer to customize your experience
- 📱 Works great through phone speakers or Bluetooth
💬 What Listeners Say
"Hi Emma. My name is Katarina. I am Australian. Original I come from Croatia. I am pensioner over 70 and want to improve my English. I love your way of teaching. Thank you for your help."
— @katarinakovacevic5982 👍 25
"I have been working on this video for almost an hour to note, to understand, to practice. This helps me a lot! Thank you, Emma <3"
— @imhabie 👍 90
"Brilliant! Thank you so much. I never realized that I was adapting my shwa sounds to adapt to accents! I now have to teach the shwa as an ESL teacher but had never, ever heard of it before. Your lesson was super comprehensive and I can easily ada..."
— @carriemcclung7374 👍 19
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- Adjust Volume: Keep the volume at a comfortable background level - loud enough to hear, quiet enough to relax.
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- Try the Mixer: Use our Ambient Sound Mixer below to customize the audio with additional sound layers.
This 17:23 track is ideal for relaxation, focus, sleep. With 1.1M views, it has become a trusted choice for thousands of listeners worldwide.