When: Fri, Apr 28, 2017 - 12:30 pm to 2:45 pm
The Masters Programs Office is partnering with the Maryland English Institute to offer English skill-building workshops to international students. Each session is limited to the first 15 participants who register. A certificate of completion will be provided to students who attend the session. Please register by clicking the link below.
Connected Speech: The key to understanding spoken English
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Driver
Description: Many international students who read and write English well nevertheless have trouble understanding the speech of native speakers, which seems too fast and often not like the speech presented in English textbooks. The reason native speakers sound like this is because they use “connected” speech, a system of modifications in pronunciation and stress that allows speakers to produce English more efficiently. Most native speakers don’t even realize they are doing this because it comes instinctively to them. This seminar’s goals are to help international students understand what elements create connected speech, to be able to recognize common connected speech examples, and to begin incorporating some parts of connected speech into their own pronunciation.