Skip navigation

Examples of General American English Pronunciation

Listen carefully and read the comments.

Do you want me to park the car in the garage?

//djuː wɑnt mi tə pɑːrk ðə kɑːr ɪn ðə gəˈrɑːʒ//

The word garage is stressed on the second syllable in GAEP. In RP it is pronounced /ˈgærɑːʒ/ and in the North of England: /ˈgærɪdʒ/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

That’s not on the schedule either.

//ðæts nɑt ɒn ðə ˈskedʒəl ˈiːðɚ//

The pronunciation of schedule in RP is /ˈʃedju:l/.

The pronunciation of either is /ˈiːðɚ/. In RP it is pronounced /ˈaɪðə/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

I’m taking my normal route to school.

//ɑɪm ˈteɪkɪŋ mɑɪ ˈnɔːrməl rɑʊt tə skuːl//

The pronunciation of route in American English is /rɑʊt/. The RP pronunciation is /ruːt/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

When’s the paper due?

//wenz ðə ˈpeɪpɚ duː//

Notice the pronunciation of due: /duː/ and compare it to RP /djuː/ which is normally pronounced /dʒuː/ by most British speakers.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

My mom’s on the war path

//mɑɪ mɑmz ɑn ðə wɔːr pæθ//

Notice the pronunciation of mom with an “a” sound.

The phrase "on the war path" is originally a Native-American Indian expression.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

Is there any chance you can write that down for me?

//ɪz ðɜːr ˈeni tʃæns juː kən raɪt ðæt dɑʊn fər miː//

In RP the pronunciation of chance is /tʃɑːns/. However, in most kinds of English words like chance, dance, France are pronounced as in American English /æ/.

In RP the pronunciation of there is with a centring diphthong: /ðeə/ but in GAEP there are no centring diphthongs because it is a rhotic accent so there is pronounced /ðɜːr/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

type="application/x-shockwave-flash"


My car’s faster than yours.

//mɑɪ kɑːrz fæstɚ ðən jɔːrz//

Notice the post-vocalic “r” in yours.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

I’ve got to go.

//ɑɪv gɑɾə goʊ//

The /t/ in got to the /t/ is pronounced as a flap [ɾ]. You will hear this sound in words like writer, later, etc.

Listen carefully and read the notes.

Where’re you going for vacation in the Fall?

//wɜːrɚ juː ˈgoʊɪŋ fɚ veɪˈkeɪʃən ɪn ðə fɒːl//

Notice the pronunciation of /ˈgoʊɪŋ/. In RP the diphthong is /əʊ/: /ʹgəʊɪŋ/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

I got a free song off iTunes yesterday.

//ɑɪ gɑt ə friː sɑŋ ɑf ɑɪ tuːnz ˈjestɚdeɪ//

The pronunciation of tunes in conservative RP is /tjuːnz/ but generally young RP speakers pronounce it /tʃuːnz/.

Listen carefully and read the comments.

 

Did you watch the news today?

//dɪd ju wɑtʃ ðə nuːz təˈdeɪ//

In American English news is pronounced /nuːz/. In RP it is pronounced with a /j/ /njuːz/.