by Heather Chetwynd | Dec 11, 2020 | Language Training
When I do a pronunciation assessment, I look at three key areas. The first two are the ones that come to mind when most people think about pronunciation. These are the individual sounds – also called “phonemes” or “segmentals” – the vowels and consonants....
by Heather Chetwynd | Sep 10, 2020 | Language Training
In my 20s, I learned to speak Spanish with a wave of refugees from South America. I just “hung out” and took a few lessons, sang in a small Latin folk band and eventually married a Chilean refugee. Because I had never properly studied Spanish or lived in a...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jun 4, 2020 | Language Training
The way we communicate and the way we learn are both inextricably linked to our brain and psychology. Our identity, beliefs, assumptions, emotional addictions, thinking patterns, etc. all contribute to our learning success. One example – over your life you...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Jan 2, 2015 | Accent Modification
When we compare a typical Australian accent and a Canadian accent, probably the main differences are in the vowels. And it seems the Australian vowels are more similar to each other than the Canadian ones. I have always found it interesting how babies are born with...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Dec 2, 2014 | Language Training
It can be difficult sometimes to identify what is and what isn’t an error in English, even for native speakers. And I can only imagine the difficulties faced by people who grew up speaking another language. I have observed that, sometimes, what was considered an...