Assignment #3 My thoughts on ESL Cyber Listening Lab

This week's class was interesting. I just learned that there are ways to reduce accent, so that I can speak more like native speaker. I was amazed. I thought that accent is something which can't be helped. There were only two conclusions in my mind to people who can speak like native speaker. First, they are blessed with linguistic gift. Second, they have lived in America or England for a quite long time. However, I may insert another notion. Third, people train diligently their speaking ability.

There are some websites I can use, such as :
1. ESL Cyber Listening Lab

• Audio files : Inside the conversation, you may learn how native speakers talk and train your listening ability. You can repeat the conversation over and over again.
• Script : Written conversation is called script, so you can check what you listen from audio files. There is also a text completion, so you can train what you listen by filling in the blanks from the script.
• Quiz : This questions are exercise to know how deep your understanding towards the conversation.
• You also can deepen your vocabulary from the text by doing exercises. You also may study new vocabulary and enrich your vocabulary.
• What makes this website is recommended because it is classified by three levels, such as easy, medium and hard, so you can slowly walk towards your goal.

2. Linking

• Linking Consonant to Vowel : When a word ends in a consonant sound, we often move the consonant sound to the beginning of the next word if it starts with a vowel sound.
• Linking Vowel to Vowel : When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, we link the words with a sort of Y or W sound. It depends on the shape of our mouth at the end of the first word.
• There are instructions to follow and audio files as an example of the how to do it correctly. If you don't really understand the instructions, you can listen to the audio tapes as your guidance. 
• Linking does matter. As you train this as a habit, you will find that your accent doesn't really appear in your speaking. Linking is like magic which can cover your trail from being known where you come from.

3. Accent reductions

• This source is like putting English accent into our accent. It's cool, right? This focuses more on sounds created by word reductions, specifically with the schwa sound (ə) that affects stress and rhythm.There are a helpful table of words that use the schwa sound that you'll encounter in day-to-day conversations.
• You will know how native speakers speak words with their accent. Linking and Accent reductions are solutions to improve speaking ability. It's not a dream anymore to speak like native speakers.

Finally, it's up to your decision, whether you want to make a change to yourself or not. Only YOU can create a difference on your own. If you can't, no one can. Change starts from you.