Happy Holidays! Let’s study the American
English pronunciation by looking at this scene from Friends from one of their holiday
episodes. We’re going to go in-depth with understanding the pronunciation.
This is going to help you improve your listening comprehension and your spoken English
skills. Let's dive right in. First, the scene. Before this scene, Ross has told Rachel
all of the reasons why he’s not interested in her romantically and they weren’t
flattering. So he is now telling her, you tell me what you don’t like about
me and her response is pretty great. Hey Rach. You know what? I think, I think
I know what will make you feel better. How about you make a list about me? What? Forget it, Ross, no. I’m not going to stand here... Come on! And make a list of...okay. You’re
whiny, you are, you are obsessive, you are insecure, you’re, you’re gutless. You know, you don’t ever, you don’t,
just, sort of, seize the day, you know? You liked me for, what? A year? And you didn’t do anything about it. And, uh, uh. You wear too
much of that gel in your hair. Now, let’s do an in-depth
analysis of everything we heard. Hey, Rach. Hey, Rach. Hey, hey, hey. Hey,
a little bit flatter, less loud her name Rach. And he’s shortening
it using a nickname more familiar, Rach. Up down shape of stress, names and other
proper nouns are pretty much always stressed, so there will be at least one
stressed syllable there. Rach. Hey, Rach. You know what? All smoothly linked together, no breaks, so it
feels just like one continuous line of sound, you know what? First going down and up. You know what?
Notice there’s no T release there at the end for that T. That’s a stop T, and abrupt stop. What?
What? And that’s what signifies to us the T. The T is pronounced this way at the end of phrases or
when the next sound is a consonant. You know what? You know what? Do you notice how the word you is pronounced ye.
It’s not you know what? But he’s reducing that, I would write that in IPA with
the Y sound and the schwa, ya. Ya, ya, ya. You know what? You know what?
Make that as smoothly as you can. Let me say that last thing again. Make that
as smoothly as you can. You know what? You know what? I think I know what will make you feel better? If you love this kind of in-depth analysis
of American English pronunciation, I really encourage you to check out my online courses
at Rachelsenglishacademy.com. We have one on all sorts of different Hollywood scenes. There
are over 50 there to choose from. From movies, from TVs, and in all of them we take a scene,
we study it, we do that in-depth pronunciation analysis together. The best part though is
each video comes with an audio soundboard so you can train the little mini phrases
yourself and really get it into your voice. You can see it. And when you listen in slow motion
it helps you really hear the rhythm, the stress and the linking. So be sure to check out Rachelsenglishacademy.com.
Let’s get back to our scene. You know what? I think, I think I know what
will make you feel better? I think, I think. He’s going up here and it’s very
smooth, no break between I and think. I think. Then there’s a tiny pause, maybe a little bit
lift while he repeats himself. I think, I think. I think-- I think I know wheat will make you feel better? I think, I think I know. I think I know. Again,
everything here is just linking together really smoothly and make sure for the th in think,
that’s an unvoiced th. Make sure that your tongue tip does come through that teeth for that
really lightly. Think. I think, I think, I think. I think-- I think I know If you have a hard time with that sound, you’ll
want to slow it down to make sure you can focus in on that tongue movement. I think and just
feel the lightness of the tongue through the teeth not stopping the air, just do that over
and over until it starts to feel natural. I think, I think I know-- I think I know what will make you feel better. So lots of stressed words there. I think
I know what will. Both unstressed. What’ll make you feel better. And maybe a little
bit on better but coming down so think, know, feel. Verbs are almost
always stressed in a sentence. I think I know what will make you feel better. But let’s just look at the first four words.
Notice how I is less stressed. I think, I know. So I is I, I, I, I.
Lower in pitch, less energy, linking together smoothly. I think I
know. Try that with me. I think I know. I think I know-- I think I know what will make you feel better. What will. That gets reduced. What apostrophe
ll. What’ll, what’ll. So by making this an apostrophe we’re just adding schwa l at
the end, what’ll, what’ll. That’s going to turn this T into a flap T which can sound
like a d between vowels in American English, what’ll, what’ll, what’ll, what’ll. Not will but
what’ll, know what’ll, know what’ll, know what’ll. I know what will-- I know what will make you feel better. What will make you feel better. Make you. Do you feel how make is higher
than you. This change of pitch is part of natural American English. Some of my students
don’t have enough distance between their highs of their stressed syllables and their
lows of their unstressed syllables and that makes them a little bit harder to
understand. So make sure you’re matching that pitch so that you’re feeling the
pitch difference. Make you feel better. Make you feel better. Feel better. And he brings his pitch up
a little bit at the end. This shows that he’s going to go on. His idea continues. Feel
better. A couple things about sounds here. The double T here is again a flap T. A T is almost
always a flap T when it comes between vowel or diphthong sounds like it does here. It comes
between e and the schwa, better, better. Now, the L here is a dark L. L’s are dark L’s if
they come after the vowel or diphthong in the syllable. So here it’s the end of the word so we
know it’s a dark L. So we make that sound with the back of the tongue. Feel. Pressing down and back
a little bit, the tip of the tongue doesn’t lift, it doesn’t have to lift. So, see if you can
do that . Feel better. Without lifting your tongue tip for the L, it will probably make the
dark sound a little bit more clear. Feel better. Feel better. How about you make a list about me? So now he really stresses you and me because
he made a list about her so how about you, how about you. Lots of stress there.
It’s longer, lots of up down shape. How about you-- How about How about you. So how and about are bot a little
faster, less important here because he’s using you. So how about. He drops the first syllable
there. So it becomes how about, how about, how about, how about. Said quickly, said simply with
a stop T at the end. How about, how about you. How about you-- Make a list. Breaks it up here a little bit. The more you break
something up, the more dramatic it is. How about you make a list. List, the noun the most stressed
word here. So our most stressed words are usually, verbs, nouns, adverbs and adjectives but not
all of them are always going to be stressed. For example here the verb ‘make’ is less stressed
than the noun list. Make a list. Make a, do you hear that, it all links together smoothly, the K
releases into the schwa which goes right into the L. This one is a light L because it begins the
word. You do lift your tongue tip. Make a list. Make a list-- The T here in list, we do hear that released,
tt, tt, list, list. That’s because it’s a part of a cluster. I said before like in the word
about. If a T ends a word that it will often be a stop T not if it’s part of a cluster. If it’s
part of a cluster, it’s going to be a light true T unless it links into a consonant then it might
be dropped. I know the T rules are so confusing. Make a list-- About me. So really stressing me , here he doesn’t
drop the first syllable of about, we do hear that it’s a schwa, about me and stress
on me, stop T there. About, about, about me. About me. What? Super high. Try to match that pitch.
What? What? Goes up a little bit, cut off abruptly for that stop T. What? Forget it Ross. Forget it. Forget it Ross. So, the phrase forget
it, three syllables, the middle one is stressed. Forget it. And it links together really smoothly.
The T links into the vowel that turns that into a flap T to link. I love linking with the
flap T, it’s so smooth. In American English, we really value smoothness, forget it, forget
it. And a stop T, the T is not released. Now, look here the word looks like it might
be pronounced for but it’s for, for, forget it. Just don’t worry about the vowel
there at all. For, for, for, forget it. Forget it-- Ross no, Forget it Ross. She goes down, it’s a statement, she doesn’t want to do it. Ross, no. Again, a
statement, very clear, I don’t want to do that. Forget it Ross, no. I’m not going to stand here-- So everything is said pretty quickly, I am not
going to becomes I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna. I’m not going to-- I’m not going to stand here-- Which really brings emphasis on the word
stand. I don’t want to do that. I won’t, don’t wanna be here doing that. So I’m
not going to becomes I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna. Said quickly, stop T
here, abrupt stop of air. I’m not gonna. I’m not going to-- I’m not going to stand here-- Going to becomes gonna and everything links
together smoothly, I’m not gonna stand. I’m not going to stand-- I’m not going to stand here-- Stand here. So she keeps
going while he says come on. Come on. So stress not on come but on come on
on. Come on Rach. So we can think of this as just being a K sound and
then the word er that sounds man, man come on. You might see it written
like this: C’mon, C’mon and he actually doesn’t just say come on. He says come on
Rach. Again, that nickname, come on Rach. Come on Rach. Come on Rach.I think It’ll and he says It’ll.
Just lke he said what’ll earlier. The apostrophe L is a schwa dark L sound and that turns that
T into a flap T. I think it’ll I think it’ll, I think it’ll. It’s a little harder to hear
because they’re both talking at the same time. Stand here and make a list of-- So she’s still talking here as he’s talking.
And make a list of. This is what she doesn’t want to do. And make a list of. List,
our noun, make our verb. Both stressed. and make a list of-- And make a list of. And, and, and. No D there,
and, and, and. The vowel here unclear. And make, and make, and make. Linking together really
smoothly. And make a. I would write that as the schwa, and make a list. Again, this L is
a light L because it begins the word so you do want to lightly lift. The tip of your tongue
to the roof of your mouth. And make a list of. And make a list of-- Okay, you’re whiny. So, she badgers
her enough that she gives up and she is going to go over her list. So even
though she just said she didn’t want to, she goes right into the word okay and
right into her list. No breaks at all. Okay, you’re whiny, Okay, okay, you’re whiny. Okay, second syllable
stress, linking right into your and whiny, whiny. First syllable stress, it’s going up
in pitch because it’s a list and with lists, we go up in pitch. For each item on our list until
the last one where we go down. So, you’re whiny, that intonation that goes up shows there’s
more to come on this list. Okay, you’re whiny. Okay, you’re whiny, Notice the words ‘you are’ in contraction
become you’re, you’re. It’s as if there’s no vowel there. You’re, you’re, you’re,
you’re, you’re. She doesn’t say you’re, she says you’re. She doesn’t say
you are. She says you’re, you’re, you’re, you’re. See if you can
make that simplification. You’re, you’re, you’re whiny. Now this H here isn’t
pronounced, it’s just a clean W sound. Whiny. You’re whiny, You are, you are obsessive, It’s a little hard to tell because
of the laughing, I’m not sure if she actually repeats this but now she’s not doing
a contraction, she’s saying you are, you are, you are. But they’re not stretched. They’re
still lower in pitch compared to the adjective she’s about to say. You are obsessive,
much clearer. Obsess, it’s got second syllable stress and then it goes up because
guess what? Her list isn’t over. Obsessive. You are, you are obsessive, You are-- You are. So again, not doing the
contraction but they’re flat. You are, you are. That shows unstressed. You are-- Insecure, You are obsessive, you are insecure. Do you hear
how they sound different? It’s the difference between stressed and unstressed. Unstressed
words are going to be a little bit flatter, a little bit quieter sometimes, less energy,
and then our stressed words in this case, our adjectives are louder and we have much more
pitch variation there. That makes them more clear. You are insecure, You are insecure. And do you hear
insecure, she goes up because guess what, she’s not done, there are still more
things she doesn’t like about Ross. You are insecure, So she pronounces that insecure but you’ll
also hear insecure, cure, cure, cure or cure. Insecure, You’re, you’re gutless, You're, you’re, you’re, you’re, you’re,
do you hear how flat those are. You’re, you’re, again one of the differences
between stressed and unstressed words. You’re, you’re Gutless. Gutless, gutless. A lot more pitch variation there
because it’s stressed and it goes up because she’s still has more things she wants to say about Ross.
There are still more things she doesn’t like about Ross. Poor Ross, he should never asked for this
list. Gutless. Do you hear how there’s not tt, tt sound there. It’s a stop T because it’s
followed by a consonant. Gutless, gutless. Gutless, You know, you don’t ever, you don’t just, You know, you know, this is just a filler
phrase, you know, you know. And again, just like before, the word you was reduced
and here it’s also reduced. It’s not you, it’s you, you, you know, you know,
that’s a question. Do you understand what I’m talking about? You know, you
know, really smoothly linked together. You know, You know, you don’t ever you
don’t just sort of seize the day. So what she’s saying here is you don’t seize the
day. All of this or you don’t ever seize the day, this is repetition, just and sort of are
filler words as she’s thinking about how to articulate this criticism. So,
they all come by pretty quickly You know, you don’t ever you
don’t just sort of seize the day. But I want to talk about the pronunciation of the
n apostrophe t. There are several different ways that Americans might pronounce that and here
she’s saying you don’t ever, you don’t ever. She’s doing a little lift here, a little bit of
a stop T feeling. We don’t hear tt, don’t but it’s also not dropped, it’s a stop T. You don’t
ever. You don’t, you don’t, you don’t, you don’t. You don’t ever, you don’t-- Just sort of. So the T in just is dropped. That’s really common
when it’s followed by a consonant. Just, just ,just. Not much of a vowel here. You might think
this word is just uh but it’s often reduced so it sounds like it’s maybe written with an I, just or
a schwa, just, just, just. So it’s not very fully or clearly pronounced a lot of the time because
it’s a filler word. Just sort of, just sort of. Just sort of-- Just sort of. What else is happening? The T gets turned into
a flap T as it links the two words together. A T is a flap T if it comes between two vowel or
diphthongs or if it comes after an R before a vowel. Here the word of is reduced to the schwa so
the T comes between R and schwa, that’s a flap T, sort of, sort of, sort of, sort of, just sort
of, just sort of, just sort of, just sort of. Just sort of-- Seize the day. Seize the day. So, the verb seize is stressed, seize the day, and so is the noun day. You know
it’s stressed because there’s a change of pitch, it goes up and then down or down and up. Seize
the, and the Z sound links right into the the, the schwa links right into the D, no breaks, no
separation in the words. Seize the day. This means to get done what you want to get done in the day,
don’t put it off for another day. Seize the day. Seize the day, You know? Seize the day, you know? Again, just
this sort of little filler phrase, you know? Looking for agreement, the word you
reduced, ye, ye, ye, you know? Going up in pitch because it’s a yes no question even though
she’s not expecting him to answer it. You know? You know? You like me for what? A year? You like me for what? Okay, so again, you reduces
to ye. You liked, you, you, and we have stress on our verb, you liked me for what? A year? Okay now,
let’s talk about the Ed ending here. The Ed ending makes a T when the sound before is unvoiced
like the K. Like, you liked me. But sometimes, we drop the T when it comes between two
consonants. Here, T comes between K and M. And you know what? I don’t hear it, I don’t hear
T, I don’t hear the ed ending at all. So, this is a case where the past tense can sound just like
present tense in conversational English. I have a series of videos on the ed ending, we give lots
of examples so you start to hear this and notice this, so check out Rachel’s English ed ending and
you’ll find the video series that explains this. You liked me for what? You liked me for, you liked me for.
The word for reduces, f schwa r, for, for, for. You like me for. So, no T sound,
not you liked me for but you liked me for. You liked me for-- what? A year? You liked me for what? A year? Now,
I notice more linking. You liked me for what? A year? What a, what a, flap
T linking into the schwa, of a year, what a year? What a year? This kind of
linking and smoothness is so characteristic of American English but it can make it hard
to understand if you don’t know about it. You liked me for what? A year? Also, the wh in what, just pronounced as a w what, what, what is the uh as in butter
vowel here. What, what, what a, what a, what a, what? A year? What? A year? And
make sure you connect your schwa into the Y sound. for what? A year? It can be hard sometimes for my
students to connect that smoothly but there’s no break there. It’s
not a year, a year. It’s not a jeer, a jeer. But it’s a year? Schwa right into the
Y sound. Now, ih as in sit followed by schwa R isn’t quite pure so the I as in sit is a more
like an e vowel. Year? A year? What? A year? what? A year? And you didn’t do anything about it? More stress here and you didn’t do
anything about it. Stress on didn’t, stress on anything. First syllable
stress there and about it. Stress there, change in direction and a stop T at the
end. We don’t hear it, about it? Let’s look at our reductions. What words are said
so quickly that a sound is dropped or changes. And you didn’t do anything about it? And you didn’t, and you didn’t, and
you didn’t. And becomes just an n sound nn. nyuh, nyuh, nyuh. It links
right into the reduction on you which becomes yuh. Nyuh, nyuh, nyuh, nyuh. Try
that. Nyuh, nyuh. And you, nyuh. This is how we combine and smooth out less
important words. And you, and you. And you-- And you didn’t-- Do anything about it. And you didn’t do anything about it.
About [flap], a flap of the tongue there to link the two words together.
The T comes between a diphthong, the au diphthong and a vowel, e vowel
links with a flap, about it, about it. About it. And uh. And uh. Okay, she slows down a little bit, we
do get a full pronunciation of and the d links right into the thinking vowel uh. And uh, and uh.
Pitch is going up, she has one last thing to say. And uh-- Oh, you wear too much of that gel in your hair. Oh, you wear too much of that gel in your
hair. So we got a bunch of these up down shapes of stress. Oh, you wear, going up
too much to our adverb. Too much of that gel. Gel in your hair. So we have three
stressed words in that phrase and overall, the trend of this is down because it’s a
statement, it’s the last of our list. So remember for a list, intonation goes up until
the last one and then intonation goes down. Oh, you wear too much of that gel in your hair. You wear too much. You wear, you wear, you
wear. A couple things to notice here. First, the you reduction. Again
becomes yuh. You wear. Also, it’s linked together smoothly and
it’s all going up. You wear, you wear, and then we change direction on the stressed
syllable. Too. You wear too, and this does have a strong clear true T at the beginning, a
nice crisp release of air. Too, you wear too. You wear too-- You wear too much of that gel in your hair. Too much of that gel in your hair. And it
all kind of tumbles down like a waterfall with a couple little up downs on
gel and hair. Too much of that, too much of that. The word of becomes
just a single sound, the schwa, linking the ch of much and the th of that.
Much of that, much of that, much of that. Much of that-- And there’s a stop T at the
end of that. No T release, too much of that gel, too much of that gel. Too much of that gel-- In your hair. Gel in. Again, linking in smoothness, the L
goes right into the ih vowel of in, gel in, gel in your. Your becomes yer. Your, your, your,
your reduced vowel said more quickly. Gel in your, gel in your, gel in your, gel in your hair.
Uhuhuh. You know you can practice a phrase just on uh. Uhuhuh. That helps you feel the
pitch and the melody of it. It can also help you feel the smoothness. It can help you think of
it as one line and not a bunch of separate words. Gel in your hair. Ross’s ego has just been torn down as
his friends decorate the Christmas tree in the background. Let’s listen to
this conversation one more time. Hey Rach. You know what? I think, I think
I know what will make you feel better. How about you make a list about me? What? Forget it, Ross, no. I’m not going to stand here... Come on! And make a list of...okay. You’re
whiny, you are, you are obsessive, you are insecure, you’re, you’re gutless. You know, you don’t ever, you don’t,
just, sort of, seize the day, you know? You liked me for, what? A year? And you didn’t do anything about it. And, uh, uh. You wear too
much of that gel in your hair. Thank you so much for studying with me,
I love doing this kind of scene analysis. If you like this kind of exercise, I have
many, many lessons like this in my Academy. We’re taking scenes from movies and TV and
we’re doing a full analysis then you have a soundboard to work with the audio so that
you can really take what you’ve learned and get it into your body to transform your own
accent. If this sounds interesting to you, check out Rachelsenglishacademy.com. In the
meantime, please subscribe with notifications on, I absolutely love being your English teacher.
And you can keep your learning going right now with this video. That’s it and thanks
so much for using Rachel’s English.
