Today on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Igor in Russia.
He writes, I'd like to speak with an American accent.
今天的《名师答疑》节目，我们回答来自俄罗斯伊格的问题。
他写到，我想说美式口音的英语。
Could you give me advice on how to improve it?
Thank you so much. Yours sincerely, Igor, Russia
你能给我一些改进的建议吗？
非常感谢。——真诚地，伊格，俄罗斯
Dear Igor, An accent is more than simply the way one says individual words.
亲爱的伊格，口音不仅仅是一个人说单个单词的方式。
It is also the way speakers use three things: intonation, pacing and stress.
Intonation is the rise and fall in one's voice when speaking.
说话者也会用到三种方式发音：语调、语速和重音。
语调是说话时声音的起伏。
Pacing is how fast you are speaking. And stress is the word or words you play up, or emphasize, when you talk.
语速是指你说话的速度。重音是你说话时强调的一个或多个单词。
If you want to sound more like an American when you speak, there are a few sounds that experts say make up the American accent.
如果你想说话的时候听起来更像美国人，专家说有一些发音构成了美国口音。
The thing most people notice is that many Americans pronounce the "r" sound at the end of words, like "butter".
And, in American English, the "t" in the middle of a word is often said like the letter "d".
大多数人注意到的是，很多美国人在单词末尾发"r"音，比如"butter"。
而且，在美式英语中，单词中间的"t"的发音经常像字母"d"一样。
Try making the "r" sound in these three words: better, door, poor.
Another of these sounds is the short "a" sound you hear in words like "cat".
试着在这三个词中发出"r"的音：better，door，poor。
另一种发音是短元音"a"，你会在像"cat"这样的单词中听到。
To make this sound, pull your lips back as if you are smiling, but keep your mouth open.
Try making this short vowel sound in these words: dad, map, tag.
发出这个声音时，嘴唇向后拉，就像你在微笑一样，但嘴巴要张开。
试着在以下单词中发出这个短元音的音：dad，map，tag。
Another sound you should watch for is the short "o," as heard in the words "bot" and "cod".
Your lips do not need to be round to produce this "o" sound.
另一个你应该注意的音是短元音"o"，就像在单词"bot"和"cod"中听到的那样。
你的嘴唇不需要是圆的，也可以发出这个"o"音。
Try saying this sound in mom, got, and pop.
The most important way to improve your accent is to keep on speaking and listening to American English.
试着在mom，got和pop中说出这个声音。
提高你的口音最重要的方法是坚持说和听美国英语。
Try to hear the rhythm, or "music," of the language as you listen to Americans.
The pace, or speed, should be slower than other accents.
当你听美国人说话时，试着听这种语言的节奏或"音乐"。
节奏，或速度，应该比其他口音慢。
And it is not necessary to sound exactly like a native speaker.
As long as you speak clearly enough to be understood, most Americans enjoy hearing a foreign accent.
而且没有必要完全模仿母语人士的发音。
大多数美国人喜欢听外国口音，只要你说得够清楚能被人听懂。
It makes you sound a little mysterious!
Our website has several Education Tips stories on pronunciation, as well as the new video series "How to Pronounce".
这让你听起来有点神秘！
我们的网站有几个关于发音的《教育小贴士》，以及新的视频系列《如何发音》。
To learn more, see Keep Your Identity While Changing Your Accent, our story about a program that helps students change their accents.
想了解更多，请看《保持特色，改变口音》栏目，我们的故事是一个关于帮助学生改变口音的项目。
What question do you have about American English?
Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews. com.
你对美式英语有什么问题？给我们发电子邮件，邮箱是Learningenglish@voanews。com。
And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. I'm Jill Robbins.
以上就是本周的《名师答疑》。吉尔·罗宾斯为您播报
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