Reduction is a basic element of American English Pronunciation.
English is a stress based language.
stressed syllables: louder, stronger
unstressed syllables: shorter, softer
Reduction happens when we don’t stress a syllable.
The unstressed vowel becomes shorter, softer …/ә/.
In this lesson, we practice the word: can
And now it’s your turn.
Here’s your audio pronunciation quiz.
What do you hear?
/kən/ or /kæn/
