In conversational speech, it is very common for words' segments to be reduced or deleted. However, previous research has consistently shown that during spoken word recognition, listeners prefer words' canonical pronunciation over their reduced pronunciations (e.g., pretty pronounced [word omitted] vs. [word omitted]), even when the latter are far…

The eastern half of New York State is a dialectologically diverse region around which several dialect regions converge--the Inland North, New York City, Western New England, and Canada. These regions differ with respect to major parameters of North American English phonological variation; and therefore the interface between them is of interest…

This transcript of and guide to a two-cassette course designed to assist New Yorkers in erasure of their accents can be used for either individual or group study. Narrative and taped demonstrations of Standard American English that pinpoint typical phonological barriers and pronunciation difficulties are outlined. The author's own system of…