What's the difference between these two phrases? In this American English pronunciation video,

you're going to learn a little more about the character of American English.

Contractions and reductions go a long way in making you sound more American. But sometimes,

I have a hard time convincing my students of this. They think, "If I pronounce everything

fully and clearly, it will be better." But the problem with that is, it can end up sounding

very formal, sometimes even robotic, not at all natural. You're going to hear the following

conversation twice, once with no contractions, no reductions, and only True T pronunciations.

It will sound formal and stilted. Then, you'll hear the conversation as Americans would speak.

I hope you hear the huge difference that reductions, contractions, and habits like the Flap T can make.

>> Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. >> Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks.

Here, Tom said 'Rach' instead of 'Rachel'. Just shortening my name, a nickname that people

sometimes use. 'Have not' becomes 'haven't'. When we have an N'T contraction, we don't

release the T. 'Haven't' instead of 'haven'ttt', haven't, I haven't seen.

>> Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. >> Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks.

>> Where have you been? >> Where've you been?

'Where have' becomes 'where've', 'where've'.

>> Where have you been? >> Where've you been?

>> Where have you been? >> Where've you been?

>> Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

>> Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

'Did not' becomes 'didn't', 'didn't I'. Again, with an N'T contraction, we don't release

the T. Didn't. That. The vowel is reduced to the schwa. The final T is a Flap T because

the next word begins with a diphthong, that I'd, that I'd. 'I would' contracts to 'I'd'.

>> Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

>> Florida. Didn't I tell you that'd be gone?

>> Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

>> Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

>> Yes, but, you have been there all this time?

>> Yeah, but you've been there all this time?

'Yes' becomes 'yeah'. Not really a reduction, just a more casual word, yeah. 'But' has a

Stop T. So, when we don't do a full release of the True T, it's a smoother line. 'You

have' becomes 'you've'.

>> Yes, but, you have been there all this time?

>> Yeah, but you've been there all this time? >> Yes, but, you have been there all this

time? >> Yeah, but you've been there all this time?

>> Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

Oops! I messed this one up. By saying 'I have had' in the first dialogue, and 'we had' in

the second. Can you guess what I would reduce 'I have had' to? You've got it: I've had [2x]

>> Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> They have all been in Florida? >> They've all been in Florida?

'They have' becomes 'they've'.

>> They have all been in Florida? >> They've all been in Florida?

>> They have all been in Florida? >> They've all been in Florida?

>> I would swear that we have had this conversation already.

>> I'd swear that we've had this conversation already.

'I would' becomes 'I'd', I'd swear. The D is light. That. The vowel changes to the schwa,

and we end with a Stop T, because the next word begins with a consonant. That, that,

that we. 'We have' becomes 'we've'.

>> I would swear that we have had this conversation already.

>> I'd swear that we've had this conversation already.

>> I would swear that we have had this conversation already.

>> I'd swear that we've had this conversation already.

>> I guess it is possible I forgot. >> I guess it's possible I forgot.

'It is' becomes 'it's'.

>> I guess it is possible I forgot. >> I guess it's possible I forgot.

>> I guess it is possible I forgot. >> I guess it's possible I forgot.

>> Or, I am having déjà vu. >> Or, I'm having déjà vu.

'I am' contracts to 'I'm'.

>> Or, I am having déjà vu. >> Or, I'm having déjà vu.

>> Or, I am having déjà vu. >> Or, I'm having déjà vu.

>> No, you are right. We have talked about this.

>> No, you're right. We've talked about this.

'You are' becomes 'yer'. Right: we use a Stop T here, 'you're right', 'you're right'.

'We have' becomes 'we've'.

>> No, you are right. We have talked about this.

>> No, you're right. We've talked about this. >> No, you are right. We have talked about

this. >> No, you're right. We've talked about this.

>> Welcome home anyway. >> Thanks.

Welcome home anyway. No reductions, contractions, or T pronunciations.

>> Welcome home anyway. >> Thanks.

So many options for reductions and contractions in such a short conversation. Now, let's listen

to the whole conversation once without these tips, and once with. What is your sense of

the overall character?

>> Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. >> Where have you been?

>> Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

>> Yes, but, you have been there all this time?

>> Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

>> They have all been in Florida? >> I would swear that we have had this conversation

already. >> I guess it is possible I forgot.

>> Or, I am having déjà vu. >> No, you are right. We have talked about

this. >> Welcome home anyway.

>> Thanks.

>> Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks. >> Where've you been?

>> Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

>> Yeah, but you've been there all this time? >> Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go

to. >> They've all been in Florida?

>> I'd swear that we've had this conversation already.

>> I guess it's possible I forgot. >> Or, I'm having déjà vu.

>> No, you're right. We've talked about this. >> Welcome home anyway.

>> Thanks.

To keep going with this, go back and listen to the conversation when it sounded American

and natural. Turn it into a Ben Franklin exercise and then practice the conversation with a friend,

or by yourself. If you're not sure what a Ben Franklin exercise is, click here or look

in the description.

That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.