IN THIS LESSON, THE TAPE TEACHES YOU TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND BEGIN SPEECH MOVEMENTS WITHOUT USING A LOT OF MUSCLE PUSH IN THE LIPS AND THE FRONT OF THE MOUTH.

In every language and dialect, speakers form words with a different style of muscle movements. Each of these muscle styles creates a slightly different type of voice resonance. This resonance (which some people call "tone focus" or "voice placement") sounds very different from one language to another. When the muscle style of your first language is used to speak a different language, the resulting voice tone creates a big part of what native speakers hear as a "foreign accent."

American English is formed with very little muscle work in the lips and the front of the mouth. Follow the instructions on the tape very carefully. You'll begin by relaxing the front of your mouth and producing the "AH" sound. After that you'll go on to other exercises where you speak the numbers, the days of the week, and the months of the year.