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Speech Work

I help people with pronunciation and accents, both online and in person. My clients include actors and professionals of all kinds, with a wide range of mother tongues.

I also give workshops and short courses internationally; 2018 venues included Argentina, Germany, Japan, Korea and Russia.

Additionally, I’m Director of UCL’s famous annual Summer Course in English Phonetics, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year!

Excellent! Geoff is a gifted and dedicated teacher. Thank you UCL for bringing him to us!

course participant

I have just passed my English retour exam, and the examiners commented on the improvement in my accent.

interpreter

Truly broadened my horizon in British English Pronunciation.

course participant

Geoff has a fantastic skill to communicate complex linguistic information in a practical and understandable way. I could not recommend Geoff’s coaching more.

film-TV actor

You managed to be both highly critical and wonderfully warm, motivating and entertaining. Your energy is contagious. Rarely have I learnt so much without noticing the effort.

interpreter

Very useful, practical, inspiring!

course participant

I have changed my behaviour towards my speaking quite dramatically… now I am able to identify in other speakers those sounds that I need to work on.

teacher of English

I recently met a former student of yours. I was wholly impressed by how authentically British her accent sounded, and she told me that you taught her.

by email

Geoff’s knowledge and enthusiasm are infectious… with Geoff’s help I landed a television role.

actor

Best seminar ever! Perfect!

interpreter

A truly rewarding experience. I enjoyed it to the full.

online client

more at Palgrave Macmillan

Accent change

Problems

Speech is fast, complex, and largely automatic. We can do it because we spent years ‘wiring’ our mother tongue into our minds and bodies. Other accents and languages don’t have this advantage.
Foreign languages are taught primarily in their written form, and pronunciation teaching is often minimal.
Typically, learners pronounce foreign words with the wired-in habits of the mother tongue.

Challenges

If (like many actors) you enjoy copying accents, you may only need help with accuracy and consistency. But most people find it hard to change habits.
You need to care about distinctions that don’t matter in your mother tongue.
Your articulators may have to go outside their comfort zone. The right sound may feel wrong.
Often it’s the most familiar words that need the most work!

The process

In class, we go through differences between your current habits and your target accent.
We develop your ability to notice your old habits while speaking, inside and outside class.
When possible, you correct the mistakes that you notice, on the spot.
You begin to anticipate and to ‘correct’ issues before they happen.
New habits are established. More

UCL Courses

10-13 June 2019
small-group workshop in London
English Pronunciation:
A Contemporary Approach
University College London

“the best course I’ve ever taken” – previous participant

2019 marks the centenary of UCL’s annual Summer Course in English Phonetics! Each year a hundred or more enthusiasts of all language backgrounds (including native speakers) come from around the world to study for two weeks at the ‘home of English Phonetics’. Lectures, ear training and small-group practical work with over a dozen experienced tutors. More

Centenary Guest Lecturer
Professor David Crystal

Speech Talk blog

meghan_fall-rise — British intonation: Meghan teaches us
May 4, 2019/by Geoff Lindsey

notre_dame_large — Notre Dame: note what it’s not
April 18, 2019/by Geoff Lindsey

glottal_mailbox — American glottal conspiracy?
March 18, 2019/by Geoff Lindsey

number-4027670_640 — Thirty-free
March 11, 2019/by Geoff Lindsey

Tutorials

pronunciation_wee — The word *pronunciation*
June 2, 2015/by Geoff Lindsey

aspiration — Aspiration
March 6, 2015/by Geoff Lindsey

aitch — English h
February 19, 2015/by Geoff Lindsey

Rollercoaster — Tones: ear-training and quizzes
September 24, 2012/by Geoff Lindsey

‘Words of the week’ (English pronunciation articles)

trump_farage_tweet — A convenient day for terrorism?
November 14, 2016/by Geoff Lindsey

rob_ford — How *mayor* may or may not be pronounced
March 28, 2016/by Geoff Lindsey

sirpaul — Sir Paul’s surprise
November 7, 2016/by Geoff Lindsey

diving-694611_640 — Pronunciations to *recognize*
July 31, 2015/by Geoff Lindsey

bella_italia — Bellaritalia
February 29, 2016/by Geoff Lindsey

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CUBEwords @CUBEwords·

15 Jul

#BoudiccanRevolt 'Boudiccan Revolt' #pronunciation b ʉ́w d ɪ k ə n r ɪ v ə́w l t • ˈbuːdɪkən rɪˈvəʊlt • BOO-di-kuhn ri-VOHLT https://t.co/JLlEAtke23

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CUBEwords @CUBEwords·

11 Jul

#VioletBeauregarde 'Violet Beauregarde' #pronunciation v ɑ́j ə l ə t b ə́w r ɪ g ɑː d • ˈvaɪələt ˈbəʊrɪgɑːd • VY-uh-luht BOH-ri-gaad https://t.co/nYMoFU3c5a

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Speech Work

Accent change

UCL Courses

Speech Talk blog

British intonation: Meghan teaches us

Notre Dame: note what it’s not

American glottal conspiracy?

Thirty-free

Tutorials

The word pronunciation

Aspiration

English h

Tones: ear-training and quizzes

‘Words of the week’ (English pronunciation articles)

A convenient day for terrorism?

How mayor may or may not be pronounced

Sir Paul’s surprise

Pronunciations to recognize

Bellaritalia