Your first language
The American accent for Chinese speakers
Your English is already good. If Chinese is your first language, these are the American patterns worth your time first, and why.
Start with these patterns
Mandarin words end in few sounds, so a last T can be dropped, the “er” in bird is close to 儿, and Mandarin uses tones, not a strong part.
A consonant joins the next word
consonant + next vowel → joins
The last consonant starts the next word: “pick up” becomes “pi-kup”.
If you speak Mandarin, this helps with end sounds like K, T and D. Each is easy to say when it starts the next word: “pi-kup”.
T stops, with no air
T + pause · consonant → stops
Your tongue goes up for the T and stays: no air comes out. Before an N, a T or D stops too: button, didn’t.
If you speak Mandarin, don’t skip the T. Hold your tongue up for it, but let no air out.
Vowel and R become “er”
ER · IR · UR + no vowel → erW + OR → erER · OR · AR in a quick part → er
Work, bird and turn all have “er”, and so does a quick part: doctor, sugar.
If you speak Mandarin, the “er” in bird and doctor is close to your 儿.
One word is the strongest
most important word → strongest
In each idea, say that word longer and higher, not only louder.
If you speak Mandarin, a strong word, not a tone, shows what matters in English. Make it longer and higher, and say the words around it quick, like 轻声.
Then, for clear pronunciation
Mandarin words end in few sounds, don’t change for the past and use tones, not a strong part, so thirteen and thirty can sound alike.
Finish the word, add no vowel
last sound → said
Without its T, note is no. With an added vowel, sport is support.
If you speak Mandarin, most words end in a vowel, N or NG. Keep the last sound in English: white, not “why”.
Thirteen or thirty?
-teen → strong-ty → quick
In -teen, the T is clear. In -ty, it often becomes a quick D, one fast touch.
If you speak Mandarin, a strong part is not a tone: make -teen longer and louder, not only higher.
Two-part words start strong
two parts → strong-quick
This is true about 3 times in 4, so when you’re not sure, start strong.
If you speak Mandarin, people is like 妈妈: a strong first part, then a short part with no tone.
-ed has three sounds
P · K · F · S · SH · CH + -ed → tother sounds + -ed → dT · D + -ed → id
Look at the sound before it, not the letter: laugh ends in an F sound.
If you speak Mandarin, your words don’t change for the past. They rarely end in “t” or “d” either, so keep the -ed.
What you likely do already
Chinese gives you a head start on: T, P and K start with air.