Compton

Accent Reducers are Compton P-ESL certified

The Institute of Language & Phonology
The Compton P-ESL Accent Modification Method

A leader in the field of accent reduction for over three decades!!!

PESL (Pronouncing English as a Second Language) is a thorough program in pronunciation instruction designed for foreign-born individuals who are competent in English vocabulary and grammar but wish to improve the accuracy of their pronunciation.

Method:

PESL teaching begins with an assessment – the Phonological Assessment of Foreign Accent. This standardized testing procedure analyzes an individuals ability to produce the phonemes of general American English in word, sentence and reading contexts. The instructor conducting the assessment uses the analysis results to design an individualized teaching program which addresses the areas of pronunciation that are most affected by the influence of the student’s first language.

Participants use a set of practice materials designed exclusively for the PESL method. The practice materials enable the client to practice what is introduced and corrected in each face-to-face session with the instructor. The materials are available in audio CD format, PC and Mac software formats, and an interactive web-based format that works in most web browsers. With the exception of the audio CD format, clients use their practice materials to record their own voice and compare their pronunciation attempts to modeled recordings.

Each session introduces the client to 1 to 3 new phoneme pronunciation targets. Using primarily auditory teaching methods, the client learns to quickly master the individual phoneme in words and sentences. Intonation is learned through the repetition of carefully and deliberately modeled utterances. The student has hundreds of opportunities to imitate, correct and adjust pronunciation and intonation patterns within each session.

A PESL course concludes with a post-training assessment. The results of this assessment are compared to the pre-training assessment. Results and percentages of improvement are documented. The student is presented with an audio clip of his or her own voice compiled with speech samples from the pre-training assessment and post-training assessment. The results are often dramatic and instantly noticeable.

Research:

Research conducted by Dr. Compton indicates a consistent level of improvement or change in pronunciation across demographic variables such as age, sex, number of years living in the United States, education level and first language. 

Results:

• Individuals who complete a PESL training program with a certified instructor are likely to demonstrate an increase in pronunciation accuracy of 50 to 70% within 90 days (13 weeks/3 months).
• Long-term research conducted by Dr. Compton indicated a consistent level of pronunciation performance evident 5 to 7 years after the training course was completed.