Pronunciation Repair Kit (BD Accent) Level 1 - (Speaking)
A fast starter kit for Bangla speakers to fix high impact sounds, endings, and stress. Use mouth cues, one minute drills, and short scripts to make speech clearer for interviews and exams. Each card targets a common pattern, gives a rule you can remember, and a timed practice. Record day 1 and day 7 to hear the jump in clarity.
How to use the kit
- Do the 60 second checkup.
- Train three cards per day.
- Read one script slowly, then at normal speed.
- Track two words you upgrade each day.
60 second checkup
Read the line twice, record, and note slips.
- I think this video is a very useful idea.
- The bus was busy at five in the evening.
- I passed the last test and washed the dishes.
- The project was finished on Thursday.
- It was a short visit, but it changed my routine.
Mark: th, v, z, final clusters, -ed, stress.
Card A: /v/ vs /b/ and /f/
Bangla habit: v sounds like b or w.
Mouth cue: bite the lower lip lightly, voice on for v, voice off for f. Touch your throat: vibration means voice on.
Pairs: van vs ban, save vs safe, live vs leaf, very vs ferry
Drill line: I save five files, not safe.
One minute: 20 slow pairs, then the drill line 5 times.
Card B: /z/ vs /s/
Rule: z is the noisy twin of s.
Pairs: eyes vs ice, nose vs no, busy vs bisi, rise vs rice
Drill line: The busy zoo was noisy.
Fix tip: drag the sound for half a second to feel the buzz.
Card C: /θ ð/ th sounds
Cue: tongue tip between teeth, gentle air.
Pairs: think vs tink, three vs tree, this vs dis, those vs dose
Drill line: This month I think those three goals are fine.
Home test: hold a paper in front of the mouth, it should move a little.
Card D: Long vs short vowels
Targets: /iː/ vs /ɪ/, /uː/ vs /ʊ/, /ɑː/ vs /ʌ/
Pairs: sheep vs ship, pool vs pull, cart vs cut
Rule: long vowels take one beat longer.
Drill lines:
- I saw a sheep near the ship.
- He swam in the pool, not the pull.
Card E: English /r/
Bangla habit: quick tap.
Cue: tongue does not touch the roof, lips round slightly.
Pairs: right vs light, rice vs rise, green vs grin
Drill line: Right now I really need to read.
Card F: Final clusters and epenthesis
Issue: extra vowels appear, like pas-ti for past.
Rule: hold the last two sounds together, no extra vowel.
Targets: past, next, asks, helps, texts
Drill line: She asks and he helps in the next class.
Method: clap once at the end, not between letters.
Card G: -ed endings
Rule:
- after p k f s sh ch, say /t/ as in washed, passed
- after b g v z m n l r vowels, say /d/ as in cleaned, played
- after t or d, say /ɪd/ as in waited, ended
One minute: read 12 verbs, mark t or d or id.
Card H: Plural and third person -s
Rule:
- after p k f t, say /s/
- after b g v d vowels, say /z/
- after s sh ch j z, say /ɪz/
Drill: cats /s/, dogs /z/, buses /ɪz/, washes /ɪz/.
Card I: Word stress and schwa
Rule: one strong syllable, others go weak with /ə/.
Pairs: TAble, DOCtor, MARket
Shift set: PHOtograph, phoTOGraphy, photoGRAphic
Drill line: The MAnager wrote a MESsage about the PROject.
Card J: Aspiration of /p t k/
Cue: strong puff at the start.
Test: hold a tissue, it should move on pin, top, cat.
Drill line: The coach picked a top player.
Card K: Linking and weak forms
Goal: reduce choppy rhythm.
Links: go_out, read_it, live_in
Weak forms: to /tə/, of /əv/, and /ən/
Drill line: I want tə read ət home ən relax.
Mini scripts for daily reading
- Travel: I think the bus is better at five. It is often busy, but I can read and save time.
- Work: The project finished last week. I passed the final task and felt relaxed.
- Study: I watch a video each night. This habit helps me review words.
Read slow, then normal, then record.
Quick self check rubric
Score 0 to 2.
- Target sound is clear.
- Endings correct.
- One strong stress per word.
- Rhythm smooth with links.
- Filler vowels removed in clusters.
Aim for 7 or more.
Two week plan
Days 1 to 3: A, B, G
Days 4 to 6: C, D, K
Days 7 to 9: E, F, H
Days 10 to 12: I, J and review
Days 13 to 14: full script practice and retest the checkup
Common BD fixes at a glance
| Target | Swap | Memory cue | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| v vs b | v not b | lip bite with voice | very, save, move |
| z vs s | z is noisy | throat buzz | busy, reason |
| th | tongue out | soft air | think, this |
| long vowels | beat length | hold one beat | sheep, pool |
| r | no tap | lips round | read, road |
| clusters | no extra vowel | one clap at end | past, asks |
| -ed | t d ɪd rule | sound after | washed, cleaned, waited |
| -s | s z ɪz rule | sound before | cats, dogs, buses |
| stress | one strong | schwa others | TAble, phoTOGraphy |
| p t k | strong puff | tissue test | pin, top, cat |
Keep two word logs
Today’s upgrades: very, busy.
Tomorrow add two more. Use them in one sentence each.
Practice small, daily, and focused. Clear sounds, clean endings, and steady stress will lift your speech fast.