Books about Accents from Amazon.com

The second edition of the highly acclaimed American Accent Training, now on 5 audio CDs, is for foreign-born students and business people working, traveling or studying in the United States and Canada. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, listening comprehension improves dramatically. Supplementary materials included detailed nationality guides for eight languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean), access to a comprehensive website, and referral to a qualified telephone analyst for an individual diagnostic speech analysis. Also included are colored markers for written exercises, and a mirror to practice accurate pronunciation..
Price: $25.05 [Notify me when price goes down.]

If you already speak English, but now would like to start speaking even better, then Speak English Like an American is for you. This book and CD set is designed to help native speakers of any language speak better English. Over 300 of the most-used American English idioms and phrases are presented in engaging dialogue, with plenty of usage examples, illustrations, and lots of exercises -- with convenient answer key -- to help you learn the material. The audio CD includes all of the dialogues. Ideal for self-study. A fun and effective way to improve your conversational English!.
Price: $15.67 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the bestselling memoir Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas recounted her adventures growing up Iranian American in Southern California. Now she again mines her rich Persian heritage in Laughing Without an Accent, sharing stories both tender and humorous on being a citizen of the world, on her well-meaning family, and on amusing cultural conundrums, all told with insights into the universality of the human condition. (Hint: It may have to do with brushing and flossing daily.)

With dry wit and a bold spirit, Dumas puts her own unique mark on the themes of family, community, and tradition. She braves the uncommon palate of her French-born husband and learns the nuances of having her book translated for Persian audiences (the censors edit out all references to ham). And along the way, she reconciles her beloved Iranian customs with her Western ideals.

Explaining crossover cultural food fare, Dumas says, “The weirdest American culinary marriage is yams with melted marshmallows. I don’t know who thought of this Thanksgiving tradition, but I’m guessing a hyperactive, toothless three-year-old.” On Iranian wedding anniversaries: “It just initially seemed odd to celebrate the day that ‘our families decided we should marry even though I had never met you, and frankly, it’s not working out so well.’” On trying to fit in with her American peers: “At the time, my father drove a Buick LeSabre, a fancy French word meaning ‘OPEC thanks you.’”

Dumas also documents her first year as a new mother, the familial chaos that ensues after she removes the television set from the house, the experience of taking fifty-one family members on a birthday cruise to Alaska, and a road trip to Iowa with an American once held hostage in Iran.

Droll, moving, and relevant, Laughing Without an Accent shows how our differences can unite us–and provides indelible proof that Firoozeh Dumas is a humorist of the highest order..
Price: $11.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

By mastering all techniques described in the book, you will be on your way to elevating the Travis pick from a basic chordal accompaniment to a complex solo style!.
Price: $13.19 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Lose Your Accent in 28 Days is the powerful, proven system that will help you master American English pronunciation in weeks — not months or years. Practice 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks and greatly improve your pronunciation No more being asked to repeat yourself! No more being asked, "What did you say?"

Discover the pronunciation system preferred by faculty and students at America's most prestigious universities — including Cornell, UC Berkeley, Middlebury, and University of Southern California.

Lose Your Accent in 28 Days features an interactive CD-ROM that shows you exactly how to pronounce EVERY vowel and consonant through hundreds of video clips. The Audio CD includes over 70 minutes of material on rhythm, stress, and everyday speech patterns. The Workbook offers 80 techniques for better pronunciation. In all, you'll learn from 956 guided examples. What an easy and enjoyable way to lose your accent!

Lose Your Accent in 28 Days is complete. There are are no extras to buy. You get all this with your system:

- A CD-ROM. Learn to position your mouth and make those difficult vowel and consonant sounds you never thought you could. If you use a system without video, you'll miss the picture. - An Audio CD. Join Ravin and her expert team to practice rhythm, stress and everyday speech patterns. Develop perfect pronunciation and total confidence! - A Workbook. Master pronunciation techniques that will make you sound native-born! People will no longer ask, "What did you say?" - A Carrying Case. Study both at home and on-the-go with this durable and attractive case!

Why do people choose this system over the others?

* Most accent reduction training systems have audio only. It is very helpful to see the instructor's mouth so you know how to position your own mouth to make the sounds correctly.

* Systems that use a video-cassette or DVD do not allow you the incredible flexibility of being able to click with your mouse on the sounds you need to practice...and click over and over again until you've mastered the target sound.

* Many systems are complicated and difficult to use. After a few chapters, many people just give up in frustration. Lose Your Accent in 28 Days is clear and user-friendly so you look forward to studying every day.

* Lose Your Accent in 28 Days also helps you master new vocabulary as you go. The system includes a handy idioms glossary definining every idiom used in the book..
Price: $44.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Just as stylish accessories bring a room to life, gorgeous planted containers are the finishing touch for every garden home. With this book, America’s favorite gardener, P. Allen Smith, shows how to create a beautiful container garden in a matter of minutes, in an innovative recipe-style format complete with ingredients lists, step-by-step planting instructions, and advice on how to effectively display these colorful accents.

Beautiful and versatile, these container designs are the perfect solution for decks, porches, balconies, and gardens that need a focal point or a splash of color. Each container recipe fulfills one of the 12 Principles of Design that Allen established in his first bestselling book, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home. As a result, the container will wonderfully frame the view from a window, offer a welcoming reception in an entryway, help to establish a sense of rhythm along a walkway, or extend your home’s color and décor into the garden. Allen shares the secrets he uses to make his eye-catching arrangements, as well as special planting and display tips for placement in your garden. The designs range from sophisticated to casual, yet the instructions are so easy to follow that you can assemble these containers in no time at all—even with little or no gardening experience. There are recipes for every season of the year, to ensure that you can enjoy lush container gardens year-round.

A special resource section includes a complete plant directory, tips on how to select the right container to complement your garden’s style, grooming and plant-care guidelines, and basic instructions for planting pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Lavishly illustrated with more than 150 photographs, this book is sure to inspire seasoned gardeners as well as beginners interested in enhancing the beauty of their Garden Home with P. Allen Smith’s signature container designs..
Price: $17.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Simply Soldered; Jewelry, Frames, Boxes, Accents and more. If you can use a glue gun, you can solder successfully When you realize how much you can do, you will want to get started right away. The projects in this book will inspire your imagination and fuel your creative drive..
Price: $12.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This practical reference manual, with its precise, authentic instructions on how to speak in more than 100 dialects, has established itself as the most useful and comprehensive guide to accents available, now increased by a third in this revised printing. As before, the accents range from regional U.S. and British dialects to European accents that include, among others, the Germanic, Slavic and Romance Languages. Completing his around-the-world journey, the author then covers the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Includes two CDs..
Price: $19.66 [Notify me when price goes down.]