Let’s check your accent — Practice with Praat, software for sound analysis

Abstract

• Can do: Check your accents’ pitch
• Study style: Practice while checking own pitch curve
• Tool: Praat
• Preparation: Vocabularies you want to check the accent.

How to

Download Praat

• for Windows
• for Mac

1. Select “Record mono sound…” from “New”.

2. Press “Record” from “Sound Recorder”, pronounce, and press “stop”. (example :Ippai (many))

*Record at quiet place.

3. Put file name into “Name” and press “Save to list”.

4. Choose the data from “Praat objects” and press “View and edit”.

5. Check the blue line for voice pitch.

In case the blue line is not showing, open “Pitch” menu and check “Show Pitch”.

You can adjust the position of the blue line in “Pitch setting” in “Pitch” menu.

6. Try to compare your own accent and pronunciation you wish to be (Japanese textbook’s Audio for example).

When the word is too long, drag the part you want to check the accent and press “sel”.

Press ”in” for zoom in, and “out” for zoom out. Press “all” to see all the pitch curve.

It is harder to check the accent if the sound has background music or noise. Those would be reflected in the pitch curve. Record only your voice as possible.