| Accent
Transitions is an accent improvement training program based on proven
methods of foreign accent modification. The structured training
is based on the Compton P-ESL (Pronouncing English as a Second
Language) Program. The Compton P-ESL Program begins where
conventional English as a second language courses end.
Elaine K. Lukas is a licensed,
master degreed speech/language pathologist with over 25 years of
professional experience. Ms. Lukas established Accent
Transitions after receiving certification in the Compton P-ESL
Training Program from the Institute of Language and Phonology.
Based in Waukesha County Wisconsin, Accent Transitions services
clients in the Wisconsin communities of Milwaukee, Madison, Racine,
Kenosha, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Appleton.
The Compton P-ESL Program is
based on more than 20 years of linguistic research and teaching.
It was designed specifically to aid foreign-born individuals in
improving their spoken English. It has also proven successful with clients
wanting to modify a regional dialect. The program was developed
by Arthur J. Compton, Ph.D., Director, Institute of Language and
Phonology in San Francisco.
Dr. Compton analyzed the English
pronunciation of hundreds of people from more than 100 different
language backgrounds. His research revealed that the "accented
sounds" of English constitute a system of interrelated pronunciation
patterns, which are determined largely by the speaker's native
language. He also discovered that even though many different
speech errors or accented sounds may occur in an individual's speech,
these errors represent a small number of systematic patterns (error
types) which are the actual source of the pronunciation difficulty.
As a result of this discovery,
initially derived from his studies of children's speech, Dr. Compton
began to apply his "Principle of Linguistic Generalization" to Foreign
Accent and Regional Dialect. By focusing upon basic "error
groups", maximum improvement and habit formation is achieved in a much
shorter amount of time.
New
Computerized Break-Through with
Interactive CD-ROM Technology
In 1998, Dr. Compton published
the CD-ROM version of the P-ESL Program practice materials. This
new innovative technology brings together more than five years of
research and development and marks a major breakthrough for the entire
field of spoken language learning. Specifically, the CD-ROM
technology adds the following dimensions:
Instant "random access" to
over 100 recorded practice exercises and rapid maneuverability through
all sections with a "click of the mouse".
Embodies the Idealized
Model for Mastering Spoken Language:
1) Client listens to the verbal stimulus, 2) records his/her attempt
to match it, 3) instantly hears a "play-back" of the
"stimulus-response" pair [provides immediate feedback of the "degree
of match,"], and 4) repeats the procedure until satisfied.
Video demonstrations
at the beginning of each practice exercise by an actor and actress
from the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) of San
Francisco.
Speech production diagrams
showing head-profile views (illustrations) of the consonant and
vowel sounds of American English.
|
