Reduction is a basic element of American English Pronunciation.
English is a stress based language.
stressed syllables: louder, stronger
unstressed syllables: shorter, softer
Reduction happens when we don’t stress a syllable.
The unstressed vowel becomes shorter, softer …/ә/.
In this lesson, we practice the word: can
![](https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/quiz-gurl-lt-blu-100.png)
And now it’s your turn.
Here’s your audio pronunciation quiz.
What do you hear?
/kən/ or /kæn/
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Thanks for the useful lesson.