# The Schwa Key to Real Global English English is the language of the modern world. But those who can speak English at an international level will be treated with respect and consideration. *Native speaker fluency. A hard nut to crack. Students often read vocabulary lists or grammar books but still cannot sound natural. If you’ve ever noticed that your spoken English sounds ‘robotic’, ‘stiff’ or too pronounced, chances are you are missing the *Schwa* sound, the most important element of natural English pronunciation. The secret to clear pro communication is that nearly invisible vowel. — ### Schwa /ə/ **Schwa** is a kind of “lazy” vowel. It is written with the phonetic symbol **/ə/**. This is by far the most common sound in English, yet is not even mentioned in most text books. And you can’t say all the syllables the same way when you speak in English. English is a *stress-timed language* – it has a rhythm where some syllables are long and strong, and some are short and weak. If you’re having trouble with **vowel reduction**, or wondering how close your **spoken fluency** is to the rhythm of native speakers, it’s likely that you are pronouncing every vowel perfectly. This is a common problem for non-native English speakers. The *schwa* lets you skim over unstressed syllables. It makes your speech fluid, easy, not choppy. ## The Schwa – Your Gateway to English Languages Elsewhere Pronouncing the *shwa vowel is important in order to communicate well. In case you want to speak to the people from other countries. It has many important functions in accent enhancement, for example, establishing a natural rhythm. The schwa* shows when you are over-pronouncing words. For example, native speakers don’t pronounce the word *”banana”* as it looks: /buh-na-na/ but /bə-ˈnan-ə/. The * Schwa * is used to shorten the first and last syllables to make the music flow naturally . * **Enhance listening abilities:** The brain can learn phonetic patterns and abbreviations of sounds used by native speakers. This helps greatly to understand different foreign accents in a high pressure presentation or boardroom. How to Lose Your Accent In some regional accents vowel length is not stable. So the upshot is, if you can learn to lower these vowels, you get a more **neutral accent** that will work anywhere, whether you’re talking to a colleague in London, New York or Singapore. ### Practitioner Implications First of all, learn the **word stress** of the most common words used in your area of work. If the syllable is unstressed, you might substitute the vowel with a quick, relaxed “uh” sound. Don’t feel like you need to make everything perfect. Listen to the *rhythm*. With this information you can go from sounding like you’read’ English to speaking English with confidence. A good professional is a world-class global communicator by enriching his/her **oral communication skills. — ### Grow your international business This is the first step in the process of moving from *functional* English to *exceptional* English: getting a handle on the mechanics of the *schwa*. To learn the “art” of sound you must know words perfectly. If you are serious about reaching an advanced international level and improving your pronunciation with professional help then we strongly recommend you to see the professional courses at **Communicative English Spark EdX** The individual, personal instruction will help you to understand the intricacies of phonics. Your professional voice should be authoritative and appeal globally. The right foundation to become a world-class communicator