The Biggest Barrier for Russian Speakers Studying English

In Russian language we have 10 vowel letters and only 6 vowel sounds (some linguists even insist on 5).

In English, it is exactly the opposite. With only 6 vowel letters (in fact, 5 pure vowels and one consonant, which occasionally acts as a vowel), there are 25 vowel sounds (according to my favorite Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online).

Now you can see what the real problem is for the majority of Russian speakers (and many other foreigners) who study English. The truth is, if you don’t know the difference between all those 20+ vowel sounds in English, your chances of success in understanding native English speakers or being understood by them are close to zero.

I had a serious problem with that in 1990s when I started studying at one of the US universities. My writing and reading skills were quite alright, but I could not hear a word of spoken English. Also, my accent was so heavy that people around me refused to communicate with me as it was a real challenge for them to understand what I was saying.

Had I found a good teacher to give me a solution to this problem back then, I would have saved LOTS of energy, time and money. Now, it takes me between 2 to 3 hours to help my students learn all English sounds, both British and American, and make a major breakthrough in their communication in English.

Feel free to ask me any questions about English sounds. And save months and years of your precious time!