Triangle Speech Services

The mission of Triangle Speech Services is to help individuals whose accented speech is difficult to understand, speak English clearly and confidently using “listener friendly” speech patterns.

Your speech is your “vocal resume.”
We can help you sound…

• Confident
• Articulate
• Clear
• Dynamic
• Successful

Communication Matters, our monthly e-mail newsletter, is designed to provide information and inspiration. Some of our 49 issues feature a true story written by a current or former client. To read some of our most popular newsletters click on the “Sample Our Newsletter Articles” link below.
Don’t miss these three:

• Habits: A Double-Edged Sword
• Paying Attention: A Lesson Learned at the Baggage Carousel
• Dealing with the Painful Truth

You can also sign up in the box below to receive these newsletters, never more than one per month

We have offered a variety of accent modification programs in a customized format since 2005. In addition to a basic program for accent modification, the Compton Pronouncing English as a Second Language (PESL), we offer programs designed for medical professionals, a program for Americans who want to reduce their regional dialects and our own Targeted Coaching program to help clients prepare for a presentation or job interview. We teach EVERY client how to decode the Standard American English pronunciation of any word using the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), along with intonation rules and notation. Clients digitally record all sessions and use a phonetic dictionary that now has a complete “app” for smart phones!

Ms. Bergman has 40+ years of experience serving a variety of persons with communication disorders across diverse settings including private and public schools, hospitals and assisted living centers. She was an instructor in the Duke University Evening and Weekend Programs and provided workshops for international students in the Duke Departments of Math and Physics.

Ms. Vroom has provided speech language therapy services for the past 12 years including private practice, public school and hospital settings and accent reduction overseas. She has conducted professional training, served as an editor for a speech-language publication and published articles online.

Our clients are a cross section of the foreign-born professionals living or studying in the Triangle:

• College professors, a post-doctoral fellow in biology, an MBA candidate, biochemists,  chemical engineers, statisticians, a geneticist, electrical engineers, mechanical  and industrial engineers
• Corporate and credit union managers, IT managers, software developers and testers
• Physicians, nurses, nurse educators, a clinical pharmacist, a medical technologist, a dental hygienist
• Market researchers,  statisticians
• A journalist, ESL, “Outward Bound” and preschool teachers
• An administrative assistant

What causes a “foreign” accent?

EVERYONE who was first exposed to a second language after the age of four or five will speak it with some degree of “accent” for these reasons:

• English as a foreign language is taught and learned backwards, from reading to speaking and not through natural immersion from speech to reading! The spelling of American English words does not tell a reader how to pronounce them.
• The repertoire of speech sounds is different in different languages
• All languages are rule based and the rules for pronunciation are different in every language and learned and used unconsciously.

Click Here to go to the “About Accents” page which contains videos explaining these reasons.

Mastering Meaning: Harnessing the Power of American English

by Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC SLP.
This valuable resource for advanced ESL speakers features short chapters on the correct usage of idioms, multiple meaning words, articles, prepositions and pronunciation guidelines. The book is divided into four sections:

Part I – Playing with Words: Using Idioms and Metaphors
Part II – Painting with Words: Choosing the Right Shade of Meaning
Part III – Grappling with Grammar
Part IV – Pronouncing Words

Order from Lulu or contact us to purchase your autographed copy.