Hi All,
While browsing through this page I found many of you are worried about the MTI.
I am into the BPO industry since 2006. MTI problem is a natural problem, and it is caused due to the inability to place our tongue at the right place for consonant sound.
The basic difference between an Indian speaking English and Americans and Brit’s is the fact that the later drops their lower jaws while they speak, they opens up their mouth more and therefore the sound is more crispy and clear. Indian tendency of not opening the mouth hampers the correct mouth formation neccesary for the sounds. The basic sounds one has to work on is ‘T’, ‘P’, ‘K’, ‘S’, ‘Sh’, ‘Z’, ‘Zh’. One can surmount the barrier of MTI only when he or she practices reading English loudly in front of a mirror. Once you see your own mouth formation, it will help you a lot in mouth formation. Also there is Cecily Berry Exercise, one can search for the same in the internet, it helps in jaw relaxation. Another important aspect is voice modulation and intonation. That is the speech must not be flat at all. It should be rythmic. One must understand where the stress must be added in a sentence. It adds resonance to the tone, that carries emotions and expressions. Try to say : Hang him not kill him.
Also try to use Daniel Jones dictionary “Neutral English” it costs around Rs. 600. You will find the syllables of each word there.
One Indian cannot acquire American accent in a 2 weeks or 2 months training, just as an American cannot speak English without MTI after a same duration training. What we actually do is reduce the MTI from the English pronounciation and make the tone rythmic and crispy. Neutral English is nothing, but a global standard of English specially developed for Non English speaking population, so that they can express their sentiments and emotions in English clearly to their English speaking counterparts. The most important thing is understanding what an American or Brit is saying over the phone.