Hi everybody! I'll be in New Brunswick at Rutgers Busch Campus today, but here's a quick one. If you are a Spanish speaker, you might have trouble with the "x" sound--you'll tend to pronounce "express train", "espress train". Or you'll say "masimum" instead of "maximum".

This is an easy fix because the "x" sound isn't really a sound on its own--it is a combination of two consonants--either "k" and "s", so "maximum" is actually pronounced, "maksimum" or "g" and "s", so "express" is actually pronounced "eggspress".

The only time this changes in English is when you have "X" at the beginning of a word, as in "Xavier" or "Xander"--both proper names of people. In this case, "x" is pronounced as "z"--as in "Zavier" and "Zander".

Clear as mud? (That's American humor. Mud is not clear.)

You folks take care. Feel free to call me at (732) 637-7398. I am an accent reduction specialist who teaches techniques to help you reduce your accent and be happier doing business and living in America. Call me today!