Thal’s English, previously known as American English Master, is the name of the private one-on-one coaching business that I founded in the early 2000s. I have been a professional actor since the early 1990s, working in film, television, and theatre. I love working with my students and being part of the transformation that takes place as they become more and more comfortable with their spoken communication.

I am the author of several books on the subject of accent reduction, as well as audiobooks and video courses. I love that this provides an opportunity for people to work on their speech even if they are not able to meet with me privately.

“Accent reduction” is far from a perfect term for the services I offer. But I use it because it is still the term that people are most familiar with. Accents are beautiful and there is nothing wrong with having an accent. Our work is focused on ensuring that your speech is clear and understandable and that you are able to communicate in the way you want. In some cases accent reduction work can be very specific and detailed — studying the exact nuances of the speech of native speakers (of American English). The greatest example of this is actors who want to play roles of native speakers.

Accent reduction doesn’t mean that you have to lose your unique personality or the original qualities that make you who you are. The goal is not to take away anything or to have you just speak like everyone else. But it is important that your accent not interfere with your ability to communicate with others. You must be understood. I find that accent reduction work never takes away from one’s personality; on the contrary it allows for more of one’s true self to be seen and heard.

My Journey into Teaching:

I had been fascinated by the sounds of different languages and accents for many years. I used to love discussing the topic with my friends who had different native languages. As an actor I studied speech and accents and on more than one occasion had to modify by speech for a certain character. In fact this was an important part of my first big professional film role, as Ariel in the Sidney Lumet film “A Stranger Among Us.”

In the early 2000s I responded to an ad from students looking to exchange Japanese lessons for English lessons. I ended up connecting with one of the students and we arranged to meet in a coffee shop.

There was no pressure to be good at my first lesson as I was offering my services for free. I brought a few pronunciation books with me and used my actor training and my ear to explain how my student could modify her speech. I gave her feedback to let her know what would or would not be understood by a typical listener. And we practiced making the correct sounds. I’m sure I brought along a mirror so that she could examine her mouth position as I showed her how to make certain vowel and consonant sounds. The lesson was incredibly valuable for both of us.

Two interesting things happened when we walked out of that coffee shop on 8th Street together. The first is that my student told me she had never learned in the way I taught her and said that she could get me many more students from her English school if I wanted to teach others. I said I would be happy to take on more students. The second thing that happened is after I said goodbye to her, a woman who had walked out of the coffee shop approached me. She told me she had overheard the lesson I gave and asked if she could study  with me as well. She soon became a regular student and I started getting calls from others to study with me. My first day of teaching from instinct and passion immediately turned into a business opportunity to teach others.

I took this opportunity immediately and started to figure out how to structure a lesson and give students exactly what they needed. Over the next months I developed my teaching system by studying the written works of others, and by seeing the progress of my students. As I continued to teach for many years, my teaching system became more refined and specific.

If you have specific questions or think accent reduction work might be right for you, please reach out to me. I am passionate about this work and always look forward to meeting and working with new students. My schedule and location varies. I am often available online or in person in New York City.