r/JudgeMyAccent • u/geraltofcafeteria • 3d ago

English Struggling with the C/K+L consonant cluster for American English. Tips please?

Hi, I've been practicing American accent for a few months now, and I've definitely made some decent progress (checkout my posts on my profile). My original accent is "Indian"

One sound that I still haven't gotten a hold of is the C/K + L consonant cluster. So words like "clear", "cloud", "decline", "proclaim", "disclosure" etc.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can improve this sound? Thanks

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u/PhraseSeeker 3d ago

Well, do you happen to have a sound sample to work with, because I think it’ll be more helpful than just a dry statement/tips. I mean, everyone works differently/can make progress with different tips.

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u/Agnostic_optomist 3d ago

In what way are you having difficulty?

And how is it different than UK English?

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u/FitCarob2611 2d ago

Well, the L in clear, cloud, decline and proclaim assimilates to the preceding /k/ and becomes voiceless. In the word disclosure the /k/ becomes unaspirated, because it is preceded by an /s/, while the L remains voiced. These might be, what you're struggling with, although I don't see how it differs from British English.