Not Every Vowel Gets the Spotlight

Korean generally gives syllables fairly even weight, but English constantly dims down unstressed vowels into a quick, soft 'uh' sound called schwa — and skipping this habit can make your English sound overly careful or mechanical. Listen to 'camera': the stressed first syllable stays strong, but the other two fade into quick, weak sounds. Same with 'chocolate' and 'interesting' — native speakers barely pronounce some of those middle vowels at all. Try this: say 'camera' slowly first, giving every syllable full strength, the way it might feel natural. Then say it again, letting the unstressed syllables go soft and fast while only the first syllable gets real energy. Do the same with 'family' and 'different.' It might feel like you're mumbling or cutting corners, but that's actually the target — native English rhythm depends on this contrast between strong and weak syllables. The more you practice letting some vowels fade, the more natural and fluent your sentences will sound.