It is a common mistake when English learners pronounce America as AA-MEE-RII-KAA. It is too long and very unnatural.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
A-ME-RI-CA so that’s 4 sounds (syllables) and the stress is on the second syllable oOoo.
Now, the 1st syllable [A] is a schwa sound /ə/. What does that mean? That means it’s VERY weak! Make a sound without opening your jaw, moving your lips or tongue.
The 2nd syllable [ME] /me/ is STRONG, so it should be louder than the other syllables, so you go ahead and do that.
The 3rd syllable [ri] /rɪ/ is weak, so relax your mouth and lower your voice.
The 4th syllable [ca] /kə/ is also very week since it contains a schwa sound. Do not make open your jaw because by doing that, you will end up stretching the vowel and sounding weird!
So, there you have it. ə’merɪkə
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