PronunciationCoach

TIP #1 ~ BE CAREFUL WITH THE SYMBOLS

Different dictionaries and textbooks use different systems to show how words should be pronounced. So, it is important to understand the symbols in your textbook or dictionary, and remember, if you look at a different book or dictionary, those symbols could be very different.

Dictionaries have a guide to explain what the symbols mean. If you have a book-dictionary, the guide is usually located somewhere in the introductory pages at the front of the book.

So be careful! You need to understand the symbols so that you don't get mixed up.

TIP #2 ~ WATCH YOUR FACE!

If you learn to move your mouth and face the way that an English speaker does, it can help you start to sound more natural in English.

TRY THIS: Watch videos to observe how native English speakers move their mouth and face. First, watch a news reporter, but with the sound off. Pay attention to how the reporter's mouth and face move. Then watch a news reporter in your language (with the sound off) to see the difference. Spend some time observing the differences. After that watch reporters with the sound on, so you can start connecting the sounds of English with the facial movements. (You could also try video-recording yourself to see how your face looks when you speak English.)

Some common problems that I see are:

A tense jaw: Some students do not open their mouth wide enough for clear English. Others seem to have a jaw that does not want to move freely.

Hiding the teeth: Some students are not comfortable letting their tongue or teeth be visible. However, it is difficult to pronounce English well if you try to keep your teeth or tongue hidden.

KEEP IN MIND: In English, the tongue, the face, and also the voice are all quite active.

TIP #3 ~ REVERSE IMITATION

Listen to English speakers trying to speak your language. What kind of mistakes do they usually make when they speak your language?

• Do they slide around too much on vowel sounds?
• Do they make their voice sing too much, or too little?
• Do they articulate some consonants too strongly or too weakly?
• Do they use a funny-sounding rhythm?

The “foreign” sound that English speakers typically make while speaking your language can give you some clues about how you should try to sound when you speak English.

Here is a simple example:

The sound of "B" in English uses stronger lip pressure than a "B" in Spanish, so English speakers often speak Spanish with a "B" that sounds too heavy or forceful. However, a Spanish speaker who wants to sound good when they speak English should try to imitate that heavier "B" sound in order to sound better in English.

TIP #4 ~ EXAGGERATE!

​Some aspects of English pronunciation may feel strange or difficult when you first try them. Often, these are the things that require extra effort to learn. But, keep in mind that when something feels very different or very new for you, it can seem like you are making a really big change in your speaking patterns, yet ironically, it is sometimes not enough. So, even though it feels like a big effort, you may not yet be saying it clearly enough or strongly enough.

I have seen this many times. I have seen students try something new with their English pronunciation, but the new sound is very weak -- it is only just a little bit different from the way they were saying it before. They feel like they have produced a big change, but it doesn't really sound so big. So, I tell them to try to exaggerate -- to try to say the new sound too strongly. Then, when they do that, it usually sounds just right.

It is often good to exaggerate a bit when you are learning to pronounce difficult things in English because you need to train your mouth muscles, or your voice, or your breathing muscles, to do new things and create new habits. It is an important key to practicing well.

When you learn new ways, it can feel very different. It may feel strange – but that's ok!

Be brave! Be bold! Go ahead: EXAGGERATE!!!

TIP #5 ~ REPETITION

Repetition, or frequent practice, is very important when you are learning new pronunciation patterns, because you are training and strengthening your speech muscles. This is similar to an athlete training their body, or a pianist training their fingers. They will not improve very quickly if they train or practice just once per week.

Here are some guidelines:

1. It is best to practice a little bit every day (or even twice a day).
2. Just 10 minutes every day is better than an hour or two just once per week.

SOME IDEAS FOR PRACTICE

• Listen to and imitate a news reporter.
• Find a brief conversation in a movie or video - repeat it over and over until you can say it simultaneously.
• Get an audio book along with a hard copy of the book, and try to read along out loud with the narrator.

TIP #6 ~ BEGIN EARLY!

The best time to focus on pronunciation is sooner rather than later. If you train your mouth correctly when you begin, then you will not have to unlearn bad habits and relearn good pronunciation later.

If you can already speak English, but your pronunciation is your weak point, then you will need to be patient and persistent. Integrating new pronunciation patterns into your speaking will probably take some time.

STAGES IN PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT

Level 1: awareness of a new sound or pattern
Level 2: ability to hear or detect the new sound or pattern in the normal flow of speech
Level 3: ability to correctly produce the new sound in a single word or short phrase
Level 4: ability to maintain control in a sentence or simple dialogue
Level 5: ability to integrate it accurately into everyday speaking

Moving from one level to the next usually gets harder the higher you go. Going from Level 1 to Level 2 can happen quite quickly and easily. Then, depending on your first language and the particular aspect of pronunciation you are working on, it may or may not be easy to get to Level 3. It is harder to get to Level 4, and reaching Level 5 requires a lot practice and self-discipline. Keep this in mind so that you don't get discouraged!

TIP #7 ~ STUDY THE VOWELS

Almost all students of English have some kind of difficulty with vowel sounds. That is because there are 15 different vowel sounds in English, BUT there are only 5 written letters to spell the 15 different sounds, so it can be very confusing.

There are two VERY important things to know about English vowels...

FIRST: One secret to success is knowing that each vowel letter has 2 or 3 different sounds that it normally uses. Each vowel letter has at least one "Long-vowel" sound, at least one "Short-vowel" sound, and it also has a weak sound. After you know what the normal sounds are for each vowel letter, then you can start to learn when to use the different sounds.

SECOND: Another really important key is knowing about the two main types of vowels:

1) The "Long-vowel" sounds require a very active tongue because they have 2 parts.

2) The "Short-vowel" sounds need to be pronounced with a relaxed tongue (this may be something new for your tongue!)

TIP #8 ~ FIND YOUR SPECIAL CONSONANTS

English consonants are usually less difficult than the vowels. Most students pronounce most consonants well. But often, one or two are difficult because of a difference between English and your first language. So, the best strategy is to figure out which ones are difficult for you.

Some examples: Many Spanish speakers confuse English "B" and "V", Koreans often mix up "F" and "P", many Arabic and Somali speakers confuse "P" and "B", and "W" and "V" for people who speak Russian or Tamil. These errors could cause some confusion or funny mix-ups! For example, if you struggle with "F" vs. "P", the word "coffee" could sound like "copy". Or if you confuse "W" and "V", "west" might sound like "vest".

DIFFICULT CONSONANTS FOR ALMOST EVERYONE: R & TH

The R sound: This is difficult for many students because English R is somewhat unusual – it sounds almost like a vowel. (And it does act as a vowel sometimes!) The best advice to pronounce R well is: the tip of the tongue should NOT move or touch the top of the mouth when you say it. 🡪 See blog post: The Sound of R

The TH sound: This is difficult for many English learners, but since it is frequently mispronounced, it doesn't usually cause big problems. But if your goal is to speak English super well, you should work on TH. 🡪 See blog post: TH Part 1. Dont' Be Shy!

TIP #9 ~ MASTER THE FREQUENT WORDS

Be careful with the most frequently used words -– make sure that you are saying these words right. You need to use them every time you speak English!

Beginners: If you are a beginner, make sure you know how to say these words correctly now, so that you don't have to fix them later.

Non-beginners: If you started learning English years ago, you may have learned some of the most frequent words incorrectly when you first started, and so you probably have been practicing saying them the wrong way for a long time. That means it might take some extra effort to correct the way that you say them.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Among the 100-200 most frequently used words of English, there is a higher percentage of unusual spellings. So if you try to say them based on the way they look, you have a higher chance of pronouncing them incorrectly. This is why you need to check, and then memorize, the way that these words should sound.

Check yourself! 🡪 Listen to this audio of the 150 most frequently used words of English.

TIP #10 ~ LISTEN TO THE MUSIC

Have you ever heard someone speaking a language that you do not know, but you could guess which language it was? Perhaps you thought: "That sounds like French" or "I think they are speaking Russian" or "That must be Chinese". Many people can recognize other languages, even if they do not understand a single word of the conversation. But, How?

Part of the reason is that each language has it's own special sound, or "music." The musical part comes from the rhythm of the words, the stress patterns, and the intonation patterns. Learning to imitate the "music" of English will help you sound much more natural, and even easier to understand.

THE "MUSIC" OF ENGLISH:

English has very active "music" patterns, with strong slower words and weak faster words, and high notes and low notes in each sentence. Listen for this when you listen to English, and try to imitate it.

Be ready! It may feel strange. English may feel louder and noisier than you are accustomed to. But, do your best, because if you do not use adequate levels of "music" in English, it could make you sound like you are bored, or boring, or sleepy, or sad, or not very smart. However, using sufficient "music" in English can help make you sound like you are somebody who is friendly, positive, and intelligent.