English Pronunciation
“Pronunciation” refers to how we pronounce words.
To speak the words, we push air from the lungs through the throat and vocal cords, through the mouth, through the tongue, and between the teeth and lips. (Sometimes air passes through our nose.)
To change the sound we make, we mainly use the muscles of the mouth, tongue, and lips to control the shape of the mouth and the flow of air. If we can properly control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air, our pronunciation will become clearer and other people will understand us more easily.
There are other important aspects of pronunciation, including word stress, sentence stress, linking, intonation, along with creating the correct vowel and consonant sounds using the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips.
How to Improve your English Pronunciation
How many times do you hear this when you speak? Even if your English vocabulary and grammar are perfect, people may find it difficult to understand because of your pronunciation.
Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be one of the most difficult parts of language learning. There are sounds in English that may not be in your native language, so you’ll have to learn how to create completely new sounds. Also, because of the vowels in English, it’s hard to tell how to say a word. Whey, way, and weight are pronounced the same, for example, bomb, comb and tomb are pronounced differently.
Oh! Yes, we know it can drive you crazy.
Learn to listen
Before you can learn to speak, you need to learn to listen. Some sounds can be difficult to distinguish when you are listening. Has the speaker fallen asleep or slipped? Did he hurt his chin or shin? If you hear a difference, it will be easier for you to express the difference.
There are many guides to help you learn to listen. We have some great articles on how to learn how to listen to movies, songs, music, and podcasts. You can also find listening exercises on the Internet, for example, this one from Rong Chang.
Pronunciation practice in Many Things is really great, especially the huge selection of lessons in minimal pairs. Minimum pairs are pairs of words like sleep and glide that differ in only one sound. You can click each word to listen to each word in its entirety, then take the test in the second box and select the correct answer.
Notice how your mouth and lips move
When you speak, you move your mouth. The way you move your mouth affects how you pronounce the word. The first step to correcting the shape of the mouth is to notice and pay attention. There are several ways to check the correct shape of the mouth and lips.
(i) Use a mirror – This is by far the easiest way to find out what your mouth is doing while you speak.
(ii) Bring your finger to your lips – Do not move your finger when you speak. You should feel your lips move away from or press against your finger.
Observe other people and notice the shape of their mouth and lips when they speak. Try following your favorite TV show or movie. Can you mimic the faces and sounds the actors make?
There are tutorials and images on internet to help you learn how to move your mouth. Sounds of English has some good explanations for the pronunciation of certain words. This tutorial is for people who create 3D animation, but the pictures are a great start to understanding what your mouth should look like when you speak.
Pay attention to your language.
The main discrepancy between rice and lice is your language. When you try to speak, your tongue move to make sounds. You probably didn’t even notice it, because you do it without thinking. To improve your English pronunciation, it is recommended that you check what your language is doing.
Some non-native speakers find it difficult to reproduce the letters “L” and “R”, as well as the sound “TH”. Pronounce them correctly – everything is on the tongue!
To make the L sound, your tongue must touch the back of your front teeth and the top of your mouth, just behind your teeth. Try it now: say the word light. Say this several times. Find where the tongue is in the mouth. Make sure that it touches the upper part of your mouth.
To make the R sound, your tongue must not touch the upper part of your mouth. Bring your tongue back to the middle of your mouth, to where it usually is if you are not speaking. When you make a sound, your lips should be slightly rounded. As you speak, you should feel the air flowing between your tongue and your mouth. You should also feel your lips get a little rounder when you make a sound.
Now about the sound “TH”. It may sound strange if there is no similar sound in your native language. To make this sound, place your tongue in between the teeth. Your tongue should stick out a little between your teeth, and when you push the air out of your mouth, let a little air come out between your tongue and Your teeth are what make the sound.
Break words into sounds
Words are made up of syllables or parts. The word “syllable”, for example, consists of three syllables: syl-la-ble. To check how many syllables there are in a word, place your hand under your chin. Speak the word slowly.
You can even write down a word piece by piece. Leave a space or draw a line between each syllable (each syllable must have at least one vowel: a, e, i, o, u, y). Now try to say a word. Speak slowly and pause after each syllable. Isn’t it easier?
If you are having trouble with syllables, see how many syllables. This website shows you the syllables in whatever word you’re looking for and even shows you how to pronounce it.