English Pronunciation Tips

Most of people having a lot of trouble with pronunciation even their English speaking are fluently. Why is that so? I’ve read that if you can understand a natural conversation, you can’t have problem with speak. There are three main parts to English pronunciation; sounds, rhythm, intonation. If you just want to be able to communicate and for people to understand you and not worry about being ‘right’ or ‘correct’, then you’re doing fine. You need to focus on individual sounds, as well as improving your grammar & vocabulary. Here are some tips for improving your English pronunciation.

English Pronunciation Tips

1. Decide what kind of accent you would like to speak with

There are many different kinds of English accents. The two most common are British and American. There are many different accents even within British or American pronunciation. American pronunciation and British pronunciation are completely different. The consonant sounds are the same (except for the letter ‘t’ and an ‘r’ after a vowel).

2. When you learn a new word, learn how to pronounce it correctly

The longer you say a word incorrectly, the harder it becomes to learn to say it correctly. You’ve developed a bad habit and it takes a long time to break a bad habit. This is why it is so important to learn the IPA (The International Phonetic Alphabet) and use dictionaries specifically for English learners.

3. Watch YouTube pronunciation videos

4. Try to imitate spoken English

To ‘imitate’ means to copy someone/something, to do something the same way or to do the same things as someone else. If you really want to speak the way someone speaks English, try to copy the way they speak. This is a great activity to try: Close your eyes while you’re listening to something in English. Listen carefully to what the speaker is saying and try to make the same sounds. Hear the sounds, don’t try to see the words. Choose a word or sentence and listen to it many times.

5. Record yourself

It’s important to hear what you sound like speaking English so you know what you need to improve. You can compare what you sound like what you want to sound like.

6. Practice for at least 15 minutes every day

The only way your pronunciation will improve is if you practice, practice and practice! Your pronunciation will not magically improve just because you’re speaking English. The sounds of English may be different from the sounds in your language. It may be difficult and even uncomfortable for your mouth to make some of the sounds in English.

7. Have your pronunciation professionally evaluated

When your pronunciation is evaluated by a teacher, she/he can tell you exactly what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. She/he can tell you exactly what sounds you need to work on to sound more like a native speaker.

8. Get used to feeling uncomfortable

One of the biggest obstacles to improving your pronunciation is feeling uncomfortable when making the sounds of English.

Posted by Leila Cynthia Dewi