How important is pronunciation for those learning English as a foreign language? If you’ve mastered the various challenges of grammar and vocabulary, does the way you say the words themselves matter? The answer, of course, is yes.
On the most basic level of comprehensibility, poor pronunciation can lead to miscommunication and therefore misunderstanding. Take the words ‘ship’ and ‘sheep’, for example, which are certainly not interchangeable within a sentence. It is also possible that if a learner is not able to hear the difference between various sounds, he/she may not be able to recognise them when uttered by another speaker. Though you may never completely lose your accent, good pronunciation can make your language production more authentic and improve your interaction with other speakers as a result.
So how can pronunciation be improved? There will be sounds in English that are different from those that you are accustomed to producing, and, depending on your native tongue, challenges in specific phonological areas. It may be helpful to make use of a pronunciation guide that outlines the different aspects of stress, pitch, rhythm and intonation, such as the extensive material available on the BBC Learning English website. Similar online resources offer information on forming the different sounds with your mouth and tongue, and a range of interactive exercises.
As ever, the hallmark of all successful language learning is practice. You may choose to follow specially designed exercises in course books or on the Internet, which include listening and spoken drills, or work with a native speaker to mimic their pronunciation and receive correction. Whichever method you opt for, it will certainly have a positive impact on your language production.
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