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Viewing German Pronunciation: Five-Minute Crash Course for BeginnersGerman Pronunciation: Five-Minute Crash Course for Beginners
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By Steve Galvin If you've ever tried learning a language before, then you've probably experienced a moment of complete misunderstanding. That moment where you say a word or phrase, and the native speaker looks at you with a totally blank response! Or perhaps you've even said something that was heard in a totally different way. One of my most memorable moments was when I was talking to my Russian friend on the telephone. While I tried to say the Russian equivalent of "Can you hear me?" my friend thought I said "Are you listening to me?" Obviously not the meaning I was intending! Nevertheless, such mistakes are easily made when you are new to speaking the language. In my opinion, correct pronunciation is one of the most overlooked aspects of learning a new language. In order to speak a foreign language like a native speaker, you need to move your mouth and tongue in ways that are new to you. This is very challenging, especially at the beginning, but ultimately it is crucial to being able to speak a language correctly. So, let's take a look at the key aspects of speaking German like a native. 1. Train Your Ears It might sound strange, but the first step towards correct pronunciation starts with good listening skills. Before you've uttered a single word, you need to hear it "properly". In time, this will become very easy for you, and if you're already experienced at learning languages, then I'm sure you'll be quite good at this already. You need to train your ears to hear every sound, every syllable, every stress, and every emotion. 2. Develop a Native Accent Have you ever listened to a comedian make fun of a foreigner's accent? I'm sure you can imagine right now how a "typical" German person sounds when they speak English, right? Well, as strange as it may sound, this is exactly the type of accent that you want to develop when you speak German yourself. To match the sound of a native German speaker, you need to move your mouth and tongue in new ways that bring about the desired sound. It will feel unnatural at first, maybe even silly. In time, however, it will become natural for you, and you will find that you get into the rhythm soon enough. 3. Learn the Basic Rules of Pronunciation Now it's time to get into the details. To correctly pronounce words, you need to know the correct sound that each letter (and letter combination) makes. There are always exceptions, although the German language is far more consistent in its pronunciation than English. The German alphabet consists of the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, plus an additional 4 sounds (three vowel sounds and one "double s"). Thankfully, this makes it quite easy for an English speaker to learn German pronunciation. While the letters are predominantly the same, there are significant differences in the way that many letters are pronounced. Let's take a look at some of the basics. • Seven consonants (f, k, m, n, p, t and x) are pronounced identical to English • At the start of a word or syllable, the letters b, d, and g sound like their English counterpart, but at the end of a word or syllable they become "unvoiced". In this position, they sound like p, t, and k, respectively. • The letter j sounds like English y. • The letter r is rolled in the back of the throat, but it is not pronounced when it is at the end of a word or syllable. • The letter v sounds like English f, while the letter w sounds like English v! • As mentioned, there is a unique letter known as "double s". It is only used in certain situations. • The letters a, o, and u also exist with umlauts (the two dots above those letters.) In that form, these letters sound something like 'ae', 'ur', and 'oo' respectively. Putting it All Together Now that you know some of the basics, you can go ahead and confidently pronounce German words. Be sure to keep working on your pronunciation, since it is such a crucial part of being understood. Remember, to speak German like a German, you need to hear it properly, and develop a true German accent! Good luck, and have fun speaking German. About the Author: Steve Galvin is a language teacher and owner of leading German site, Easy German Language, which is packed with free resources for anyone wanting to speak German the fun, fast, and easy way. Build on the knowledge you've gained in this five-minute crash course with free detailed lessons on German language pronunciation! Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com |
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