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Viewing Pronunciation: Getting Better in a Foreign LanguagePronunciation: Getting Better in a Foreign Language
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By Ken O'Brien Pronunciation can affect how we communicate. Many people who have tried to learn a foreign language have experienced that sinking feeling when they try a well-constructed sentence in another language, only to be met with a blank face. Why is this? Languages are built on sounds. If I speak English and live in an English-speaking country, I expect a speaker to say sounds in a particular way. In French or Spanish, I would expect to hear completely different sounds. When we cannot recognize a sound, we try to adjust how we are listening, a bit like tuning a radio, but if we cannot guess the sound, the chances are we will not understand what is being said. The Blocks of Pronunciation Pronunciation has two main aspects: physically producing it, and sound recognition. As we get older, the ability to do both of these; i.e., to make a sound and to recognize it, can diminish. This does not mean we cannot continue to learn new languages, but we need some extra tricks to help us. Here are some ideas about what we can do when we learn a new language. How am I saying it? Try saying the letters. Notice how your mouth is working. If you do not know how a sound is physically made, you may find it harder to say it. What sounds are the same? English has many more sounds than other languages, but it also has numerous sounds in common with other languages. Good dictionaries in a new language will usually offer an English sound or word to compare with. Use it to check what sounds are similar. Which sounds are hard to say? Go through the alphabet of the new language and mark out the ones you find hard to say. Give them some attention. Try to physically make the sounds and see how your mouth works. Say the alphabet. Look at how children use the alphabet song in English to help them remember the alphabet. Doing the same in a new language will also help you to memorize letters and sounds. Read out loud. Try reading from your course book or any other book. There are two advantages here. First, you get to say the letters and words. Second, you get to practice sounds that you expect to hear and you become accustomed to the sounds of the language. How good do I need to be? There is much discussion on this. For many of us, the ability to get by in other languages is good enough. If we can say what we want simply and slowly, and the person we are speaking to can understand us, then our pronunciation is probably good enough. After that, it is a matter of choice. Some people become very good at other languages and get to very good levels of pronunciation. Not many of us are such gifted linguists, but there is no reason why we cannot pronounce the words so that people can understand us. About the Author: Ken O'Brien has over 10 years experience in English language teaching and vocational training. Educated Links (www.educatedlinks.com) provides articles and other resources based around a range of education and training topics. It also includes a section on Irish resources. Ken was also part of the team that developed the Abacus Communications Business English courses (www.abacus-communications.com). Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com |
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