Pronunciation: Get Better In Another Language
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Ken O'Brien
Apr 2, 2013, 6:30:04 AM4/2/13
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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Ken O'Brien
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Article Title: Pronunciation: Get Better In Another Language
Author: Ken O'Brien
Word Count: 567
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=143329&ca=Education
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=143329
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=143329
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Pronunciation can affect how we communicate. Many people, who have had a go at learning 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 different sounds. When we can�t recognise the sound we try and adjust how we are listening, a bit like tuning a radio, but if we can�t guess the sound, the chances are we won�t understand what is being said.
The Blocks of Pronunciation
Pronunciation has two main aspects to it, physically producing it and the sound that is produced from it, the hearing of the sound. As we get older the ability to do both of these, i.e. physically work out how to make the sound and recognise it, can diminish. This doesn�t mean we can�t continue to learn new languages but we need some extra tricks to help us.
Let�s look at some ideas on 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 don�t 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 a lot of 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 and physically make the sound 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 memorise the letters and sounds.
Read out loud.
Find some reading form your course book or any other book. There are two advantages here. One you get to say the letters and words. Secondly you get to practise 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, 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�s no reason why we can�t make 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(http://www.educatedlinks.com) provides articles and other resources based around a range of education and training topics.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=143329
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Ken O'Brien
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=143329
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=143329
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: Pronunciation: Get Better In Another Language
Author: Ken O'Brien
Word Count: 567
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=143329&ca=Education
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=143329
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=143329
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Pronunciation can affect how we communicate. Many people, who have had a go at learning 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 different sounds. When we can�t recognise the sound we try and adjust how we are listening, a bit like tuning a radio, but if we can�t guess the sound, the chances are we won�t understand what is being said.
The Blocks of Pronunciation
Pronunciation has two main aspects to it, physically producing it and the sound that is produced from it, the hearing of the sound. As we get older the ability to do both of these, i.e. physically work out how to make the sound and recognise it, can diminish. This doesn�t mean we can�t continue to learn new languages but we need some extra tricks to help us.
Let�s look at some ideas on 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 don�t 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 a lot of 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 and physically make the sound 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 memorise the letters and sounds.
Read out loud.
Find some reading form your course book or any other book. There are two advantages here. One you get to say the letters and words. Secondly you get to practise 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, 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�s no reason why we can�t make 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(http://www.educatedlinks.com) provides articles and other resources based around a range of education and training topics.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=143329
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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