Here are some tips, steps, and formulas for you to improve your pronunciation :
. A. Formulas.
These formulas help you pronounce when you read or see at the words or letters on the words and these formulas not always you meet but the most frequently encountered.
1. When “a” in the middle and “e” in the end.
If you found some words that have “a” in the middle and “e” in the end, you could able to pronounce it with “ei”, look at these example below.
e.g : - Fate > Feit.
- Hate > heit.
- Blade > bleid.
2. When “loo” in the middle of words.
If you found “loo” in the middle of some words, you could be able to pronounce it with “Λ” this is a phoneme that has a sound like “A” when you pronounce it.
e.g : - Blood > blʌd / blAd.
- Flood > FlAd.
3. When “oo” in the middle of words.
This is a bit hard to differentiate “loo”
above & “oo” but if you have known this well you will not run into trouble again. If you found “oo” you could be able to pronounce it with “u:” that is an ‘u’ but a little bit longer and you also could be able to pronounce it with “ʊ” that an ‘u’ but a bit thick or with “ɔː”.
e.g : - Good > ɡʊd. - Door > dɔːr.
- Food > fu:d. - Moor > mɔːr.
4. When “ou” in the middle of words.
If you found “ou” in the middle of some words, you could be able to pronounce it with “Λ” or “A” and also with “aʊ”.
e.g : - Rough > rAf. - Sound > saʊnd.
- Slough > slAf. -Noun > naʊn.
5. When “gh” in the end of words.
If you found “gh” in the nd of the words, you could be able to pronounce it with “f”.
e.g : - Laugh > La:f.
- Rough > rAf.
- Slough > slAf.
6. When “le” in the end of words.
If you found “le” in the end of some words, you could be able to pronounce it with a sound like “el”.
e.g : - Able > eibəl.
- Cable > kei.bəl.
- Ankle > æŋ.kəl̩
B. 10
Steps to Improving Your English Pronunciation and Language Skills.
1.
Learn and become aware.
After
learning the various rules of English, you must become aware of the errors that you make in your speech.
Keep an organized list of your corrections that have come from being
monitored by other speakers, preferably native English speakers. If you don’t
have a native English speaker to monitor you, simple listen and repeat with the
Elemental English pronunciation and speaking lessons, and take note of how your
pronunciation differs from mine.
For
example, does my [θ] as in “think” [θInk] sound like [t] or [s], as in “tink”
or “sink”, when you say it?
Once
you become aware of the errors you make, you are then ready to correct them.
Obviously, if you are oblivious to your errors, you can’t fix them!
2.
Monitoring.
Any
time you are corrected, write down the correction that you were given on a special “monitoring”
list.
Constantly
update this list, and keep it organized. This is extremely useful, because the
errors that you produce are usually not random mistakes that come from “a slip
of the tongue”. Most errors are part of a pattern of mistakes that you repeat again and again.
3. Repetitive Review.
Consistently
review your monitoring list of errors. You should start to notice a pattern and
then be constantly aware of that pattern of what you need to correct.
4. Repetitive Practice.
Now
that you are aware of your errors, you need to routinely practice the
corrected pronunciation (or correct syntax, vocabulary use, etc.). Practice
again and again.
I
suggest that you practice out loud at
home. Listen to the sounds that you produce, and compare these
sounds to native speakers. Ask yourself questions when you pronounce the sounds, such as
“How is my mouth moving?” “Where is my tongue?” “Are my vocal chords
vibrating?” Notice the physical aspects of pronunciation.
5.
Self-Correction.
With
practice, you can develop the imperative habit of self-correction.
Be so aware and in tune with the sounds of English that you can notice and hear
your own errors. This ability to self-correct can only come from the above
steps of monitoring and awareness.
6.
Write down your questions.
There
are plenty of times when all of us wonder how to express something in another
language, but then do nothing with those questions! When you are unsure of how
to say or ask something in English, write it down so that you can ask a native
speaker, google it or post your question on ElementalEnglish.com.
7.
Keep a running vocabulary list.
Be
organized. Write down vocabulary that you want to look up but don’t have
time to at that moment. Make a habit of reviewing vocabulary. If you don’t do
this, you can easily forget new words before they are locked into your long
term memory.
8.
Think in English.
A
huge mistake English language learners make is to think in their native
language and then translate into English in their heads.
This
is a mistake, because English syntax and word order is typically something that
cannot be translated from another language.
Also,
in order to speak with the correct music,
stress and rhythm of English, you need to think with that music.
9.
Talk to yourself out loud at home.
Talking
to yourself out loud will help you in the process of thinking in English
instead of translating to English from your native language. Get in the habit of speaking
freely without
the worry of being heard or criticized.
Play
with the sounds and write down the ideas you want to express, but don’t know
how to. It’s those questions that you should ask a native speaker or post on
ElementalEnglish.com.
10.
Train your Ears.
Listen
to a lot of English in the form of podcasts, television shows, movies and
radio. You can always listen to the free Elemental English podcast on iTunes, but also listen to a variety
of native speakers’ voices and accents to hear how the the music of English
stays consistent.
Train
your ears like a musician does!
******
Remember,
your goal never needs to be to sound like a perfect, American speaker. In fact,
Americans make mistakes in their speech all the time and speak with a variety
of accents.
Improving
your pronunciation is always about giving you the freedom and power to speak withconfidence and to be understood when you communicate in English.
C. 10 tips for perfect pronunciation
Everyone
knows that using English is the only way to really improve your pronunciation. But
what if you can't practice with a native speaker every day? Don't worry! There
are plenty of ways to stretch your vocal chords.
1. Listen to yourself. If you can't hear your pronunciation problems, it's tough to
correct them. Try recording your speech on a tape and comparing it with a
native speaker's.
2. Slow down! Many English learners say that speaking too quickly reinforces
their bad habits. Practice a few basics each day. Start with single sounds,
then move on to words, and finally, string several words together.
3. Picture it... Close your eyes and think about how to make a sound before saying
it. Visualize the positioning of your mouth and face.
4. Get physical! Pronunciation is a physical skill. You're teaching your mouth a
new way to move and using different muscles. Focus on difficult sounds each
day. Having trouble with 'th'? Put your tongue between your teeth (don't bite
down) and blow air out of your mouth. Feel the air move over the top of your
tongue.
5. Watch yourself. Stand in front of a mirror to see the placement of your tongue,
lips, and shape of your mouth when you make certain sounds. Compare what you
see with an Englishtown pronunciation video!
6. Copy the experts. There's no replacement for learning pronunciation from the experts
– native speakers. So listen! Listen to English radio programs and watch
television and movies in English. (Don't read the subtitles!) Imitate what
you're hearing – even if you're not sure what they're saying yet.
7. Practice alone. Pronunciation problems persist because we're afraid to make
mistakes. Create scenarios - meeting someone for the first time, ordering at a
restaurant, asking for directions – then act out the dialogue by yourself.
Don't be shy!
8. Find a language buddy. Getting feedback from an outside observer is crucial. Find a
friend who's also interested in improving their English. Try exchanging
recorded messages so you can listen closely to each other's pronunciation.
9. Be poetic. Good pronunciation is more than just mastering individual sounds.
It's also understanding intonation (the rise and fall of the voice) and stress (some sounds in words and some words in sentences are louder or
clearer than others). Read poems, speeches and songs aloud, concentrating on
the word stress and intonation.
10. Sing a song! Learn the words to popular English songs and sing along. Singing
helps you relax and just get those words out, as well as helping your rhythm
and intonation.
- See more at: http://www.englishtown.com/community/Channels/article.aspx?articleName=pronounce#sthash.ekWZEt4Q.dpuf
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