How Can I Improve My English Pronunciation?
" A man's descent may be discerned by his conduct, his country by his pronunciation of language, his friendship by his warmth and glow, and his capacity to eat by his body."
- Chanakya
Time 9.50 pm Indian Standard Time
Date 19 February 2010
Place : My residence at 'Pournami', Pettah,Trivandrum, Kerala State, South India
Mode of communication : Telephone
" I got your telephone number from a person' Sir, tell me, how I can improve my English Pronunciation ? "
When I heard those words ' for a moment I forgot its time to go to bed. From the tone of the speaker, I knew, this was a person quite keen on improving his pronunciation. Perhaps, that accounts for his calling me at an odd time while I was at home and not in college. What I am going to list down is almost the verbatim reproduction of what I told the gentleman without even enquiring who gave him my telephone number or who exactly he was.
- Well'you can begin by listening to the radio news in English, broadcast every day at 9PM by All India Radio. You can also listen to the FM radio programmes in English. After regularly listening to Indian English, you may move on to listening to British English and American English.
- As you listen, try to consciously imitate the pronunciation.
- Dictionaries are available on CD-ROM's. Do purchase one and listen to the pronunciation of words and practice pronouncing words.
- Plenty of software for improving ones listening and speaking skill is available for purchase. Do buy them and listen to it regularly.
- Remember, the sounds of Malayalam and English are quite different.
Then, I inquired how old he was, and he said he is forty-three. So I told him that by now his utterances in English must have a strong influence of Malayalam speech sounds. So I opined:
- There are some private agencies who provide training to improve Spoken English. Some of them have Language Laboratories where you can practice pronouncing words.
- Remember, a complete transformation cannot happen if you practice, say two days a week. You should do it regularly with a passion.
It was then he told me that he is quite interested in viewing Hollywood films. So I told him the following:
- Yes'.you can improve your pronunciation by viewing films. Its good that most films we watch on Cable TV, 'Channels like Star Movies and HBO now provide English subtitles for the films they telecast.
- In the beginning you may fail to grasp, as the pace of utterance of American speech in the films may be fast. You can grasp it through repeated viewing and listening. Even the subtitle will help you understand the film.
I hope the gentleman is studiously working on my suggestions'Its almost two months and I have not yet heard from him. I hope he rings me again to tell me how he is progressing'
Let me conclude this article with a quote from an expert on teaching English regarding the need for building an awareness and concern for pronunciation for the benefit of the readers:
" 'English pronunciation has various components such as sounds, stress and variation in pitch, and the learner needs to understand the function of these as well as their form. Once learners are aware that English words have a stress pattern, that words can be pronounced in slightly different ways, that the pitch of the voice can be used to convey meaning, then will know what to pay attention to and can build upon this basic awareness'Learners'need to develop a concern for pronunciation. They must recognize that poor, unintelligible speech will make their attempts at conversing frustrating and unpleasant both for themselves and for their listeners"
[From Teaching English Pronunciation(1987) by Joanne Kenworthy]
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