How can language learners improve their pronunciation in English?

Posts0Likes0Joined8/7/2018LocationIT
Native
Russian, Swedish
Other English, Finnish, Italian

In the process of learning language ( English) you can face to some problems. Even if your vocabulary and English grammar are perfect, it can still be difficult for people to understand you because of your pronunciation. Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be one of the hardest parts of learning English. So, what can you suggest in order to improve pronunciation skill? 

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#1
Posts0Likes0Joined11/7/2018LocationManila / PH
Native
Tagalog
Learning English, Korean

1. Listen and repeat. :) There are tons of materials you can use for this. For audio books, I recommend American Accent Training by Ann Cook and Barron's Guide to Pronunciation. You may also want to check out Lisa Mojsin on YouTube. She has amazing videos.


2. Record yourself. The way to get better is simply through practice. You can up the effectiveness of this by recording yourself so you can assess how you *really* sound.


3. Find an environment where you can talk in English freely. Both my kids learned English first and Tagalog next. We had a rule in our house -- English at home, Tagalog outside. This helped them master both languages. They have to speak straight English at home so they're so used to it they even fight in English. But they're also fluent in Tagalog because that's the language they use to interact with people outside of our home.


I used to be a Voice and Accent trainer so if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message. I also have tons of materials I can share. :)

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ikay

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#2
Posts0Likes0Joined10/7/2018LocationBinan City / PH
Native
Tagalog
Other English

Listen, observe and practice constantly or speak the words daily. If you don't know the pronunciation of a certain word, you can search the net and you'll be guided with the correct one.


In my case, I use the English language in conversing with my kids to improve my pronunciation and all. :)

Edzky-18

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#3
Posts0Likes0Joined8/7/2018Location
Native
English
Learning Spanish
Other French, German

Not certain if this will work well for people learning English as a language, but i used to work as a training manager for a customer service company, when people had issues with being heard clearly over the phones i would get them to practice over enunciating syllables in a mirror and get them to watch themselves.


I was trying to find an image to go with this, but then i found an even better explanation - https://www.wikihow.com/Enunciate


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#4
Posts0Likes0Joined11/7/2018LocationManila / PH
Native
Tagalog
Learning English, Korean

Greg.Jones wrote:
Not certain if this will work well for people learning English as a language, but i used to work as a training manager for a customer service company, when people had issues with being heard clearly over the phones i would get them to practice over enunciating syllables in a mirror and get them to watch themselves.
I was trying to find an image to go with this, but then i found an even better explanation - https://www.wikihow.com/Enunciate


We do this during training. :) Some sounds can only be produced if you're using the correct parts of your mouth so we do this so they can see if the shape of their mouths is correct or to see where their tongues are.  

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ikay

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#5
Posts0Likes0Joined10/7/2018Location

I’m a native English speaker, and I think the absolute best way to get better pronunciation/accent is to talk to other English speakers! I have many bilingual friends who have less-than-perfect pronunciation. When they talk to me, they let me correct their pronunciation. It makes them learn proper pronunciation, and it’s fun for me to help them out! 

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#6
Posts0Likes0Joined8/7/2018LocationIT
Native
Russian, Swedish
Other English, Finnish, Italian

Jessica.Moreno wrote:
Greg.Jones wrote:
Not certain if this will work well for people learning English as a language, but i used to work as a training manager for a customer service company, when people had issues with being heard clearly over the phones i would get them to practice over enunciating syllables in a mirror and get them to watch themselves.
I was trying to find an image to go with this, but then i found an even better explanation - https://www.wikihow.com/Enunciate

We do this during training. :) Some sounds can only be produced if you're using the correct parts of your mouth so we do this so they can see if the shape of their mouths is correct or to see where their tongues are.
I agree. I listen to songs in English every day and I can't repeat the words the way a native speaker would pronounce them. But knowing where to put the tongue would probably help. 

Same goes for English speakers when they speak a foreign language. Even if they hear the right pronouciation they can't repeat it the same way, at least not immediately.



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#7
Posts0Likes0Joined11/7/2018LocationManila / PH
Native
Tagalog
Learning English, Korean

Singing is a great way to get learn a language though. :)

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ikay

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#8
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