Being fluent in a language means understanding others and being understood as you speak the language. To improve this skill, it is essential to learn English pronunciation effectively.
However, as a non-native achieving this involves a lot of work. This is because English has its own intonation and and music.
It requires the learner have a clear understanding of the concept of phonology and be able to explain how the International Phonetic Alphabet system works.
This is what makes harder learning English pronunciation.
But, luckily, you don’t have to go through all this.
There is a solution:
In this post you’ll know exactly:
- What practices help learn English pronunciation Faster and Easier
- What listening resources truly help master English pronunciation;
- How repetition can be a powerful learning technique
- How behaving like a creasy helps be familiar with English sounds.
Best Practices that help Learn English Pronunciation Faster and Easily
#1: Make use of available listening tools
Listening resources like audiobooks, learning apps and others, are extremely important to enhance your listening skills as a second language learner.
Take advantage of “dead time” listening to English from these power tools.
Here are 2 things to consider before practicing listening:
- Make sure that the topic you are going to listen is familiar for you.
- The language of the content will be accessible for you to understand.
If you miss this, everything you do about the listening will be useless.
Take this as a warning.
#2: Be conscious as you practice
To learn effectively the pronunciation of a new language item, you need first to learn every single sound of that item.
How can you do this?
Here is how:
- Slow down your usual pace of speaking.
- Give yourself extra time to think about the sound of the word you are trying to learn
- Drill the sounds one by one after you’ve internalized them
#3: Record yourself
Sounds awkward?
You are completely right. Some people feel aversion toward hearing their voice or watching themselves speak.
But they shouldn’t feel like that, because when you hear or watch yourself speak, 2 important things happen;
- You can analyze your speech and find spots where you might be speaking too fast or too slow and the adjust you pace.
- It serves as a self-reflection because it can allow you observe your body language, specially your facial expression. This, will help you build confidence in the real life conversation with a partner.
So, don’t miss this technique. Prepare a few sentences and record yourself saying them then listen to the recording.
It’s simple. Just use your mobile phone or other device.
What listening resources help learn English pronunciation?
Which tools help learn English pronunciation? In which way can they impact on how to become fluent in English and achieve fluency?
I know.
You aren’t alone with this problem.
Learning English pronunciation is a daunting matter as a non-native speaker.
To be able to succeed in this adventure, you need to know the right learning techniques.
And the question is:
What techniques lead to improving English pronunciation?
In this article you will know:
- What to listen to in order to learn English pronunciation;
- How repetition can be a powerful learning technique
- How behaving like a creasy helps be familiar with English sounds.
What other Listening Resources Help Learn English Pronunciation?
In edition to the tools suggested earlier, there is a wide range of other listening resources which include:
- BBC Learning English: https://www.youtube.com/user/bbclearningenglish -where you find a lot English learning channels with different topics.
- Podcasts: podcasts are good English listening resources where you can learn pronunciation the popular ones being: “Radiolab” : https://radiolab.org/podcast/shell-game
Like you tube and podcasts, you can use these apps to improve your listening skills. One English language learning App, you don’t want to miss, is “Duolingo”,
Duolingo is great English language learning tool for practicing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
#1: How to get the App to Learn English Pronunciation?
All you need to do to use this free mobile app, is go to “play store” to download and install it on your mobile phone. By doing so, you can practice English pronunciation and other skills as you play.
Apart from Duolingo, there are many other English learning Apps playing the same role
Here is how it looks like after you’ve install it:
Source: Google.com
How to use this app?
Click on the “get started” field and then “next”.
By clicking “next” in the search field, you are invited to answer some question the first question.
The first question is very important because it’s here where you select your mother tongue and the language you want to learn, which by default happens to be English:
#2: Learn English pronunciation tricks: what to do next?
After selecting the language you speak, and that you aim to learn –which happens to be English, what comes next is say how you did get to know the app:
What I love with this app is that you can customize it in accordance with the level you desire.
So, after you say how you came across the app, it’s time to customize it; and when you are done with the customization, the other thing you will do is set the purpose of learning English language
After doing so, click “next” you will be asked set the time you intend to spend practicing the language daily.
Select the time and then click next.
Once you are done with this, the last stage is just to conform how much English you know.
This stage is crucial because the answer you provide here will determine the English content you will be going for in your lessons. but you can change this any time.
#3: What language learning activities you do you expect to practice with Duolingo?
Duolingo is an undoubtedly all-in-one language learning app; here you find the skills you need to learn English language.
The App enhance you practice language learning skills through learning activities which include listening; learning sentence structure; practicing meanings; exercising speaking and reading skills.
How Drilling Can Help you Learn English Pronunciation?
Repetition is equally a great learning technique that successful language learners use to master pronunciation.
The strategy is to practice how to pronounce the words you come across while reading or listening so as to encourage your articulation system to produce the sounds.
What actual action you need to take?
Drill the sound of the word you are targeting.
The technique can be effective to some learners, but it might not work for others
Why does the technique work for some learners and doesn’t for others?
Want to know the answer?
Obviously it’s due to lack of consciousness to what is being repeated.
Let me put it this way:
Repetition, as a learning strategy, comprises two forms, namely:
Active repetition and
Non-active repetition.
What is the difference between them?
Let us start with the later.
English learners that attempt to master the language through non-active repetition method generally end up not achieving what they intend to lean.
Why this does happen?
Simple:
They are not actively thinking of what they are repeating.
In the active repetition learners are consciously thinking of the phonological aspects of what is being repeated, as a result they learn effectively the language items they are practicing.
Contrarily, the same doesn’t happen with non-active repetition. This sort of technique even if the learner insists drilling they can’t succeed simply because they are not particularly thinking of the sounds of the language item. To learn more about the importance of drilling visit: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/teachers/knowing-subject/articles/drilling- 1
How Acting like a “Crazy” Can Help be Familiar with English Sound Patterns?
Everyone knows that to learn a language you need to do a lot of practice. What most people ignore however, is how speaking by yourself, like a mad, can help you achieve fluency in English language.
While practicing English alone sometimes you need to behave like a mad. i.e. you need to “think aloud” or Speak on your own in front of a mirror.
Learn English Pronunciation: How can that work?
Good question:
Pick a topic.
For example you could describe things or a situation that happened the day before, things that are happening now and that are going to happen.
As you can see, this implies using past tense, present tense and future which is good.
Do this in front of a mirror to see the real movement your mouth make as you utter the words.
During the exercise try to be proactive. Imagine you are with your English conversational partner and start a dialogue with them;
- Be realistic, as much as you can and carry out a conversation;
- Ask yourself questions basing on the issues that have happened, happen and are going to happen and answer them aloud.
- Do anything with the word, or language item you are practicing the pronunciation. Play with it or even sing a song involving the language item.
Why should you do this kind of exercise?
- It allows you be familiar with the English sounds;
- It encourages you practice sentence structures, as you are free to say whatever you feel like saying in your utterance.
In short, the aim of this exercise is to practice pronunciation. To learn more on this topic check this: https://keithspeakingacademy.com/practice-speaking-english-alone-free/
What Listening Resources Help Learn English Pronunciation?
I understand.
It’s a daunting task.
In short, you need to know the right learning techniques and do a lot of practices to achieve this, but with the tricks on how to become fluent in English, you’ve gone through and the resources I’ve listed out, practicing pronunciation won’t be so hard. have a question? We’ve covered you.
Find answers to your questions in our FAQs on the contact page. And in case you want to read all the articles in one, read the Blog.