7 tips for improving your English pronunciation
If you’ve been learning English for a long or even a short time you have notice already that one of the most difficult aspects is PRONUNCIATION.
But despair not :). There are Learning Techniques and Practices that help us master the English Pronunciation in time (The English Standard Pronunciation given by the British or American Dictionary).
I am happy to share with you below 7 Tips
1 - Listen!
Listen! Listening to examples of authentic speech always helps.
While listening, try to notice the intonation that people use. If you watch a video pay also attention to the facial movements (lips, mouth, teeth, cheeks, etc).
Have a look at the links below and see which MOVIE is best for you, to help you learn language in context and improve your pronunciation while enjoying.
10 Best Movies to learn english with
10 Amazing Movies to Learn English
70 Best Movies to Learn English From
SONGS are also a great way to develop your English Pronunciation
10 of the Best Songs for Learning English
Here’s is a great website that helps you practice your English Listening Skills and improve your Pronunciation with fun song quizzes.
PODCASTS are also extremely helpful for Language learning and not only. Podcasts are a great way to learn English. Not only can you hear real English conversations, so you can tell how words are pronounced, but you can listen to them anywhere, and pause or rewind them whenever you like — you can really learn your way!
2. Practice 'shadowing'.
Shadowing means listening to a short sentence or phrase, and then repeating it afterwards, trying to imitate the sounds, intonation and word stress and noticing how your mouth and tongue move when you speak.
More Sources on SHADOWING:
3. Record yourself.
Listen back and make a note of any sounds that you have problems with – practice these words / sounds slowly and then record yourself again. Can you notice an improvement?
4. Learn the phonemic chart.
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a visual representation of different sounds.
It might look strange and it might feel like you are learning a whole new language, but it can really help you with pronunciation. All dictionaries have a phonetic transcription of words so that you know how to pronounce them. This is really helpful with English because as we have already seen, English spelling doesn’t always correspond with its pronunciation.
5. Use a dictionary
There are lots of online dictionaries where you can click and listen to the word being spoken You will also have the phonetic transcription of the word.
The Ponemic Chart helps you ‘see’ the sounds. Each symbol represents a sound. It’s of great help especially if you are a visual learner. The symbols help you understand better the correlation between sounds and letters.
Some useful online Dictionaries:
6. Be kind to yourself and patient.
Remember:
* Progress takes time
* Mistakes are part of the learning process.
7. Find the right Tutor for you.
Professial guidance can help you make progress faster in a joyful way.
