Learn English Pronunciation

Pronunciation can be a tricky matter when it comes to the English language. Unlike with languages like Hindi and Tamil, letters in English take on multiple phonetic forms (think of the a in‘can’and the a in‘war’); thus, the concept of pronouncing a word the way it is spelled does not apply. This is partly the result of derivation; English is a derivative language. It means that many of its words and phrases have been borrowed from other languages (cafe, boutique, cocoa).

The unpredictability that results from being a derivative language, makes pronunciation in English difficult to master. A written course is possibly the least helpful way to go about it. It is through continued contact with English speakers and practice that one’s pronunciation improves. Watching English-language films, TV shows, and news channels is also very useful. Both methods, however, require conscious effort. One must pay close attention while conversing with someone who is fluent and while watching English-language film or TV productions, and through practice, make correct-sounding speech a matter of habit.

There are, however, some guidelines that we can provide on pronunciation that should help in giving you an idea of the contours of spoken English:

Regarding Consonants

B

Usually pronounced like the ‘b’ in ‘big’. However, in words ending with ‘-mb’, such as comb, plumb, numb, bomb, etc, the ‘b’ is silent.

C

Usually pronounced like ‘k’, as in ‘cat’. However, ‘c’ takes on the sound of ‘s’ when it precedes ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’, as in ceiling, cistern, cynic,etc.

-dge

Usually pronounced like ‘j’, as in ‘bridge’.

G

Usually pronounced as in ‘go’. However, before ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’, ‘g’ is often pronounced like ‘j’, as in germ, ginger, gyrate,etc.

-gh

In some words, ‘-gh’ is pronounced like ‘f’, as in laugh. However, in some words it is silent, as in high.

H

For example, ‘head’. However, in a few words, the ‘h’ is silent, as in hour, honour, etc.

K

Generally pronounced like the ‘c’ in ‘cat’. However, when followed by ‘n’, it is usually silent, as in knife,knave, knight, etc.

L

Generally pronounced as in ‘leaf’. However, in a few words, the ‘l’ is silent, especially when followed by ‘k’ and ‘f’, as in talk, walk, half, calf,etc.

S

Generally pronounced as in ‘sun’. However, in some words ‘s’ is pronounced like ‘z’, as in nose, president, etc. In a few words, such as television and azure, ‘s’ takes on a sound generally represented phonetically as ‘zh’.

Th

Generally aspirated, ie, let out with a puff of air, as in think,third, etc. However, in some words, such as this, ‘th’ is not aspirated.

X

Usually pronounced like in box(the sound is–ks). However, when it is the first letter of a word, x is pronounced like ‘z’.

Y

Generally pronounced as in yesterday. In some words, it takes on the sound ‘ee’, as in city. In yet other words, it takes on the sound ‘ai’, as in fly.

Regarding Vowels

A

Before two consonants, ‘a’ is pronounced as in sand. This also applies when it appears before a single consonant at the end of a word, as in fan.

Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘a’ is usually pronounced as in ate (the sound is ey).

Before ‘l’ and after ‘q’ and ‘w’, ‘a’ is usually pronounced as in call(the sound is like ‘aw’). Other examples are squash and wall.

E

Before two consonants and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘e’ is usually pronounced as in desk or ten. This also applies when ‘e’ appears before a single consonant followed by a vowel (ever), although sometimes ‘e’ is pronounced ‘ee’ in such cases, as in even.

At the end of a word, ‘e’ is usually silent, as in ate ,fate, etc; however, at the end of very short words, ‘e’ usually takes on the sound ‘ee’, as in be.

I

Before two consonants and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘i’ is usually pronounced as in fit or fill. However, in some cases, before two consonants, ‘i’ takes on the ‘ai’ sound (rhymes with eye). For example,wild.

Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘i’ generally takes on the ‘ai’ sound, as in eye and tire.

O

Before two consonants in some words and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘o’ takes on the sound ‘aw’, as in rock and not.

In other words, it is pronounced ‘oh’ when it appears before two consonants, as in bolt.

The same applies when it precedes a single consonant followed by a vowel.

U

Before two consonants and before a consonant at the end of a word, ‘u’ usually takes on either the short ‘oo’ sound, as in pull and put, or the blunt ‘uh’, as in duck and jut.

Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘u’ takes on the long ‘oo’ sound, as in June

English Speaking

Speaking English is a challenge for any learner of the language, especially when they’re not well equipped with the vocabulary and the grammar. However, these are obstacles that can easily be crossed with a little bit of effort and participation.

The first step to learning is realising the fact that learning the English language should not be a duty or chore for you; it should be taken as a fascinating hobby that will help you to expand your horizons in many aspects of your life. Don’t take learning as a task; instead enjoy it, and you’ll be able to conquer such obstacles easily.

One of the most important aspects of improving spoken English is to have an extensive vocabulary so that you could express your thoughts clearly and easily. Having a good stock of words would help you to be more precise with your construction and more articulate with your speech.

However, only the knowledge of vocabulary won’t be sufficient in improving your speaking skills. Your sentences might not make sense if you simply do a literal translation of words from your native language into English, without supporting it with proper grammar that must go along with it. Therefore, having knowledge of basic grammar is another very necessary component of improving spoken English.

It is not necessary to have an extensively detailed knowledge of grammar for speaking fluent English. In fact, speaking in absolutely correct grammar may sometimes lead to awkwardness in casual and informal meetings or talks. So, if you are not looking to improve your spoken English for work-related purposes, just having a basic grasp of grammar would be enough to get you started.

Once you have the grammar and the words required, the next step is to be able to convey them to others in a confident and easy manner. For this, you need to believe in yourself, as well as know your limitations at the same time. While you reap the benefits of your learning, also do recognize your limitations in terms of speaking. A simple trick is to keep the sentences short and simple. Also, do not hesitate to ask the other persons for clarification if you do not understand them or you yourself are stuck on a word or two in the middle, and need some help.

Remember that English, just like any other language, may carry more than one meaning in its spoken words. A sentence could be idiomatic or sarcastic or questioning, etc., so you need to pay attention to different tones and stress points to get clues about the hidden meanings. This observational activity would also prepare you to utilise what you learn from here in your future conversations.

Last but not the least, keep practicing.– Speaking English yourself as much as you can and trying to understand the different accents of native English speakers are two things that would take you a long way in retaining what you learnt as well as improving your spoken English skills. Watch English movies, news channels, soap operas, etc. to hear crisp English diction and absorb the different styles of pronunciations. Record yourself having a conversation and compare it with a native speaker’s diction, so that you can recognise your grey areas and act upon them.

Keep in mind that while you are a learner, you still need to follow social norms. Be polite and respectful while talking to others. If you are not sure about the correct ways to address people and respond to them in English, take some time out and learn the necessary phrases and words before you step out into the world.

Once you start following these tips religiously and conversing in English regularly, you will surely notice a significant improvement in your spoken English skills!

Improve Spoken English

The English language is spoken in many nations including India. Speaking the language fluently allows one to feel confident while communicating or interacting with different people. Not being fluent in English often leads to embarrassing situations for us; we feel unsure of ourselves and that only makes things worse.Here are a few ways that can help overcome the fear, and become confident in speaking English:

1. Ever wondered why you are so fluent with your mother tongue? It is because you speak and hear the language more often. What does this suggest? The first and the most crucial step to improve spoken English is to speak it as often as you can. Speak in English with friends, family, relatives, etc. Do not worry about making mistakes. In fact, encourage people around you to correct you as often as they can. This will help you speak correct English and boost your confidence.
2. Feeling under confident forces us to speak rapidly because we stumble with words or feel unsure about the pronunciation. Do not let this happen, it shows anxiety and the other person will struggle to understand what you are saying. Speak at a comfortable pace and pronounce your words correctly. There’s is no reason to feel shy or intimidated. We all make mistakes and the only way to learn is to practice and have others correct us.
3. Use a dictionary to learn new words or to find out the meaning of a word you may have heard. Make a list and use these words as often as you can.
4. Read books, newspapers and magazines. This will allow you to understand the language better and help you learn new words to widen your vocabulary.
5. Watch English movies, preferably with subtitles. This, too, will aid you in understanding the language better.
6. Read one article out aloud every day, and if possible ask someone to listen and correct you. Focus on speed, clarity and correct pronunciation.
7. Record your own voice and listen to it. This will help you gain confidence and work on your mistakes.
8. Try and find a partner who is also interested in improving his/her spoken English. Practice together, correct each other and learn together.
9. Think in English, instead of translating sentences from other languages that you’re familiar with. Doing this leads to grammatical mistakes and deteriorates the quality of your spoken English.
10. Join an online English learning course. Such a programme provides you with the right content and opportunities to practice with other users. Besides this, your answers are corrected and proper feedback is provided.

10 Tips for speaking English

1. The first thing I would do after getting up every morning was read the newspaper, front to back. It doesn’t matter which newspaper you subscribe to, as long as it is a major English-language paper, such as The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, etc. While different people have different opinions on the quality of each paper, they are all more or less equally useful in getting to learn the language. It is also not necessary to read every page and article; it is time-consuming and, sometimes, boring. However, you should most definitely look for articles that interest you.

2. I bought a pocket dictionary. They are cheap, compact and useful. There were many words I came across on a day-to-day basis that I did not know, and carrying a pocket dictionary everywhere allowed me to look up these words immediately so that the matter would not slip off my mind later.

3. Once learned, I also made a conscious effort to use the words in conversation. This instilled the words in my head and I was able to draw on them whenever required.

4. I convinced some of my friends to come together and form something of a ‘study group’; we were all interested in learning English, and I figured it would make it easier and more fun for us to do it together. We met twice a week in the evening and discussed the words and phrases we had come across, suggested articles, magazines, and books to each other, etc.

5. Another thing my group of friends and I kept in mind was the importance oftalking only in English, whenever possible. During our weekly meetings, not a word of Hindi (the only other language any of us spoke) was uttered. This sort of commitment is absolutely necessary if you want to develop fluency.

6. A couple of weeks into my learning experience, a friend talked about the issue of language of thoughts during one of our meetings. This, too, is an interesting aspect of one’s linguistic foundations: what language do you think in? I realised that I thought in Hindi, and thus whenever I spoke in English, I was, in a way, translating in my head. This made the entire process slower and more laborious. So I decided to start making a conscious effort to think in English. When I spoke in Hindi, I was often trying to figure out beforehand what the phrase would be in English before I said it. This takes some getting used to, but soon you will find it becoming a second nature; the phrases will come faster and easier then.

7. I made it a point to pick up at least one English book a month. I cannot stress the importance of this enough; books introduce you to the possibilities of the language, expose you to the various ways in which words can be manipulated and played around with. Your vocabulary of words, phrases, colloquialisms, etc. will increase sharply this way. Also, reading develops thinking, i.e., as you read, you automatically begin to think more in the language that your reading material is written in.

8. Every night I would watch an English news channel (NDTV, Headlines Today, CNN-IBN, etc.) for at least half an hour. The news anchors and reporters generally speak very crisp and proper English. It is also useful to watch English TV shows.

9. My friends and I would rent the DVD of an English movie every week, and watch it with the subtitles on. This way, you can always make out what the actors are saying, and the context of the movie helps you understand what unfamiliar phrases might mean.

10. I developed the habit of paying close attention whenever I was within listening distance of a conversation in English. This may seem like eavesdropping, but when someone is speaking loud enough in public for others to hear him or her, it is unlikely that anything very personal is being discussed. At least, I defended my practice with that rationale, because it helped me pick up common phrases on a daily basis