6 Pronunciation strategies

Fact:  Foreign language learners have lots of problems with pronunciation because of some factors such as native language factor (mother tongue, interference), age, environment, personality, etc. affect their motivation in learning. Rivers (1986:125) urges that many beginners have a great difficulty in understanding what they are trying to say, not because of their lack of knowledge of vocabulary and language structure, but because the sounds they produce seemed peculiar and the voice rose and fell in unexpected places.

1- The parrot approach As with any language skill, practice is key. For pronunciation, the more focused listening and repetition a learner does, the more comfortable they become with the phonics and sound patterns of the language. Listen-and-repeat exercises can be done with any medium, from traditional language learning CDs to TV, movies, and song lyrics. Podcasts about language study or any other topic are especially helpful. Listening carefully to repeated phrases 5 to 10 times. Use audio and video to help you. Then, try saying the phrase correctly in chorus with the recording. Repeat each of the phrases 10 times or more if needed.

2- Mind the stress The English language is one that stresses words (“BROC-co-li”; “trans-por-TA-tion”). It is the instinct of native English speakers to use our own framework of stress patterns when we learn new words. However, we can’t project our own assumptions about rhythm onto foreign language. Some languages have different stress patterns while many do not use stress at all. When learning the new vocabulary of a foreign language, it is important to be mindful of stress, or absence of stress, in new words. It helps neutralize our own British accent and start adopting the accent of your target language. 

3- Practice in context To practice the pronunciation of a word or phrase, it’s best to review it on its own and in the context of a full sentence. The reason? Some word pairings will subtly alter pronunciation. Mastering these pairings is a key component in emulating a native accent. The English language is full of words whose pronunciation changes slightly with context, depending on the type of English accent. For example, the word “will” has a definitive "i" sound, but in the phrase “will you,” the "i" tends to become a "oo" as in “wool.”

4- Record yourself After using all of these tools, students can record their speaking exercises and listen back. The mistakes learners make are often not conscious. They tend to be the product of those deep-seated patterns of our native tongue, such as stress and inflection. Listening to oneself is a good way to hone in on strengths and weaknesses. Most smartphones come with a built-in voice memo app, and websites like Audacity and Vocaroo let users make audio files for free.

 5- Watch  TV or internet programs in that language Briefly, Kenworthy (1987:6) mentions that exposure can be a contributory factor, but it cannot be a whole and necessary factor for the development of pronunciation.  The best ways of being exposed would be native speakers, videos shows, films, cds, radio or TV programs, computer-assisted language teaching programs, and etc. Also, the amount of exposure is crucial and it must make the students creative and active, not passive and dull. 

6- Find a friend or make a friend who is a native and have conversations with them  This is best for learning and after this is done you will become more familiar with the language and at least "high beginner to intermediate" level. Ask the tutor to help you with pronunciation and conversational grammar. Also, don't be ashamed to allow other people to correct you if you pronounce something wrong. No one knows everything. You can record the sessions if possible and take notes.