Pronunciation is a fundamental factor in learning English. It’s the first thing I practiced when I learned English five years ago. It’s the foundation for other skills in English. Here are some ways I improve my pronunciation, and you can use them too.
1, International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
It’s so essential, but It’s obviously crucial. You can learn on Youtube. There are many foreign teachers teaching IPA on the internet. I believe that IPA is the first thing you have to know in English. Don’t waste your time learning something else if you haven’t completed this course.
In my case, I was not a good learner. I spent two months studying IPA. It was so hard the first time. I drank a lot of water when practicing it. In the end, my effort paid off. By the way, I think you might need a teacher to correct your pronunciation when you first start it.
2, Listen, read, and record
You pick up some simple sentences. You paste them on Google Translate. You listen to them. And then, you read and record yourself. You fix your mistakes and keep practicing. Time goes on. You will see your huge improvement.
3, Talk to yourself every day
People sometimes tell me, “You are crazy, Helen. You talk to yourself, right?”. But I don’t care. My pronunciation has been improved so much through this method. I can practice all day when I don’t have a partner to learn English together. It’s very convenient for me.
4, Make a conversation with others
If you have a partner to talk to, you will improve fast because your partner will give feedback to you. The truth is, we learn English to communicate with others. When I was a tour guide for foreigners in Saigon, this time was my turning point in perfecting my pronunciation. I spoke and saw my tourists’ reaction. When they understood me, I knew that my pronunciation was clear. If not, I practiced again.
5, You need a role model
My teacher Mia was my role model. I very much admired her pronunciation. I learned from Ellen DeGeneres on TV and tried to copy her sounds. Now, Rosé BLACKPINK is my model. I love her pronunciation and her accent. I absorb her pronunciation whenever I watch her interviews. It’s so cool. When you are so passionate about someone’s voice, you will learn so fast.
6, Bonus: You need time
It’s not an overnight success. It would help if you had time to speak naturally. When your interaction is not good, you need to translate from Vietnamese to English. You sometimes talk with terrible pronunciation. But don’t worry, you need time. Every English learner has been through this journey. When your pronunciation is better day after day, you will be more confident speaking English.
Pronunciation is always my favorite topic. I think having good pronunciation makes me love English more and more. I hope I can give you some little information above. So, let’s get started!
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