Unfortunately, correct English pronunciation is uncommon, even among teachers of a foreign language. This is due to the inherently irrational choice of teaching methodology. Many people still give preference to the grammar-translation system, which consists in the mechanical memorization of words and learning the rules. In fact, to train English pronunciation is necessary from the very beginning of acquaintance with a foreign language in translate app for mac.
Otherwise, it will be quite difficult to correct the errors that set in.
Recommendations for beginners
1. The main thing is to practice regularly. You do not need to spend several hours every day to study phonetics and practice. If you devote at least half an hour a day to lessons, you will soon notice positive results.
2. Do not limit yourself to textbooks and computer resources. Try to think creatively about the task at hand. Many experts say that even singing in a foreign language helps to improve English pronunciation.
3. Use a dictaphone. Listening to small texts recorded by native speakers, try to repeat the speech as accurately as possible. This is necessary to improve your intonation, which differs significantly from the Russian one. Do such a simple exercise at least a couple of times a week.
4. Watch movies and TV shows. Listen to how the person on the screen pronounces consonant and vowel sounds, which syllables especially stand out in his speech. You should also pay attention to the shape of the mouth of the presenter or actor during a conversation or monologue.
5. Listen to the radio. The benchmark of quality English pronunciation is undoubtedly the BBC.
6. If possible, be sure to involve a family member or friend. It will allow you not only to practice the skills of speaking, but also to notice the errors in pronunciation.
7. Practice in front of a mirror. While studying phonetics you will realize that the pronunciation of sounds that are seemingly identical in Russian and English is dramatically different. You will have to constantly monitor the position of your lips and tongue.
8. Use several proven sources of information. Be sure to combine textbooks and Internet resources, communication with real people and video lessons. Also, you may be interested in short phrases, which will help you to develop the necessary speed of pronunciation without losing quality.
9. Choose only one pronunciation variant. There are many variants of the English language: American, English, Australian, and so on. In terms of “correctness,” Oxford and Cambridge English can be considered the optimal solution. Having studied one accent in detail, move on to the next. It is not a good idea to study several variants at the same time.
10. Read aloud. Especially useful in this regard a variety of dialogs (allows you to train intonation).
11 Pay attention to the accent. Note that the English pronunciation can mean the presence of two accents in the same word.
12. When learning new words, memorize them immediately with the correct pronunciation and accent. Under no circumstances do not think to write down the pronunciation in Russian letters: this step will make all your efforts fruitless.
13. Learn to write a transcription. Many textbooks have an audio course with phonetic dictations. Don’t neglect this monotonous but incredibly useful exercise: working on your mistakes will definitely help you learn not only to speak beautifully, but also to understand your interlocutor better. You will no longer confuse words that are pronounced almost identically.