Pronunciation | Basics of Spoken English
Pronunciation – Effective English pronunciation ensures that your spoken words are easily understood by others. This involves producing clear and accurate sounds for words.
English, as a language, presents a challenge in predicting pronunciation solely based on the written form of a word.
Importance of correct pronunciation
The necessity and importance of correct pronunciation can be attributed to the following reasons:
First impression
When you meet someone and initiate a conversation, the individual is unlikely to focus on your grammar or vocabulary. At that moment, pronunciation becomes the key determinant of your first impression.
Communication
If your English grammar is not strong, you can still manage by using simple grammatical structures. Even if your vocabulary is limited, you can use straightforward words. However, if your pronunciation is not accurate, it becomes a significant issue, and you may encounter difficulties during communication with others.
Is Your pronunciation?
You might think that you can speak in your class, with teachers, and also with your friends, so your pronunciation is good. However, since English is a foreign language for us, your pronunciation may seem okay to you, but the reality is that it might not be accurate.
What’s good English pronunciation? (Standard English pronunciation)
Good English pronunciation means that whatever you are speaking, other people can understand very easily.
It is not necessary that your pronunciation should be like the American style. There are two types of pronunciation: Americans pronounce in a different way, and British people speak in a different way.
If you want to understand standard English pronunciation, then you have to watch CNN, BBC, and similar TV channels for English pronunciation.
Learning the pronunciation
To pronounce words, we push air from our lungs upward through our throat and vocal cords, then out through our mouth past our tongue and between our teeth and lips.
To alter the sound we produce, we primarily use the muscles of our mouth, tongue, and lips to regulate the shape of our mouth and the airflow.
When we can effectively control the shape of our mouth and the airflow, our pronunciation becomes clearer, and others can understand us more easily.
What is Word Stress?
Word stress is fundamental to understanding spoken English. A word consists of multiple syllables, and when we emphasize a syllable while pronouncing it, that is referred to as word stress.
What are Syllables?
| WORD | SYLLABLE | Number of Syllables |
|---|---|---|
| Cup | Cup | 1 |
| Home | Home | 1 |
| Table | Tab-le | 2 |
| Open | Op-en | 2 |
| Occasionally | O-cca-sion-al-ly | 5 |
Upon careful observation, you will notice that in every syllable, there is one vowel or vowel sound.
In English speech, understanding word stress is crucial for achieving good pronunciation, a feature not present in every language. Unlike languages such as Japanese and French, where syllables are given equal weight, English requires attention to word stress for effective pronunciation.
For example:
PHO TO GRAPH In this word, there are three syllables, but when pronouncing “PHO,” stress is required.
PHO TO GRAPH ER In this word, which has four syllables, stress is placed on “TO.”
Americans particularly emphasize word stress, and by paying attention to it during English speaking, one can enhance their pronunciation skills.
Pronunciation Games Online
Rules of Words Stress in English
First and foremost, it’s important to note that there can only be one stress in a word. The stress typically falls on a vowel, not a consonant.
How to pronounce the words correctly?
English is not a phonetic language, which means that the pronunciation of a word cannot be determined solely by its spelling. Some words share the same spelling but have different pronunciations based on context.
Examples:
- I refuse to lead (pronounced “leed”) the team.
- The pencil has a soft lead (pronounced “led”).
Similarly, certain words have different spellings but are pronounced the same.
Examples:
- He read (pronounced “reed”) the entire novel.
- The weather is red (pronounced “red”) today.
Pronunciation errors are common in English due to its non-phonetic nature. The English alphabet consists of 26 letters, including five vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and 21 consonants.
To enhance your pronunciation skills, carefully follow the rules provided below in Hindi.
HINDI
Pronunciation Of Vowels
Vowels(swar) A, E, I, O, U
- A= ऑ, आ
| All | ऑल | सब |
| Wall | वॉल | दीवार |
| Call | कॉल | बुलाना |
| Small | स्माल | छोटा |
| Stall | स्टॉल | मेले की दुकान |
| Car | कार | गाड़ी |
- A= ऐ
| An | ऐन | एक |
| Can | कैन | बाल्टी |
| Fan | फैन | पंखा |
| Cat | कैट | बिल्ली |
- A = ( एअ )
| Care | केयर | परवाह |
| Mare | मेयर | घोड़ी |
| Fare | फेयर | किराया |
| Dare | डेयर | साहस करना |
- A ( Long pronunciation )
यदि A के आगे Y या I का प्रयोग हो तो A का pronunciation ए के समान हो जाता है,परंतु यह ए का Long pronunciation होता है |
| Day | बे |
| Say | डे |
| Rain | (रेन) |
| Stain | स्टेन |
| Brain | (ब्रेन) |
| मेल | |
| Sail | सेल |
| Play | प्ले |
| Way | वे |
यदि “A” के आगे कोई Consonant और फिर “e” रखा हो, तो “A” का pronunciation ए के समान हो जाता है।
| Cake | केक |
| Late | लेट |
| Mate | मेट |
| Rate | रेट |
| Fate | फेट |
| Plate | प्लेट |
| Grape | ग्रेप |
| Brave | ब्रेव |
| Frame | फ्रेम |
| Same | सेम |
2. Rules of E pronunciation:-
E = ए ( small pronunciation )
| Jet | जेट |
| Met | मेट |
| Pen | पेन |
| Set | सेट |
| Men | मेन |
| Hen | हेन |
Ee = ई ( Long pronunciation )
| Bee | बी |
| Tree | ट्री |
| See | सी |
| Free | फ्री |
E/eA = इ (Small pronunciation)
| Dead | डेड |
| Read | रीड |
| Lead | लीड |
| Head | हेड |
| Bread | ब्रेड |
E/eA = इ (Small pronunciation)
When “E” comes at the end, it has no pronunciation. Here are some examples:
| Bite | बाइट |
| Dare | डेयर |
| Rake | रेक |
| Time | टाइम |
| Wise | वाइज़ |
