5 Tips to Master Tricky Pronunciation in a Foreign Language

Angela Brumett PhD | Parlay Vacay Special Series for Springboard | Exclusive offers for Springboard

Paying attention really pays off.

Clear pronunciation is key to being understood. Being understood is key to communicating successfully. Successful communication in a foreign language reinforces the learning of that language.

Focus on being clear, not on your accent.

1. Forget your accent-- at least for now.

Focus on being understandable, not on your accent.

Focusing on accent must not come ahead of the task of developing pronunciation skills for clear communication.

Achieving clear pronunciation in a new language does not mean losing your own accent. Words pronounced correctly will be better understood more often, and this should be your goal.

2. Learn to use the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).

See what they're saying?

The International Phonetic Alphabet is used to transcribe sounds. When you become familiar with the IPA, you can "see" the correct pronunciation of words even if you can't yet always hear the subtler sounds.

Relax and accept that understanding every word you hear is not the goal in learning clear pronunciation of every word you say.

3. Just listen--really listen--to how native speakers sound.

Don't worry about what they say. Focus on how they sound when they say it.

Sometimes learners quit listening when they don't understand everything because they become too frustrated. This is a huge mistake.

Instead, relax and accept that understanding every word you hear comes with time and is not the goal in learning pronunciation.

Of course, it is more challenging to pronounce words you've rarely or never heard or don't remember hearing. Your brain may not have enough information yet to allow you to hear these words in your head.

The importance of just listening to native speech cannot be underestimated. Think about it: Babies listen a lot before they ever speak a lot.

Of course, babies have more time to listen and less pressure to speak than we do; however, as much as possible, allow yourself this luxury even if you just listen to one chapter in an audio book during your commute to work. Don't focus on anything related to the meaning of the words, just allow yourself to listen to how they sound.

4. Learn minimal pairs using rhyme.

Rhyming or otherwise comparing difficult words or syllables with those you can already say (in any language) is your secret weapon.

Minimal pairs are pairs of words which sound very much alike except for one subtle sound like "sit" and "set." Learning to pronounce these words--or even just syllables--correctly means first being able to hear the differences.

A shortcut to learning a "difficult" pronunciation is to compare more familiar words that have the same sound. Words that rhyme with one or more syllable in the new word are especially useful for this.

For example, many of my English learners have difficulty with the differentiation of "sit," "set," and "sat." They say they can't hear any difference, so, as a result, they think they can't say them differently either. They may even avoid speaking these words, which means they don't learn how to say them clearly from trial and error either.

To remedy this, I bring it to their attention that "sit" rhymes with "it," one of the most common words in the English language and "fit" like "Does it fit you?" because most of them go shopping for clothes.

"Set" rhymes with "met" like in "I met my new teacher yesterday" and "His favorite music is heavy metal." Set also rhymes with "let" as in "Let's go!"

Finally, "sat" rhymes with "cat," one of their favorite animals, or "at" like "I'm at school."

For most of them them, "it," "fit." "met," "metal," "let," "cat," and "at." are all easy words, so I connect the level of comfort associated with these to escalate their mastery of "sit," "set," and "sat."

Say "It, fit, sit! Met, let, set! Cat, at, sat!"

Then create funny or otherwise memorable sentences using them together to help remember their associations: He met a girl who tried on a set of heavy metal T-shirts while he sat with her cat. One fit so she bought it.

Bonus Tip: Be sure to count the number of syllables in the correct pronunciation of a word, and make sure you're uttering the same number of syllables when you say it.

5. Now it's time for you to make some real noise.

Watch their mouths then watch yours.

Watch the mouths of native speakers when we speak. Take advantage of videos online dedicated to teaching the correct pronunciation of words in the language. Carefully observe the detailed demonstrations of the position of the tongue and lips. Use a mirror to correct the positions of your tongue and lips.

Mimic them.

Try this during your listening exercises. Even if you don't understand a phrase you hear, stop listening just for a moment and try mimicking the sounds. Pay special attention to which syllables and words are stressed as well as to the cadence or rhythm. It may help to mimic everything about the speaker including their attitude or gestures.

Do whatever helps even if it makes you feel ridiculous: your goal and how you will feel when you achieve it is far more important.

An exercise in exaggerated pronunciation is necessary to teach your mouth to make new sounds.

Overdo it: Make practicing pronunciation fun--or funny.

To more rapidly develop useful second language speaking skills, you must be willing to look silly.

One trick to mastering new pronunciation is to first exaggerate it. Go further than the sound actually requires.

If a sound is nasal, make it even more so by sounding like you have a cold in your nose. If a sound requires a slight pop of air, blow harder when you practice it. Don't focus on accuracy now. An exercise in exaggerated pronunciation is necessary to teach your mouth to make new sounds.

Finally, all it's really about is being understood.

Because effective communication is the #1 priority when learning to speak a foreign language, correct pronunciation is crucial. Achieving correct pronunciation means adapting to making sounds and using our facial muscles in ways different from the ones we're accustomed to.

The good news is that any challenging aspects of pronouncing new words can be overcome if you know some really handy tricks-- like these we've shared with you here. Of course, there are many more useful techniques to explore with our trained language coaches, but these five are an excellent start.

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