The Importance of Proper Pronunciation

Rich vocabulary and knowledge of grammar rules is what most people see as essential for being capable of communicating in English. And while there is certainly some truth in these words – after all, there is no doubt that knowledge of language structure and material is crucial in communication – they most definitely cannot be applied to all situations. The video below humorously illustrates this point:

Being able to properly pronounce words and understand other speakers can be of critical importance in certain situations, as we could see in the case of the not-so-talented communication officer in the video. Now, granted, not many life situations are as important as understanding an SOS message, but good pronunciation can contribute a lot to leaving a good first impression.

Native speakers can perceive bad pronunciation as a lack of language competence. Speakers with strong accent can be hard to understand or even unpleasant to listen to. Social interaction can be significantly impeded by this, as such a person is likely to face difficulties in getting through to native speakers.

Correct pronunciation is a basis for efficient communication in English, as in any other language. Being widespread as it is, English has developed a large number of regional dialects but they should not matter too much to a non-native speaker.

What non-native speakers should work on is losing accents of their respective mother tongues and practicing correct and authentic English pronunciation. Learning phonics can be of great help with this – listening to the sounds and practicing through constant repetitions can be immensely beneficial in one’s quest for native-like English pronunciation.

Significance

Proper pronunciation can be defined as a reproduction of language sounds in such a way that the intended message is passed easily, and is properly understood by a fluent speaker of the language in question.

It can also be said that good pronunciation is the one that native speakers do not notice.

Bad pronunciation can result in a failure to convey the message and can cause troubles in communication when they are least expected and welcome even among native speakers. Consider the following video:

Dialects

English has many different dialects, each of them with its own peculiarities regarding pronunciation. For example, you will often hear people from the American Midwest, as well as English speakers from New York Area, pronouncing a number of words with a distinct nasal accent.

Speakers from the south of the United States tend to elongate their vowels a lot (think of their characteristic pronunciation of the word “dog” which sounds more like “dawg” or “doag”) while many African Americans who speak the so called African American Vernacular have a habit of shortening words.

However, these are recognized dialects of English and native English speakers tend to understand them, while they are not always as successful in understanding foreign language speakers whose pronunciation mistakes can sometimes disrupt the grammaticality of their sentences (for example, pronouncing “this” with a long vowel can result in the word being understood as “these”)

Effects

Confident young woman It is said you only have one chance to make a first impression, and bad English pronunciation can ruin that chance, since people making pronunciation mistakes and having strong accents are often perceived as less intelligent or illiterate. This can affect their chances of getting a promotion or better job opportunities.

People with strong accents are often discriminated against in the business world; however, there are situations in which foreign accents can be beneficial.

A waiter in a national cuisine restaurant is expected to have an accent of the respective ethnicity. Actors for certain roles might be required to speak with foreign accent (although their phonetic skills have to be on a very high level so that they might be able to emulate different accents and dialects for different acting roles).

Features

Good pronunciation requires articulating the words properly and this is the main topic of interest in phonics classes. The other important things to consider are volume and pitch of your pronunciation, since the message, in order to be properly conveyed, needs to be loud enough and properly intoned.

Considerations

Most of the language skills necessary for proper language acquisition are best learned through practical use, not through classroom activities. Listening to native-speakers is by far the most efficient method of learning to speak a language. Conversation with native speakers can be embarrassing and frustrating for adult learners, which is why children, who are less prone to embarrassment of this kind, are quicker learners and tend to acquire pronunciation in a much better way.

9 Responses to “The Importance of Proper Pronunciation”

Jim George said: 08/03/2013 14:59 - Reply
This is the clearest website I have seen for ages – great (lack of) design.

Pronunciation should be the same. Clear. Simple. Uncluttered.

If you are going to take a Cambridge exam, remember you are not assessed on “accent” – it’s impossible! Examiners want to hear you speak…so speak as much as you can. Stress important words, the “big” parts of words…and you’ll do fine.
- Saundz team said: 09/03/2013 19:02 - Reply
  Thanks, Jim. We also love our website.
  We also agree on the remark about accent on Cambridge and all the other exams that have “speaking” section. It is impossible for an exeminer not to notice candidate’s accent and speaking clearly and close to native can only help you pass.
- Cay said: 04/04/2013 13:30 - Reply
  Thank you. I had another qouitsen. Some Asian countries order their surname (last name, family name) first, followed by their given name (first name). Is this true for China? And what about middle names, or first and second surnames, like the Spanish. Is the Chinese naming system as complicated as the Scandinavian system?
- Ehlmira said: 11/04/2013 8:44 - Reply
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charak kada said: 27/03/2013 7:34 - Reply
How do I learn the language Alangelzah easy and simple manner

charak kada said: 27/03/2013 7:40 - Reply
Mike

esl courses online said: 24/06/2013 8:00 - Reply
Thank you very much, your work is very great, your method help me alot.

ESLLEARNER said: 08/08/2014 13:30 - Reply
Can I get the APA reference for this website? or at least the name of the writer and the date it is written?

social@saundz.com said: 08/08/2014 13:55 - Reply
Hi ESL Learner! Since the name of the writer isn’t published, you should just go with the following (based on this reference http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPAReferences_Elec.html):

The Importance of Proper Pronunciation (n. d.). Retrieved August 8, 2014, from Saundz, American English Pronunciation Software website, http://saundz.com/the-importance-of-proper-pronunciation/

The publishing date is December 20, 2012, but you don’t actually need it, you only need the date you accessed it. The (n. d.) in brackets means that therere’s no data about the author and the title of the article should be italicized.

Good luck!

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