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Pronunication
What is Pronunciation?

Do you have any English language pronunciation guidelines?

What should you know about English pronunciation?

What are syllables?

How do you identify syllables?

How do you divide a word into syllables?

How should you pronounce various words?

What are various methods to improve your English pronunciation?

Where to place the tongue in the mouth to say particular words?

How should the lips be formed when saying specific sounds?

What should be action of the tongue be when saying specific sounds or words?

What do you know about the English language alphabet?

What should you know about the English language alphabet?

What are the individual components of the alphabet called?

What type of exercises should high schools provide to improve students’

What is an accent?

What is Accent Reduction?

Which muscles do you use to create language?

Why Reduce or Eliminate an Accent?

Do accents render a speaker unable to communicate?

Who has more English language knowledge, a lexicographer or a teacher?

If I am asked to reform or update a high school English language curriculum, how would I proceed?

If you are asked to reform or update a high school English language curriculum, how would you proceed?

What is word stress?

What is sentence stress?

What are tonal languages?
What is Pronunciation?

Pronunciation refers to the ability to use the correct stress, rhythm, and intonation of a word in a spoken language. A word can be spoken in different ways by various individuals or groups, depending on many factors, such as: the area in which they grew up, the area in which they now live, if they have a speech or voice disorder, their ethnic group, their social class, or their education.

Word Stress in English

Sentence Stress in English (Content Words and Function Words )

Glossary of Pronunciation Terms

Do you have any English language pronunciation guidelines?

Here are various pronunciation guidelines.

What should you know about English pronunciation?

Do not speak too fast.
Do not speak too slowly.
Ask for others’ comments after making a spoken presentation.

How was my spoken presentation?
How do I sound while speaking?
Is my English pronunciation pleasant?
Do I sound like an American, Asian, Australian, African, Latin, or global speaker?


Within American, Asian, Australian, African, and Latin pronunciations, there are variations.

What are syllables?
How do you identify syllables?
How do you divide a word into syllables?
How should you pronounce various words?

What are various methods to improve your English pronunciation? Where to place the tongue in the mouth to say particular words?


Here is an example.

While saying the word "the," start with the tongue behind the upper teeth.

How should the lips be formed when saying specific sounds?

To pronounce “car,” place the tongue deep in the mouth and form your lips in a loose circle. Then say car.

What should be action of the tongue be when saying specific sounds or words?

Your English pronunciation depends on the language you were taught in elementary school.

If you were taught Arabic or an Asian language in elementary school and are now learning English, your English pronunciation will to some extent remain connected to your elementary language.

What do you know about the English language alphabet?
What should you know about the English language alphabet?


All 26 individual components from A to Z make up the alphabet.

What are the individual components of the alphabet called?

Symbols of the alphabet.
Characters of the alphabet
Letters of the alphabet
Components of the alphabet
All of the above

Symbols or components of the alphabet are more appropriate.
Some call them characters or letters of the alphabet.
Letters of the alphabet get confused with original letters.

I have done research on this issue.

Some lexicographers refer to individual components of the alphabet as symbols of the alphabet.

This resource contains work of more than 30 lexicographers. www.onelook.com

What type of exercises should high schools provide to improve students’ English language?

Written exercises in English.
Spoken exercises in English.
Comprehension exercises in English.
Reading exercises in English.

Who has more English language knowledge, a lexicographer or a teacher?

A lexicographer.

If I am asked to reform or update a high school English language curriculum, how would I proceed?
Take a look at this.
http://www.qureshiuniversity.com/englishworld.html

If you are asked to reform or update a high school English language curriculum, how would you proceed?
English Pronunciation
    English Sounds
    English Vowels
    English Consonants
    English Suprasegmentals


1) What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘pronunciation activity’?

2) What do you think when your teacher says you’re going to do some pronunciation?

3) What kind of pronunciation practice do you like most and least?

4) Do you like the pronunciation activities your teacher gives you?

5) Do you have an example of how a pronunciation activity really improved your pronunciation?

6) Do you know of any __________ that have good pronunciation activities?

7) Is learning pronunciation in class ever interesting and fun? Should it be?

8) Do you always understand the reasons why the teacher asks you to do a particular pronunciation activity?

9) What are your biggest problems with pronunciation?

10) How important is pronunciation compared with spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, etc?

1) Do you like doing pronunciation activities in class?

2) Do you ever think pronunciation activities are a waste of time?

3) What pronunciation learning strategies do you use a lot?

4) Is having charts and diagrams of the mouth important when you do a pronunciation activity?

5) What things are important for a pronunciation activity to be successful?

6) What advice would you give to a student who says he/she is no good at pronunciation or hates pronunciation?

7) What do you like most and least about pronunciation in English?

8) What are your biggest pronunciation problems in English?

9) Do you think you need pronunciation practice in every class?

10) What questions would you like to ask your teacher about pronunciation?STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student A)

1) Do you like doing pronunciation activities in class?

2) Do you ever think pronunciation activities are a waste of time?

3) What pronunciation learning strategies do you use a lot?

4) Is having charts and diagrams of the mouth important when you do a pronunciation activity?

5) What things are important for a pronunciation activity to be successful?

6) What advice would you give to a student who says he/she is no good at pronunciation or hates pronunciation?

7) What do you like most and least about pronunciation in English?

8) What are your biggest pronunciation problems in English?

9) Do you think you need pronunciation practice in every class?

10) What questions would you like to ask your teacher about pronunciation?

What is a syllable?

A syllable is the sound of a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) that's created when pronouncing a word.
v The number of times that you hear the sound of a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) in a word is equal to the number of syllables the word has.

For Example:

cake - has 1 syllable
eat - has 1 syllable
cheese - has 1 syllable
eating - has 2 syllables (eat - ing)
chicken - has 2 syllables (chick - en)
worrying - has 3 syllables (wor - ry - ing)

Syllables Rules:

A syllable is the sound of a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) that's created when pronouncing a word.

The number of times that you hear the sound of a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) in a word is equal to the number of syllables the word has. How To Find Syllables:

Count the number of vowels (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y) in the word.

Subtract any silent vowels (like the silent 'e' at the end of a word).

Subtract 1 vowel from every diphthong.

A diphthong is when two volwels make only 1 sound (oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, oo, ...).
The number you are left with should be the number of vowels in the word.

How To Divide A Word Into Syllables:

Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes, and root words that have vowels.

sports/car, house/boat, un/happy, pre/paid, re/write, farm/er, hope/less

Divide between two middle consonants hap/pens, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one sound ("th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh").

Usually divide before a single consonant.

o/pen, i/tem, e/vil, re/port. The only exceptions are those times when the first syllable has an obvious short sound, as in "cab/in".

Divide before an "-le" syllable.

a/ble, fum/ble, rub/ble, mum/ble
The only exceptions are "ckle" words like "tick/le".

Phonics, Syllable and Accent Rules


 

Phonics Rules


The vowels are "a,e,i,o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes the diphthongs "oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech. They are: "b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z,ch,sh,th,ph,wh, ng, and gh".

1. Sometimes the rules don't work.
There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.

2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel.
English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.

3. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central", and "city".

4. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".

5. When 2 consonants are joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph. They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph and wh".

6. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples: "fat, bed, fish, spot, luck".

7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long. Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".

8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent. Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow". NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In a diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are: "oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.

9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long. Examples: "pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".

10. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is not long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term, sir, fir, fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".

Basic Syllable Rules


1. To find the number of syllables:
---count the vowels in the word,
---subtract any silent vowels,
(like the silent "e" at the end of a word or the second vowel when two vowels a together in a syllable)
---subtract one vowel from every diphthong, (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.)
---the number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables.
The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the number of vowels sounds heard. For example:
The word "came" has 2 vowels, but the "e" is silent, leaving one vowel sound andone syllable.
The word "outside" has 4 vowels, but the "e" is silent and the "ou" is a diphthong which counts as only one sound, so this word has only two vowels sounds and therefore, two syllables.

2. Divide between two middle consonants.
Split up words that have two middle consonants. For example:
hap/pen, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner, and Den/nis. The only exceptions are the consonant digraphs. Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one sound. The exceptions are "th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh".

3. Usually divide before a single middle consonant.
When there is only one syllable, you usually divide in front of it, as in:
"o/pen", "i/tem", "e/vil", and "re/port". The only exceptions are those times when the first syllable has an obvious short sound, as in "cab/in".

4. Divide before the consonant before an "-le" syllable.
When you have a word that has the old-style spelling in which the "-le" sounds like "-el", divide before the consonant before the "-le". For example: "a/ble", "fum/ble", "rub/ble" "mum/ble" and "this/tle". The only exception to this are "ckle" words like "tick/le".

5. Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes and roots which have vowel sounds.
Split off the parts of compound words like "sports/car" and "house/boat". Divide off prefixes such at "un/happy", "pre/paid", or "re/write". Also divide off suffixes as in the words "farm/er", "teach/er", "hope/less" and "care/ful". In the word "stop/ping", the suffix is actually "-ping" because this word follows the rule that when you add "-ing" to a word with one syllable, you double the last consonant and add the "-ing".

Accent Rules


When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than the others. The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. It may seem that the placement of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some rules that usually work.

1. Accents are often on the first syllable. Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.

2. In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word. Examples: box'/es, un/tie'.

3. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented. Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.

4. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last syllable. Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.

5. When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double consonants is usually accented. Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.

6. The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious, and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate. Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.

7. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented. Examples: ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.

Glossary of Pronunciation Terms
accent the unique speech patterns of a person or group
affricate a speech sound (consonant) that contains a stop followed by an immediate fricative, as in the ch /?/ in "chair"
air flow/airstream the flow or passage of air out of the mouth
alveolar sound formed by touching the tip of the tongue to the upper alveolar ridge, as in /t/ or /d/
alveolar ridge the bony region at the roof and bottom of the mouth behind the front teeth; contains the tooth sockets
approximants consonants with a partial obstruction of airflow, as in /w/ and /r/
articulation the act of making speech sounds
aspiration a small "explosion" of air when you make a sound
auditory hearing (not seeing)
bilabial consonant sounds formed using both lips, as in /p/ or /b/
close vowel (sometimes called "high" vowel) a vowel sound that is pronounced with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth (but not close enough to constrict the air and make a consonant), as in /i:/ in the word "free"
consonant a speech sound made when there is complete or partial obstruction of air in the mouth, as in /v/, /h/, /d/ (compare vowel)
clusters blended sounds put together to make a single sound
curl a position of the tongue where the tongue is shaped in a curve, not flat
dental a consonant sound made when the tongue touches the upper teeth, as in /t/ and /n/
dialect unique vocabulary, pronunciation and usage that is typical of a certain group of people
diphthong a sound made by the combination of two vowel sounds in a single syllable, as in "boy", "loud" or "wide", where the sound starts as one vowel and moves towards another vowel
flatten a positioning of the tongue where the tongue is flat not round
fricative a speech sound (consonant) in which air is forced to pass through a small opening and creates friction, as in /f/ and /v/
glide/slide moving the tongue while saying a word
glottal stop the sound that is made when the vocal folds are closed very briefly; as in the middle of the word "uh-oh" (common in American English)
gum the tissue around the base of the teeth
hard palate hard part of the roof of the mouth
intonation change in pitch of a sentence, up and down; the music or rhythm of speech
labiodental sounds that are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/
larynx the hollow, muscular organ in the throat that holds the vocal chords; the voice box
lateral a speech sound that is made by touching the tongue to the middle of the alveolar ridge, allowing air to pass on both sides
lengthen sound make the duration of the sound longer
linking the joining of words when speaking, as in "Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?" (Can I have a bit of egg?)
lips spread lips are open slightly and pulled back
lower bottom of mouth
minimal pairs two words that differ only in terms of one sound, as in "cat and bat" OR "fine and vine"
monophthong a single vowel sound that does not change in auditory quality; also called a "pure vowel"
nasal consonants consonant sounds made by pushing air through the nose, as in /m/, /n/ and /?/
non-pulmonic when the air comes from a source other than the lungs
obstruction a blockage of air flow
open vowel (also called "low" vowel) a vowel that is produced with the tongue far down from the roof of the mouth, as in the /a:/ sound in "far"
palatal a sound that is made when the tongue is near or touching the roof of the mouth
palate the roof of the mouth
phoneme an individual speech sound
phonetic alphabet an alphabet that represents the sounds of speech
phonetic transcription a form of notation that uses symbols to identify the individual sounds (phonemes) in a word
plosive a consonant sound produced when there is a complete obstruction of air followed by its sudden release, as in the /p/ of "pot"
pitch amount of highness or lowness of a sound or speech
postalveolar a consonant sound made with the tip of the tongue slightly back from the alveolar ridge, as in /?/ in "shut"
pressed lips top and bottom lips touching
protruded lips rounded lips, pushed out
pulmonic a sound that is made using the airstream directly from the lungs
raised higher than the neutral position
reduction the natural shortening of sounds when speaking (e.g. "going to" reduced to "gonna")
rhotic a variety or dialect of English in which "r" is pronounced before a consonant (as in "hard") and at the end of words (as in "car"); Midwestern American English, for example, is "rhotic"
roof the inside top part of the mouth
rounded lips lips formed into the shape of a circle
rounded vowel a vowel made with rounded lips
sentence stress the placement of emphasis on specific words within a sentence or phrase
shorten sound make the duration of a sound shorter
soft palate soft part of the roof of the mouth
sonorant sounds that are made when air is impeded only slightly, as in /m/, /n/
stop (stop consonant) a consonant sound that is produced when the airflow is (temporarily) stopped entirely by the lips or tongue, as in /p/
syllable a single unit of sound that creates one beat in a word; the word "coffee" has two syllables (cof-fee)
syllable nucleus the central part of a syllable, usually a vowel
tap touch quickly
tone the emotion that is conveyed through the sound of speech (e.g. anger or sadness)
tongue muscular tissue in the mouth used for tasting and articulating
tooth ridge the hard area directly behind the top front teeth
trill a vibrating sound made with a flapping tongue, as in the rolled "r" sound made when people roll their r's
upper top of mouth
velar of a sound that is made with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in the the /?/ in "sing"
velum a soft membrane on the roof of the mouth (also called "soft palate")
vocal chords (AmE cords) two muscles inside the larynx that vibrate and create the voice
vocal tract the entire apparatus that produces voice, starting in the lungs and ending at the lips and nostrils (openings of the mouth and nose)
voiced of a sound made with the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating
voiceless/unvoiced of a sound made without the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating
vowel a speech sound made when air is free to pass through the mouth with little or no obstruction, as in sounds made with the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y (compare consonant)
vowel backness position of the tongue in relation to the back of the mouth when making a vowel sound (positions include front, near-front, centre, near-back, back)
vowel height distance between the tongue and the roof of the mouth when pronouncing a vowel sound (IPA has 7 heights: close (highest), near-close, mid-close, mid, open-mid, near-open, open (lowest)
word stress the placement of emphasis within a word that has more than one syllable

Word Stress
What is word stress?

When we pronounce words we use more energy to stress certain syllables in that word. This is called word stress.

Find the stressed words in each sentence:

1.Do you like coffee?

2.Would you like a coffee?

3.I think he wants to go.

4.I don't think so.

5.London is the capital of ________.

6.Have you ever seen this film?

7.Where can we go?

Sentence STRESSED WORDS

1 Do you like coffee? do you LIKE COFFEE
2 Would you like a coffee? would you LIKE a COFFEE
3 I think he wants to go. i THINK that he WANTS to GO
4 I don't think so. i DON'T THINK so
5 London is the capital of Britain. LONDON is the CAPITAL of ________
6 Have you ever seen this film? have you EVER SEEN this FILM
7 Where can we go? WHERE can we GO
Pronunciation Accent Modification
Last Updated: September 24, 2016