Contents
"I can't understand English even though the grammar and words shouldn't be wrong." "The words I say are taken in different meanings, and the conversation doesn't fit."
I think many people have experienced such a bitter experience through English conversation with native speakers. Many of the reasons for this failure are inaccurate "pronunciation".
"Pronunciation" is a field that tends to neglect to study seriously, probably because it is not so important in exams such as TOEIC and university entrance exams. However, it is a waste if you cannot communicate even if you have correct grammatical knowledge and sufficient vocabulary just by neglecting pronunciation.
In this entry, we'll show you how to correct your own pronunciation, from what you need to know to improve your English pronunciation to how to practice using shadowing!
<Table of Contents>
Pronunciation correction method for Japanese
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Basic knowledge of English "pronunciation"
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vowel
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consonant
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Phonetic symbols
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English "pronunciation" tips
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Differences in vowel pronunciation
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Pronunciation of L and R
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Pronunciation of B and V
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Pronunciation of F and H
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Pronunciation of TH and Z
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Pronunciation of TH and S
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Make a loud voice
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Don't be shy and exaggerate
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Shadowing for pronunciation correction
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What is shadowing?
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Expected effects on shadowing
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Shadowing method
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summary
[Pronunciation correction method 1] Basic knowledge of English "pronunciation"
One of the reasons why Japanese people have a hard time pronouncing English is the habit of putting vowels in all consonants as if they were in Roman letters. This is because Japanese originally has a mechanism to pronounce consonants and vowels as a set, but it also applies to English where consonants and vowels are separated, and as a result, it is called Katakana English. It leads to the pronunciation that is called.
However, in English, consonants and vowels exist as separate sounds, so it is necessary to practice pronunciation independently.
vowel
Speaking of English pronunciation, consonant voices are often heard, but the unexpected pitfall is "vowels". This is because the places where vowels are uttered are completely different between Japanese and English. Japanese vowels are pronounced with a tight throat, just around the vocal cords. In English, on the other hand, you open your throat and pronounce it just like a clavicle between the clavicle. When practicing, it's a good idea to open your throat first, then place your finger in the indentation between the collarbones to check, and then exhale and pronounce with your throat wide open.
Practice while listening to the individual vowel samples. As a sample of vowel pronunciation, we recommend this Vowel Chart, which also shows how to open your mouth. In addition to the 13 vowels, a total of 14 vowel voices and 14 word voices including them are posted, including the R vowel ER (R of the syllable tonic in linguistics).
consonant
Consonants are sounds created by changing the flow of air coming out of the mouth. It makes a sound in your mouth by intentionally blocking your breath with your lips, teeth, or tongue. Subtle differences in sound are determined by the shape of the throat and mouth, which are the paths of breath.
Many English consonants are similar to Japanese, but Japanese sounds have "aiueo" vowels in all but "n", so when learning how to pronounce consonants, "without vowels". You need to be aware of. It is also important to be careful not to be confused by the Roman alphabet and kana notation.
Consonants that are particularly easily confused will be described in detail in the following [Pronunciation Correction Method 2].
Phonetic symbols
Phonetic symbols tend to be shy because of the impression that they are difficult to memorize, but in reality, most of them have the same shape as the alphabet. You can think of the pronunciation of the following symbols as almost the same as the Roman alphabet reading.
a b d e f g h i k l m n o p r s t u v w z (The difference between l and r, the difference between b and v, etc. will be described later.)
On the other hand, the phonetic symbols that have a different shape from the English alphabet or whose pronunciation is clearly different from the Roman alphabet are as follows.
Vowel æ ɑ ʌ ə ɔ Consonant ʃ ʒ θ ð ŋ j
However, depending on the dictionary, the pronunciation may be further distinguished and another symbol such as the following may be used.
ɪ (i) ɛ (e) ɚ (ər) ʊ or U (u) * () is an indistinguishable dictionary notation
The most important thing is to hear the actual pronunciation word by word. Use the goo dictionary (English-Japanese), Dictionary.com, Google Translate, Cambridge Dictionary, and more.
[Pronunciation correction method 2] Tips for "pronunciation" in English
Differences in vowel pronunciation
If you don't have the basics of vowel pronunciation in the first place, you can't hope for correct utterance by looking at the phonetic symbols of words. Remember confusing vowels along with typical words. Below, the words and the Cambridge Dictionary are linked, so check the pronunciation of each.
Difference between beat and bit
It seems that beat [biːt] and bit [bɪt] are distinguished by the length of the vowel, but let's pay attention to the difference in timbre.
Vowels iː such as beat, heat, meet, seat can also be understood in Japanese "e", but vowels ɪ such as bit, hit, mitt, sit are between "i" and "e" in Japanese. It sounds like. If you say "yes" in Japanese, you will see that the chin goes down and the mouth opens wider. Practice with the intention of pronouncing the sound of the "yes".
The difference in pronunciation between beat and bit is also posted on the Vowel Chart.
Also, if you want to practice difficult English pronunciation on your own, make good use of videos. You can see the difference between seat and sit vowels in English Pronunciation: Sit / ɪ / vs Seat / i: /.
Difference between pull and pool
The vowel ʊ of pull [pʊl] is close to the Japanese “u”, while the vowel uː of pool [puːl] is considerably darker than the Japanese “u”. Let's pronounce it with your lips curled up more firmly than the Japanese word "u".
How to Pronounce POOL vs. PULL: English Conversation is recommended as a video to learn the difference between pull and pool.
Difference between hat, hot and hut
In katakana English, all of them are likely to be "hats", but their pronunciations are [hæt], [hɑt], and [hʌt], and there are differences in how they open their mouths. Below, let's practice pronouncing the three vowels correctly.
Vowels such as hat, flag, and tank, which are represented by æ, have a sound between "e" and "a" in Japanese. While saying "d", gradually lower your chin and open your mouth wide to get this vowel. Watch the æ pronunciation video and practice.
Vowels such as hot, dock, and knot, which are represented by ɑ, are pronounced with a much wider mouth than the Japanese "a", so they may sound like "a" to our ears. If you expect pronunciations like "hot," "dock," and "knot," the actual pronunciation is close to "hat," "duck," and "nut," and you may not be able to hear it. Let's learn with a video of pronunciation of ɑ.
Vowels such as hut, tug, and funnel that are represented by ʌ are sounds that are somewhere between “a” and “o”. If you open your mouth as much as "A" in Japanese and pronounce "A" with a little force in the back of your mouth, you will hear a dark and muffled sound. It may be difficult to distinguish between ɑ and ʌ, but see the difference in the pronunciation video of ʌ. It's a good idea to remember that ʌ is pronounced shorter if the surrounding sounds are the same.
Pronunciation of L and R
Many Japanese think that the pronunciation of R is a curly tongue. However, in reality, it is not a rolled tongue, and it feels like it is retracted to the back without touching the tip of the tongue anywhere. Place both ends of your tongue in the back of your mouth and make a "ra" sound. On the other hand, L can be pronounced simply by placing the tip of the tongue at the base above the front teeth. Example) light and right
If you want to practice the pronunciation of light and right in a video, we recommend English Pronunciation: Light / l / vs Right / r /.
Pronunciation of B and V
The sound of B is the same as the Japanese "ba line", so there is no problem, but V is a sound that is not in Japanese, so practice is required. If you try to pronounce "bu" while biting your lower lip lightly with your front teeth, you should feel the lower lip vibrating lightly at that time. The point is that the lips are vibrating. Compared to B, it makes a sound like the air is rubbing. Example) best and vest
You can also learn the difference in pronunciation between B and V with the video. For example, How to Pronounce "B" and "V" [ForB English Lesson] , English Pronunciation --B & V , and English Pronunciation: Berry / b / vs Very / v /.
Pronunciation of F and H
To make the F sound, lightly touch the top of the lower lip with the upper front teeth and exhale in this state. At this time, there is a sound of air leaking between the teeth and lips. This is the basis of F. It's not a clear sound like Japanese Hahifuheho, but a leaking sound. On the other hand, H is basically the same as the Japanese word "ha line". Example) fold and hold
In this video called American English Consonants --IPA --Pronunciation --International Phonetic Alphabet, the difference between F and H is not the focus, but the pronunciation of F is explained from around 2 minutes 27 seconds and the pronunciation of H is explained from around 4 minutes 59 seconds. I am.
Pronunciation of TH and Z
TH [ð] and Z [z] are difficult sounds for Japanese people, but there are also confusing words such as then and zen, clothe and close, which need to be learned correctly.
To make the TH [ð] sound, lightly pinch the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower anterior teeth and pronounce it as "zoo". It feels like the air is slipping between the upper anterior teeth and the tongue. You can learn how to pronounce TH [ð] in the English: How to Pronounce TH Consonants [θ] + [ð]: Ameircan Accent video.
For the Z [z] sound, attach the tongue from the upper anterior gums to the upper part of the mouth, and pronounce "zoo" with the tongue still attached. At this time, you should feel the vibration of the sound. Practice how to pronounce Z [z] in the video English: How to Pronounce S and Z consonants: American Accent.
Pronunciation of TH and S
For the sound of TH [θ], lightly pinch the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower anterior teeth and expel air as it is. It is an image of air passing between the upper front teeth and the tongue.
To make the S [s] sound, exhale with the tongue stuck to the upper part of the mouth from the anterior upper gums. You should feel the air coming out. Example) thank and sank
An example of a video that teaches you the difference between TH and S is English Pronunciation --Th & S.
Make a loud voice
In Japanese, there are only five vowels, "Aiueo", so it is said that it is possible to adjust the sound with the mouth and throat (chest breathing). English vowels, on the other hand, need to be pronounced by shaping the mouth and letting "breath" pass through it. Therefore, it is required to push the "breath" forward from the abdomen by abdominal breathing and to adjust the "breath" using the lips, teeth, tongue, and upper jaw. Always cherish the image that you say before.
In addition, the pronunciation of abdominal breathing is pronounced as if you take a deep breath, hold your breath once, and exhale English words at once.
Don't be shy and exaggerate
Japanese has almost no intonation and sounds very straightforward to the ears of foreigners. Bringing this sense of Japanese into English results in flat, rhythmless sentences. Accents and intonation are important here.
Also, no matter how well the words are pronounced, if there is a problem with the intonation, not only will the meaning not be understood, but the meaning may be misunderstood. On the contrary, even if the pronunciation is not clean, if the intonation is correct, the meaning of the whole sentence may be understood. Try to have a clear intonation that makes you feel over.
This video, The TH Sound In English, emphasizes the importance of exaggerating pronunciation in the explanation of TH pronunciation. You can also learn how to add intonation by imitating the way the speaker speaks.
[Pronunciation correction method 3] Shadowing for pronunciation correction
You can learn accurate vocalization by reproducing the sound aloud while listening to the actual voice. The typical method is "shadowing". It is said that a dramatic effect can be expected by making it a habit even for 10 minutes a day.
What is shadowing?
"Shadowing" is a learning method that "listens to one or two English words, immediately says the same content, and gently follows like a shadow." Specifically, when one phrase of English voice is played, listen to it and repeat as it is. It is important to adjust your pronunciation and intonation to resemble the English you hear.
"Repeating", which is a similar learning method, is a method of listening to and remembering a certain length of time, and pronouncing it all at once at intervals of time.
The difference between "overlapping" is that you see the text at the same time as the flowing voice and utter it at the same speed as the voice.
Expected effects on shadowing
Shadowing that reproduces the English voice you hear as accurately as possible is expected to have the following effects.
◆ Rhythm and intonation become a habit ◆ Ears and mouth get used to the speed of English ◆ You can grasp your own ability
Sentences that you can understand come out easily, but not the words or English sentences that you encounter for the first time. Conversely, shadowing reveals weaknesses in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. In other words, you can improve your vocabulary and improve your pronunciation by reinforcing the weaknesses that you can see from your shadowing practice.
Shadowing method
Follow the steps below for shadowing.
1) Listening First, listen to the entire voice once without looking at the text to get an overview.
2) Mumble (optional if you get used to it) Do not look at the text and repeat it in a soft voice while listening to the voice (called mumble). This is just a break-in for shadowing.
3) Confirm with text Look at the text and confirm the part that you could not hear or pronounce.
4) Shadowing It's finally "shadowing". Following the voice you hear, imitate and pronounce it.
Generally, it's best to speak out within 2 seconds of hearing the voice. Keep speaking even if you don't understand the meaning. The purpose of shadowing is to "accurately imitate pronunciation and intonation."
5) Check with the text and overcome the weak points Look at the text and check the parts that could not be pronounced well. (This makes the part you are not good at clear.) If you do not understand the meaning of the English sentence, check it. After that, practice intensively on the parts that you are not good at. You can look at the text at first, so listen to it over and over again and speak out.
If you can say it easily, you should be able to understand both "pronunciation" and "meaning of content". You will get a sense of accomplishment with a complete understanding of the text.
If you want to learn how to shadow with videos, this English Speaking Practice: How to improve your English Speaking and Fluency: SHADOWING is recommended. The key points are "choose your favorite voice that suits your level and will not get tired of listening to it many times", "continue repeatedly throughout the week", and "practice until you can make a perfect copy of the voice speaker". It is listed.
You can watch the demonstration while watching the text from around 6 minutes and 24 seconds, and the demonstration without text from around 7 minutes and 14 seconds.
Practice pronunciation even for a short time every day
I have introduced the English pronunciation correction method for Japanese people, but how was it?
There are numerous studies showing that shadowing is effective in learning a foreign language. It can be said that the boom from the 2000s is still going on, partly because it is easy to do in the free time of the day.
It is a learning method that is effective for both listening and speaking, but the basis is the accurate pronunciation of words. An English conversation app that allows you to check the words you are interested in wherever you are is a must-have for busy modern people.
In particular, TerraTalk, which is equipped with functions that allow you to study not only American English but also accents in the United Kingdom and Australia, is likely to be a reliable presence for business people who travel a lot.
Let's improve the pronunciation of English so far by making good use of these and practicing daily training steadily!
