What are each of these
elements of pronunciation? Match them with the examples below.
1. vocal projection
2. intonation
3. pitch variation
4. pacing, rhythmic variation
5. clarity and consistency
6. pausing
7. individual sounds
8. syllable stress
9. word stress
10. additional stress for emphasis
a. It is clear whether something is meant as a question or a statement, certain or uncertain, or whether something is more or less important.
b. The speaker has a presence and holds your attention.
c. The speaker especially highlights words, phrases or whole sentences which contain key ideas.
d. The speaker focuses attention on the key words.
e. The speaker deliberately speeds up and slows down their speech to convey their thought processes and feelings.
f. The words of the speaker can be clearly distinguished.
g. The speaker marks the spaces between units of speech, clauses and sentences with appropriate degrees of emphasis.
h. The speaker uses a range of high to low vocal frequencies to support their words and ideas.
i. The speaker knows which parts of a word to emphasise and which not to.
j. The listener doesn't have to make an effort to follow everything that is said.
1. vocal projection
2. intonation
3. pitch variation
4. pacing, rhythmic variation
5. clarity and consistency
6. pausing
7. individual sounds
8. syllable stress
9. word stress
10. additional stress for emphasis
a. It is clear whether something is meant as a question or a statement, certain or uncertain, or whether something is more or less important.
b. The speaker has a presence and holds your attention.
c. The speaker especially highlights words, phrases or whole sentences which contain key ideas.
d. The speaker focuses attention on the key words.
e. The speaker deliberately speeds up and slows down their speech to convey their thought processes and feelings.
f. The words of the speaker can be clearly distinguished.
g. The speaker marks the spaces between units of speech, clauses and sentences with appropriate degrees of emphasis.
h. The speaker uses a range of high to low vocal frequencies to support their words and ideas.
i. The speaker knows which parts of a word to emphasise and which not to.
j. The listener doesn't have to make an effort to follow everything that is said.
Using a text to work at your pronunciation.
Individual sounds
It's really important to notice which sounds in English are most unnatural for you as a non-native speaker. In pronunciation books there are actually lists of these difficult sounds related to your first language. As you read English texts, try highlighting those unnatural sounds with symbols to remind yourself that they're there. This way you're slowly integrating those sounds into your spoken English.
Intonation, rhythm, pausing and stress.
When reading silently, / pause / imagine
a NATIVE SPEAKER / reading the text out LOUD. / pause / Notice how HARD the
speaker WORKS to conVEY the MEANing of the WRITTEN TEXT. After READing and iMAGining
a text as SPOKEN LANGuage, try reading it ALOUD / pause / paying as MUCH atTENtion as POSSible to how it
SOUNDS. / pause / It EVEN helps to EXAGGERATE a bit, / pause / so that you get INTO the SPIRIT of the IDEAS
beHIND the WORDS.
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