You were told, “Repeat after me!”
During my time as a teacher and director of The Teach Lounge, I’ve come to realize that when you first start learning English, or any other language, your concern, if you want to be good at that language, is to be understood. But understood by who, you may ask. Well, by native speakers, obviously, would chime in your inner teacher’s voice. This is all good, but not really: I hope you knew this: a native speaker is not an absolute measure or a unique quality. Native speakers come in different presentations. There’s the native speaker that went to college, the one that finished graduate school, and the one that didn’t go to school at all, and many, many more.
So what were you thinking when you thought that you should speak like a native speaker? Which native speaker?
Let me guess: the native speakers you see on TV, on Netflix, on HBO. Well, that’s OK, but not really. Those native speakers from the popular series are selected from a gargantuan pool of possible candidates. Only those that look, and sound, TV appropriate make the cut. Meaning, there’s already a market’s bias tagged to the ideal native speaker from TV. No wonder there are so many travel tales of horror from advanced students of English as a foreign language ( students that learn English in their home countries where English is not spoken).
What are the tales of horror that students tell?
Well, the typical horror story, of which there are many variations in scope, tone, organization, and purpose is “I couldn’t understand them, not even when they asked me something basic, like ‘how do you spell your name?’ And to make matters worse, they couldn’t understand me, not even my name!”
Which takes us back to the classroom: REPEAT AFTER ME!
Let me ask you now after you’ve read the previous lines: Is this enough? Let me help you decide: no, of course not. Language has rules, yes, and we need to pay attention to such rules. Pronunciation has rules, and such rules need practice. And the problem, the root of the problem exists: pronunciation is only a small part of the typical English lesson. And the worst thing is that this only chance to observe the rules of pronunciation is lost oftentimes, especially as it is usual for native teachers to skip over these very important lessons. After all, there’s always more vocabulary to learn.
So, what are these rules we should attend to, and hopefully master?
Here’s the abbreviated list: stress patterns in words, stress patterns in connected speech (phrases and sentences), intonation patterns of semantic blocks, the pronunciation of word endings in connected speech, linking and blending. This is enough, to begin with.
Will you speak like Will Smith or President Trump one day? Hmm, no, of course not. You will speak like yourself, you will speak like people you know, except in a different language, and if you follow the rules, in a way that English speakers can understand clearly.
The gift of good pronunciation …
I promise you that if you pay keen attention to the patterns of the pronunciation of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, and practice, practice, practice, not only will you speak and be understood, but you’ll listen and understand, and consequently, your world must be a happier place; well, at least a place of sound harmony ; )
This blog was written by Fabian Bedoya, teacher and director of The Teach Lounge, a specific-purpose language school in Medellin, Colombia.
