Speaker 1: These days, it seems like a lot of people all
over the world speak English, doesn't it. And that means
that there are a ton of different English accents out there,
which is totally fine, you know, But if you are
concerned about your English pronunciation, then stick around till the
end of this podcast. I have a lot of ideas
to help you out.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode seven sixty three.
How to improve pronunciation? Is it orange or orange? And
what about coffee as we call it in New York
or coffee as they call it in La do you
park your car? Or as they say in Boston, pak yaka.
I heard one time that there are over thirty regional
accents here in the USA, So no matter which one
you like to listen to and use, here are my
top three tips for improving pronunciation and accent. Let's dive
right in. First of all, and this may sound obvious,
but to improve your pronunciation, you need to listen to
a lot of English. Listen to and imitate native speakers.
Have you ever noticed that the more you listen to
a native speaker, the more natural their speech starts to sound.
Maybe you've been listening to this podcast for a long
time and you can understand me clearly. That's because you're
picking up on things like rhythm, stress, and intonation. You
might not even realize it, but your brain is learning
how sentences flow in English. Here's what I recommend when
you're listening to English, whether it's a podcast, a TV show,
or even a YouTube video. Don't just focus on the
meaning of the words. Pay attention to how they're saying it.
Where do they pause, how do they link words together?
Next up, here's a fun exercise called shadowing. This means
you listen to a short sentence or phrase, pause the audio,
and repeat it immediately, trying to match the native speaker's
intonation and rhythm as closely as possible. Do this for
a few minutes each day, and you'll notice a big
difference in how natural your speech sounds. Also, mix up
your sources. Try listening to different types of English accents.
You can watch movies, listen to podcasts, or even watch
the news. This way, you'll become more familiar with different
ways English is spoken around the world. The next one
may be challenging for some of you, but it is
a good idea to record yourself. Oh, Bud, Michael, Uh,
I don't like the way my voice sounds when I
do that. Yeah, I know. Recording yourself does need a
bit of a strong stomach, and doing it might feel
strange at first, but it's actually a fantastic way to
improve your pronunciation. Most people don't know how they sound
to others, so when you record yourself, you get to
hear exactly what your speaking sounds like. And here's how
you can use this tip. Choose a short text or
just talk about your day in English, and record yourself
speaking for one or two minutes. Afterward, listen back to
the recording, Compare how you sound to a native speaker,
and then take notes. Do you notice any sounds that
are different? Are there parts of your speech that you
feel are unclear? Another great thing about recording yourself is
that you can track your progress over time. Record yourself
every week, and after a few months listen to the
older recordings. You'll be amazed at how much you've improved.
My friend and fellow English teacher Jonathan Huggins, has been
recording himself speaking several languages every day for years now.
It does help, that's for sure. And you can start
with simple sentences like I went to the store or
she's studying at the library. Over time, you can practice
more complex sentences and conversations. Lastly, the third tip for
today is to focus on how you move your mouth
and your muscle memory. You may not have thought about this,
but pronunciation is physical. To pronounce certain sounds in English,
you need to move your mouth in ways that might
feel strange at first, but with practice, your muscles will
get used to it and those tricky sounds will become easier.
Let's take the th sound for example. Many learners find
this sound difficult because it doesn't exist in their native language.
To make this sound correctly, you need to place your
tongue between your teeth and blow the air out. It
might feel awkward at first, but with practice, your mouth
will remember how to do that. The the I recommend
practicing in front of a mirror. Watch how your mouth, lips,
and tongue move when you say words that are difficult
for you. This will help you become more aware. Of
what's happening physically when you speak. You can also do
mouth exercises exaggerate the pronunciation of certain sounds like B
P or V pop keeps playing volleyball. Now, we don't
generally speak that way, but if you exaggerate the pronunciation
over time, this will help build muscle memory and pronouncing
these sounds will feel more natural. Just like in sports.
Your muscles need training, and the more you practice, the
better you'll get. All right, let's recap the top three
tips for improving your pronunciation. Listen and imitate native speakers.
Focus on how people are speaking, not just what they're saying,
and try shadowing short sentences. Record yourself. Hearing your own
voice will help you identify areas to improve, and it's
a great way to track your progress. Finally, focus on
mouth movements and muscle memory. Pronunciation is physical practice in
front of a mirror and work on forming sounds correctly
to build muscle memory. Oh yeah, and find opportunities to
speak English regularly, like in my podcast Learner's Study Group.
There you can make new friends. Join us for live
group lessons every week where we practice these podcast lessons together.
Plus you get access to the pdf transcript and audio
download for every Happy English podcast in the past and
in the future. And on top of that, each episode
has exercises where you can practice this English point with
speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more, just
visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson seven
sixty three. Remember, learning another language is not easy, but
it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you on
your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy
English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.