Hi Everyone,
I decided to put together a few lessons on pronunciation and intonation for my site, and need your comments/advice. I've only taught Japanese learners of English, and so am very familiar with their problem areas in speaking. But what is it like with other learners? Specifically:
1. Are there specific sounds difficult to pronounce because of the learner's L1?
2. Are there sound pairs that cause problems? For example, Japanese people have a lot of trouble with "b" and "v," or "l" and "r."
Any answers are very much appreciated!
Thank you.
Chris Cotter
www.headsupenglish.com
pronunciation problems
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There’re many sound pairs that cause problem for the Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hindi/Tamil, Arabic and Iranian/Farsi students in our area.
For example, consonant pair "b" & "v" seems to cause problem for Spanish & Hindi students & "l" and "r" for Korean students. Chinese students have problem with “f/v” & “l/n”. All students have problem with “θ” & “ð”, “I” & “i:” , and ‘r’ , just to name a few.
For example, consonant pair "b" & "v" seems to cause problem for Spanish & Hindi students & "l" and "r" for Korean students. Chinese students have problem with “f/v” & “l/n”. All students have problem with “θ” & “ð”, “I” & “i:” , and ‘r’ , just to name a few.
There is a lot of native language interference with most of my (adult) students. I bet you could find a native language that caused trouble with any similar sounds (voiced/voiceless pairs, close articulation, etc.)
In addition to what's already been mentioned,
Russians have trouble with e like in pet and a like in pat, and with w and v
Koreans and Filipinos have trouble with f and p
Cantonese speakers have trouble with s and sh
Spanish and Chinese speakers have trouble with s and z
Spanish speakers have trouble with sh and ch
(Not to mention the American English flap or tap sound in the middle of butter)
In addition to what's already been mentioned,
Russians have trouble with e like in pet and a like in pat, and with w and v
Koreans and Filipinos have trouble with f and p
Cantonese speakers have trouble with s and sh
Spanish and Chinese speakers have trouble with s and z
Spanish speakers have trouble with sh and ch
(Not to mention the American English flap or tap sound in the middle of butter)
TH Problems
Germans have trouble with "th" because it's a phoneme that doesn't exist in their language. They usually substitute "d" or "z" for the "th" sound.