Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[shoji]

I mainly practice English pronunciation.
CD I use says English word one by one and I repeat the word the CD says. Of course, I do that correct mouth movement.

The reason why I do that mainly is
I heard that we can not listen to English if we can not speak correct English pronunciation.

Do I change my method?
You think what I do is not effective?

Please tell me your opinion or your method.

[teacher-simon]

Hi Shoji

Your method generally sounds fine for pronunciation, however what happens if you have trouble hearing the difference between some sounds and then you will be stuck. I think the best way to improve your pronunciation is a combination of self-study and supervision from a native speaker. In that way, you can correct some minor mistakes you may be having.

As for needing to speak with correct pronunciation to listen to English, I have never heard of this before. In fact, I think it would be the other way around.
_________________
Simon
English Teacher and Avid Fan of Chinese Cooking
http://www.damn-english.com

[karenne]

We listen all the time, whether we understand the pronunciation or not - my recommendation is to listen, listen, listen.

If you can perfectly pronounce the words, that's great, but it isn't pivotal to your learning.
_________________
Best,
Karenne
http://how2learnenglish.blogspot.com

[peterteacher]

If learners are aware of a difficult pronunciation problem it could help their listening comprehension.

For example, if you've studied the pronunciation differences between 'want' and 'won't' you'll be more likely to understand if someone's saying

'I want help'

or

'I won't help'



But yeah, definitely the key to good pronunciation is listening carefully how the words sound in the first place!
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Try some mini, on-line adventure games to help your English at: www.gameenglish.com