How do I Improve Indian English Pronunciation?
- 1). Practice proper English rhythm. Indian speakers often use a syllable-timed rhythm, which makes the length of syllables equal. Native speakers of English in the United States and elsewhere use a stress-timed rhythm. They make the length of time between accented syllables even. Correct rhythm will make pronouncing sounds correctly come more naturally. Practice out loud with recordings of native speakers and tap the correct rhythm with your hand. You can find good practice materials in many audio CDs for English textbooks, including "Jazz Chants" by Carolyn Graham and "Clear Speech" by Judy B. Gilbert.
- 2). Practice accenting the correct syllable of each word, especially in longer words. Practice with "Jazz Chants," "Clear Speech," or any programs that use words in sentences. Listen to English on the radio and television to learn the correct stress of words.
- 3). Work on the consonant sounds of English that Indian speakers find difficult, especially "t," "r," "p," "k," "w" and "th" as in "this." Practice distinguishing "t" from "r," and "v" from "w." Use any pronunciation program, such as the audio CDs for "Clear Speech," or the exercises at the website http://www.manythings.org/pp/.
- 4). Practice making "p," "t," "ch" and "k" pronounced with a puff of air (aspirated) at the beginning of words. For example, the "t" at the beginning of "tip" should have a puff of air. Practice making these letters without the puff when "s" precedes them. For example, pronounce "stop" without the puff of air. Use your ears to find other places where these sounds are aspirated, such as in accented syllables in the middle of words. Practice with recordings or at the website http://www.manythings.org/pp/.
- 5). Make sure you pronounce all the different English vowel sounds correctly. Indian speakers tend to simplify the vowels. Begin with word-level practice of the different sounds, which you can access at http://www.manythings.org/pp/. Continue to practice with sentences.
- 6). Practice English intonation. Correct intonation, along with correct rhythm, will help you pronounce the basic sounds of English. Try one of the many links to free online English pronunciation practice provided by the TESL Journal Pronunciation page at http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Pronunciation/.
- 7). Practice speaking more slowly. Even minor differences in pronunciation can make rapid speech difficult to understand. When you speak slowly, you will also have time to pronounce difficult sounds more consciously and make your English clear.
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