by Lynda Stucky
http://www.clearly-speaking.com
©
2008
The way you speak can tell a lot about you. The things
that personalize your speech include pronunciation and diction. Pronunciation
can indicate where you grew up and diction can quickly identify your level of
education, personal tastes, and social background. Pronouncing words correctly
can make you sound like a polished, intelligent professional.
The
acceptable pronunciation of any word is determined exclusively by its usage in
the general population. But a dictionary can be a valuable tool to learn how to
pronounce words. Pronunciation in the dictionary is represented by symbols of
the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). If you're not familiar with IPA, it
can be confusing.
Each symbol in the IPA stands for one
sound. This is different from our regular alphabet in which one symbol stands
for many sounds. For instance, the sound /a/ can be produced as in bad, bade,
and ball. Mastering the IPA system will assist you in many ways, particularly
when you need to look up a word.
It is important to analyze
your speech and determine your pronunciation. Errors can be corrected with commitment,
determination, and daily practice. Here are some common
mistakes:
1.
Omitting /l/ "Already"="awready"
2.
Substituting /t/ with /d/ "letter"="ledder" "quantity"="quanidy"
3."Our"=
'r' "R house is two blocks away."
4. Reducing
words by eliminating sounds. Here is a short list of some commonly shortened words.
Sharpen your pronunciation and diction by practicing the correct pronunciation
(you may have many others to add):
Almond (amond)--picture
(pitcher)--supposedly (supposebly)--temperature (temprature)-- laboratory (labratory)--hospitable
(hosptable)"Probably"="Probly"
5. Shortening/changing
vowels in running speech. For example:
a. "For"="fer" "The
phone is fer you."
b. "To"="tuh" "I'm going tuh
the store."
c. "Just"="jist" "Jist a minute..."
d.
"you"="ya" "I'll see ya at the meeting."
6.
Reducing other sounds like, "Going to"="gonna" "Want
to"="wanna," "Didn't:"="dint," "wouldn't"="wunt"
What
can be done to ensure that correct pronunciation of words? There are a few simple
things to try to speak more clearly. Here are some suggestions:
1.
Put endings on words.
2. Lengthen the vowels of stressed words.
3. Over-articulate
or exaggerate your words.
4. Practice saying tongue twisters to "warm-up"
your articulators:
a. Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
b. Greta
grabbed Greg's grater and grated greater green grapes.
c. Can cotton candy
coat clean cold combs?
d. The wary women wept over the war waifs and weakened
widows.
Practice these tongue twisters and gradually increase
the speed until are every sound and word is precisely pronounced even at a faster
rate. As you go faster, notice how exaggerated mouth movements are key to hitting
the sounds accurately.
A great way to get feedback about
your speaking skills is to tape record your end of a phone conversation. Keep
the recorder at your desk and when you make a call, hit the record. After the
conversation, listen to the recording. Listen to your diction and pronounciation
of words. Is your speech clear and precise? This can be a humbling experience
but it is often motivates one to make changes.
