English Conversation for Beginners: What to Learn First Is Not Words, but "Sounds"

Hello. I'm ARYA.

In the previous "English Conversation Instructor's Notes," I wrote about "courage and momentum" in
"3 Things English Conversation Beginners Should Do First."

This time, I will talk about the theme that became the biggest turning point in my English life: "Pronunciation."

The Encounter

When I was at a beginner level in English conversation, I spoke with "courage and momentum."
I once couldn't get "milk" understood when ordering on a trip,
and I even instinctively made a milking gesture while saying "cow."

The person who taught me the "basics of pronunciation" from scratch was Mr. Toru.

In the first lesson, the teacher listened to my English and said quietly:

What started from there was a time that felt like
muscle training, where I just practiced only four words: water, wolf, woman, world. He corrected the katakana-style pronunciation of those words all at once.

Like that, 60 minutes would pass in the blink of an eye. Honestly, I was exhausted.
But by the time it ended, I had the realization that "I was able to produce English with my own mouth."

In my lessons with Mr. Toru, I learned thoroughly how to produce each and every English sound.
Mouth shape, how to move it, tongue position, how to use the throat—
there were truly so many things to train.

That time changed my English from the roots up.

That time changed my English from the roots up.

If you, who are reading this,
want to learn English pronunciation,
let's find a teacher who will teach you pronunciation "properly."

By "properly" here, I mean a teacher who observes the student's current state well and
trains the
fine movements together with you, such as "tongue position," "mouth shape," and "throat resonance."

If you can meet such a teacher, your English sounds will definitely change.

To find a good teacher

If you are serious about changing your pronunciation, meeting a reliable instructor is the shortest path.

Where to look?

• English conversation schools specializing in pronunciation

• Private lessons and online English coaches

• Instructors who teach pronunciation on social media and YouTube

Check them out in a trial lesson

• When you ask, "th", how do you pronounce that?", do they give you a concrete answer like, "Lightly place your tongue between your teeth and exhale"?
  

• Do they explain the difference between "r" and "l" using mouth shape and tongue position?

• Do they listen to your pronunciation and provide intuitive feedback like, "That sound is close" or "Try moving it a bit further forward"?

While you are looking for a good teacher

I recommend this YouTube channel👇

English Conversation with Summer-sensei!
Summer-sensei, who is from the U.S., teaches mouth shapes, vowels, and pronunciation tips clearly and carefully in Japanese.

"Watch, imitate, and speak out" the correct pronunciation.
That is the first step.

My failure in Canada

I lived in Canada for a while.
Thanks to intensive training from Toru-sensei, I was confident in my pronunciation. Local people even told me many times, "Your pronunciation is good."

However, one day, when I was booking an appointment at a clinic,
Saturday was intended, but it was booked for Thursday.
My "Saturday" was heard as "Thursday" by the other person.

Since then, I have been especially careful when pronouncing words that sound similar, and I always state the date as well when conveying a schedule.

"Thursday, the 12th."
"Saturday, the 14th."

I always tell this story to my students as well.

And then,
"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday."
we do pronunciation intensive training.

A student who couldn't hear "Hawaii" or "Italy"

One of my adult students.
When they started taking lessons two years ago, they couldn't hear Hawaii or Italy.
This is because the Japanese sounds for "Hawaii" and "Italy" were strongly ingrained in their brain.

However, in a listening exercise the other day, she was able to hear
world tour .

She didn't know the meaning, but she pronounced it with her own mouth, saying, "This is what I heard."
At that moment, I couldn't help but shout, "You did it!" and "Congratulations!"

When I said, "In Katakana, that's 'wa-ru-do tsu-a',"
she was surprised, saying, "Oh!" and the other students joined in, saying, "Wow, I didn't catch that!" and the excitement grew.

It was the moment when the pronunciation practice we had been doing in every lesson turned into listening ability.

What I feel in the field of English education

When teaching English, I often feel that Katakana pronunciation has become deeply ingrained.
For example, I see teaching materials that write 'bath' as 'basu' and 'they' as 'zei'.

These are incorrect.

The 'th' sound does not exist in Japanese.
The 'th' sound is made by placing your tongue lightly between your teeth.
It is a sound anyone can make with practice, but by learning it through Katakana, it becomes English that cannot be understood.

This is like teaching a foreign friend that desk is pronounced 'chu-kyu-e'.
Even if the person tries their best to learn it, it won't be understood.

Knowing the correct sound is not just for improving pronunciation, but for speaking English that reaches the other person.

Pronunciation as an adult is like muscle training

I value repetitive pronunciation practice with my students.
Pronunciation is not just about feeling; it is like muscle training.

By repeating it over and over while being conscious of the movements of your mouth and tongue, your body gradually learns the 'correct position'.

When you can pronounce a sound, your brain recognizes that it knows that sound.
In the world of linguistics, research has shown that "the more sounds you can produce yourself, the easier they are to hear."

Pronunciation practice is about carving a map of sounds into your ears and brain.
Once the map is created, you will be able to find those sounds without hesitation next time.
Once you can produce a sound, you will naturally be able to hear it.

AI is developing, and the accuracy of translation and interpretation apps is improving at an astonishing speed.
However, I believe that the joy of communicating with your own voice is irreplaceable by any technology.

Finally

Acquiring correct pronunciation is
not just about "getting better at English."
It is about gaining the power to connect with the world through your own voice.

When your pronunciation changes, your English changes, and
when your English changes, your world changes.

Change your sound, and a new door opens.

Thank you for reading until the end!
Likes, comments, and follows are very welcome.