Note before you read this article: Everyone has their own take on effective ways to learn a language. Because of this, last summer I decided to try distilling fundamental truths about language learning that all, or at least most, language learning experts would agree on.
This is the tenth lesson. You can watch the video here, listen on Spotify here, or keep scrolling down to read a summary. You can see all 12 lessons by clicking here.
Feel free to contact me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any questions about language learning or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/small-group lessons
I love helping people improve their pronunciation.
I’m a pronunciation nerd. As a language learner, I obsess over sounding as close to a native speaker as possible. Here is a summary of some of the main pieces of advice I shared in this video/podcast. Each of you reading this will find different points helpful because you don’t all use the same learning method. Because of this, just implement the ones that resonate the most with you.
Learn the alphabet and sounds of the language. This can be done by, for example, watching YouTube videos or taking classes.
Practice speaking regularly. Accurately pronouncing all letters/sounds is not enough. Each language also has a certain rhythm. If you’re not comfortable speaking, you will likely sound unnatural because you will pause when native speakers typically would not.
Get feedback from native speakers. I remember asking multiple people in India about my Gujarati pronunciation. None of them could give me specific or actionable feedback, but they did all say the same thing: my pronunciation was perfect, but my “tone” was off. While I didn’t know exactly what that meant, it helped me realize that something about my tone of voice and rhythm could be improved upon.
Listen actively. Pay close attention to how native speakers pronounce words. Focus on the sounds of the language, not just the meaning behind the words.
Record yourself speaking. Record your own speech and listen to it to identify areas for improvement.
Learn the basics of phonetics. A foundation in phonetics, the study of speech sounds, can be beneficial for understanding and improving pronunciation. You can either learn phonetics in a general sense or the phonetics of your target language (e.g., Spanish phonetics, French phonetics, etc.) Watching videos on YouTube is an excellent way to start doing this.
Shadowing. Shadowing involves imitating the pronunciation and intonation of native speakers by listening to and repeating exactly what they way in a video or audio.
Maintain a consistent focus on pronunciation. Regularly practice and maintain your pronunciation skills. Just like you focus on improving skills such as listening comprehension or speaking, also give pronunciation your time and attention.
I shared more advice than this in the video/podcast.
As I said before, I love pronunciation. I really nerded out in this lesson. Go watch it on YouTube or listen to it on Spotify if you have not done so already.
If you have any questions/comments or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/semi-private lessons, contact me here.