We’re back with The Science of Clear Pronunciation series. Last year, I kicked off this series without realizing just how many changes were ahead of me and how long of a pause I needed in order to recalibrate. Well, I'm back now full force (except that my children gave me a mild cold, but I'm doing alright. Aren't they generous?).
In the first issue, we explored the importance of being a good listener. We talked about perception, and how pronunciation starts in the brain; in other words, we need to strengthen the "ear" and brain pathways that help us notice sound differences before focusing on articulation. For curious English teachers who read this newsletter, see Odisho, 2014— while I don’t agree with all of the author’s points of view, I do appreciate the emphasis on interdisciplinarity and a multifaceted understanding of pronunciation. Done with my spiel! Yay! To put this into practice, a powerful question to ask yourself is:
What do I hear? Is what I hear actually what the person is saying?
Today, we move on to the second piece of the pronunciation puzzle: watching. Why watching? Because pronunciation isn’t only in your head, or brain! Sound production happens through your body (think your tongue, lips, jaw, breath). Yet articulation is often treated as “just practice the sound” or “move your mouth more,” without ever stopping to observe what’s actually happening.
