{"id":4960,"date":"2022-12-13T14:37:18","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T14:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=4960"},"modified":"2022-12-15T05:22:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T05:22:46","slug":"english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"English Pronunciation: Why Your Students Find It Hard And How You Can Help"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Reason_1_Different_speech_sounds\" >Reason #1: Different speech sounds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Reason_2_Different_sound_systems\" >Reason #2: Different sound systems<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#What_does_this_mean_for_English_tutors\" >What does this mean for English tutors?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Step_1_Repeat_the_word_a_few_times\" >Step 1. Repeat the word a few times<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Step_2_Focus_on_teaching_mouth_movements\" >Step 2. Focus on teaching mouth movements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Tip_Be_realistic_about_how_quickly_theyll_improve\" >Tip: Be realistic about how quickly they\u2019ll improve&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/#Thats_it_for_now\" >That\u2019s it for now!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Why is it that even after years of study, many English learners still struggle with pronunciation? Today, we\u2019ll explore what makes pronunciation such a challenge \u2013 especially for your students from Japan \u2013 and share some ways to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reason_1_Different_speech_sounds\"><\/span>Reason #1: Different speech sounds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we talk, we make different sounds by moving our mouth and our tongue in different ways. These are called \u201cspeech sounds,\u201d and every language has its own unique set of them. For example, English has around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wBuA589kfMg\">44 different speech sounds<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some consonant sounds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The TH sound in \u201cthe\u201d and \u201cthere.\u201d<\/li><li>The V sound in \u201cvet\u201d and \u201cvery.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And here are some vowel sounds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The \"e\" vowel sound in \u201cbed\u201d and \u201cpet.\u201d<\/li><li>The \"i\" vowel sound in \u201cchick\u201d and \u201ctip.\u201d<\/li><li>The \"a\" vowel sound in \u201cmad\u201d and \u201ccat.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It just so happens that all the sounds listed above don\u2019t exist in many languages, including Japanese. In fact, English has nearly <a href=\"http:\/\/doi.org\/10.24552\/00001866\">twice as many<\/a> distinct vowel and consonant sounds as Japanese.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that there are a lot of sounds in English that Japanese students won\u2019t be able to easily pronounce. In fact, they may not even recognize them as distinct sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, since the TH sound doesn\u2019t exist in Japanese, Japanese people have problems hearing it. So if you say \u201cmouth,\u201d many Japanese people will think you\u2019re saying \u201cmouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The R and L sounds are another example of this. Because the Japanese R sound is somewhere in between the English R and L sounds, Japanese speakers have problems differentiating between them. So if you say \u201crice,\u201d they might hear \u201clice\u201d and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some more common pronunciation mistakes that Japanese students make because certain speech sounds either don\u2019t exist or aren\u2019t considered distinct sounds in Japanese:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>What they\u2019re trying to say<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>What they actually say<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Why?<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Work<\/td><td>Walk<\/td><td>The ER sound doesn\u2019t exist in Japanese.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Who\u2019d, who\u2019ll<\/td><td>Food, Fool<\/td><td>The H sound in Japanese approaches an F sound when it occurs before \u201coo\u201d sounds.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sit, seat<\/td><td>Sheet<\/td><td>In Japanese, there is only a SHI syllable \u2013 no syllable that is just S followed by an I or EE sound. (You can imagine how they mispronounce the words \u201csit\u201d and \u201ccity\u201d!)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Live<\/td><td>Leave<\/td><td>In Japanese, there\u2019s no distinction between lax and tense vowels, such as the vowels in \u201cleave\u201d and \u201clive.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hat, Hut<\/td><td>Hot<\/td><td>In Japanese, there\u2019s no distinction between these three vowels, so they will default to pronouncing it the Japanese way \u2013 like the first vowel sound in \u201cfather.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reason_2_Different_sound_systems\"><\/span>Reason #2: Different sound systems<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every language has its own unique \u201cphonology\u201d or \u201csound system.\u201d This system is how we put sounds together to form syllables, words, sentences and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an example, say the words \u201cducks\u201d and \u201cdogs\u201d and listen to the word endings. You probably noticed that the S at the end of \u201cducks\u201d sounds like an S but the one at the end of \u201cdogs\u201d sounds more like a Z. (If you need help, listen to these recordings: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/forvo.com\/word\/ducks\/#en\">ducks<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/forvo.com\/word\/dogs\/#en\">dogs<\/a>.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has to do with something called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachingenglish.org.uk\/article\/voiced-consonants\">voiced consonants<\/a>\u201d and how the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/eAGtfIjhP1k?t=21\">S after a voiced consonant becomes more like a Z<\/a>. This is one of many phonological rules in English you either picked up naturally or learned in an English class (if you had a good pronunciation teacher!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another phonological rule is that English syllables can end with a TS sound but they can\u2019t start with one. For example, the words \u201cboots\u201d and \u201cparents\u201d both end in -TS. But you won\u2019t find any English words that start with the TS sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the word \u201ctsunami\u201d starts with letters T and S, honoring its Japanese origins. But most native English speakers ignore the T at the beginning and just say \u201csunami.\u201d That\u2019s because starting a word with the TS sound is against English rules of phonology!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the same way, our students are also limited by the sound system of their native language. If you\u2019ve ever wondered why Japanese students add an extra vowel to the end of every word, it\u2019s because of phonology.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Japanese, the only consonant sounds that can end a syllable are N and NG. All other syllables end in one of five vowel sounds. That\u2019s why Japanese learners add extra vowel sounds: \u201ccat\u201d becomes \u201ccat-to,\u201d \u201cdog\u201d becomes \u201cdog-gu,\u201d and \u201cjudge\u201d becomes \u201cjudg-y.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A similar reason explains why Taiwanese and Thai learners drop final consonants. For example, unless they\u2019re being careful with their pronunciation, they will likely end up pronouncing \u201cname\u201d and \u201cNate\u201d as \u201cnay.\u201d Many aspects of English pronunciation that we take for granted are against the rules of their phonology!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_this_mean_for_English_tutors\"><\/span>What does this mean for English tutors?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re now familiar with two fundamental reasons your students mispronounce things in English: different speech sounds and different sound systems. But how do you help them overcome these challenges?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you encounter a word or phrase that your student seems to have trouble pronouncing, try the following two-step process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1_Repeat_the_word_a_few_times\"><\/span>Step 1. Repeat the word a few times<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeat the word a few times, emphasizing the part that they\u2019re struggling with. For example, if they\u2019re saying \u201cnay\u201d instead of \u201cname,\u201d emphasize the M sound at the end: \u201cNammmmmmmme.\u201d Ask your student to <a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/20\/repeat-after-me\/\">mindfully repeat<\/a> after you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2_Focus_on_teaching_mouth_movements\"><\/span>Step 2. Focus on teaching mouth movements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If they still have trouble, this might be because the speech sound does not exist in their language. In this case, continuing to repeat the word won\u2019t help since they might not be able to hear it at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, focus on teaching the physical movements needed to make those sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Show your student how your mouth and tongue move.<\/li><li>Find diagrams or videos that show how they should move their mouth \u2013 we recommend this <a href=\"https:\/\/tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu\/consonants-vowels\/\">free resource by Baruch College<\/a>.<\/li><li>Have them practice making the sounds themselves.<\/li><li>Ask them to focus on how the sounds feel in their mouth.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It also helps to have them compare the sounds to ones that they are already familiar with, such as through minimal pair exercises. You can get an idea of this from these two blog posts: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/24\/r-and-l-pronunciation\/\">R or L? 3 Easy Ways to Teach Students the Difference<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/12\/short-long-i-beet-bit-vowel\/\">\u2019Beet\u2019 or \u2018Bit\u2019? \u2018Eat\u2019 or \u2018It\u2019? \u2014 How to Teach the Difference<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_Be_realistic_about_how_quickly_theyll_improve\"><\/span>Tip: Be realistic about how quickly they\u2019ll improve&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just remember to be realistic about how much your student can improve during the lesson. Since a lot of their pronunciation problems are rooted in differences in speech sounds and sound systems, they will need to practice a lot to make noticeable improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you can do is leave a note for yourself to check the student\u2019s pronunciation in future lessons. And if you notice they\u2019ve improved, tell them! Students find it encouraging to hear they\u2019ve improved and will feel more certain they\u2019re making progress!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thats_it_for_now\"><\/span>That\u2019s it for now!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoyed learning about the main reasons your students struggle with English pronunciation. If you want to learn even more about pronunciation, check out these other blog posts too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/29\/backchaining\/\">Backchaining \u2014 How to Get Difficult Words to \"Roll off Your Tongue\"<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/18\/robotic-sounding-student-teach-them-some-rhythm\/\">Robotic-Sounding Student? Teach Them Some Rhythm!<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/16\/forget-the-word-stress-rules-for-now-and-prioritize-these-two-principles\/\">Forget Word Stress Rules (For Now) and Prioritize These Two Principles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/25\/persistent-pronunciation-issues\/\">Loanwords and Romanization: Lesser-Known Culprits Behind Persistent Pronunciation Issues<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/20\/do-students-really-need-a-native-accent-%f0%9f%a4%94\/\">Do Students Really Need a Native Accent?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy tutoring!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is it that even after years of study, many English learners still struggle with pronunciation? Today, we\u2019ll explore what makes pronunciation such a challenge \u2013 especially for your students from Japan \u2013 and share...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":4982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pronunciation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>English Pronunciation: Why Your Students Find It Hard And How You Can Help | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/pronunciation\/english-pronunciation-why-your-students-find-it-hard-and-how-you-can-help\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"English Pronunciation: Why Your Students Find It Hard And How You Can Help | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why is it that even after years of study, many English learners still struggle with pronunciation? 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