Speaking words correctly is an art as well as a necessity. Mispronunciation of any word would lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication. This was revealed to me once when one of my friends and I decided to go to a restaurant for coffee and snacks.As we entered the cafe, my friend asked the waiter, “What are the snakes you have?” The waiter got puzzled and confused when I interrupted and clarified what my friend meant to say. People think pronunciation is not important, but actually it is important to get the correct meaning of the word. There are various reasons which can make us understand why it is important to pronounce each word correctly.
Better Understanding
Correct pronunciation can help us understand a conversation clearly and also know the correct meaning of the word. Words with same spellings are known as homonyms but they have different meanings. There is a very little difference between the pronunciation of such words. For Example – “Sail” and “Sell”, both have same pronunciation but the meaning is different. But actually both these words have little difference while pronouncing like “Sail” is pronounced as “Seil” and “Sell” is pronounced as “Sɛl”. If we know how to pronounce correctly our work to convey a message to somebody becomes easy and also becomes easy for a listener to analyse what was said to him.
There are various words that we pronounce inappropriately. Being Indian, English is our second language, and we make lots of mistakes while using this language. For example, the word “Zoo” is mostly pronounced “Joo,” “She” is mostly pronounced “See,” and so on.But there is a huge difference between “she” and “see”. The moment we understand the difference, we will rectify our pronunciation mistakes as well.
Gives correct meaning to a message.
When each word is pronounced correctly while talking the meaning is conveyed without any hindrance. Listeners understand the speaker without any difficulty. Mispronunciation of words can lead to broken communication, miscommunication and it can also lead to losses for businesses.
Effective Vocabulary
Usage of proper vocabulary in a given situation can do wonders by providing proper meaning to a sentence. Sometimes we have a long list of vocabulary but if we don’t know to pronounce them correctly it is of no use. Knowing a word and then using it in a sentence can help one understand how to use a given word but the moment we know to pronounce it correctly our self confidence also increases.
How to improve our pronunciation
Phonics
Phonics are the sounds that we get from each letter and combination of letters. It is important to know the sound coming from a combination of letters to make our pronunciation clear.
Reading aloud
Reading aloud has helped many to improve their pronunciation, and it will be the same soon. Whenever you are reading something, try reading aloud so that you can listen to your own pronunciation and correct it accordingly.
Proper pronunciation is not only necessary for the English language but for all the languages we speak. So make sure whatever you’re saying is as clear as a crystal from your mouth.
