How to Avoid Embarrassing English Pronunciation Mistakes
The ultimate guide on how to avoid embarrassing English Pronunciation Mistakes!
Hi, from Speak More Clearly! I’m glad you’re here to learn about how to avoid embarrassing English pronunciation mistakes- this is especially important in a professional setting and if you want to fit in at work.
There are 22 vowel sounds in English
So, it is important to pronounce them correctly. If you don’t, the meaning of what you’re saying may change completely, and you may be saying something embarrassing as the following real-life stories show.
Story number one
One of our trainers told me a story about a Korean student. He asked him on Monday morning: “What did you do on the weekend?”
The student’s answer was surprising: “I went to the shopping centre and got horny.”
The trainer was shocked. Why did the student tell him he had a sudden sexual desire in the shopping centre?
It took him a few moments to realise the word was ‘honey’ not ‘horny’.
Tip: Make sure you make a clear difference between /ʌ/ and /ɔ:/
Story number two
A Japanese student told us a strange story about something that happened to him.
The story he told us was so strange that the trainer asked the student: “Really? Did that really happen?”
“Yes”, he said determined, “it’s fucked.”
Yes, it was loud and clear. The teacher was surprised and didn’t understand his reaction. Was the student angry, because he didn’t believe his story? Not knowing what to say, the teacher said: “Pardon?”
The student repeated his answer clearly. After a few seconds silence, the teacher suddenly realised what he meant: “It’s a fact.”
Tip: Make sure you make a clear difference between u /ʌ/ – lips relaxed and bottom jaw is dropped a lot,
and a /æ/ -mouth is open a bit, and lips are spread into a smile position.
Story number three
At a women’s college in the United Arab Emirates when a class was ready to play a language board game. Imagine a class full of Muslim women in long black dresses and black scarves covering their hair. The students were organised in groups around tables with the boards and dice.
One student looked the male teacher straight in the eyes and said: “Teacher, do we have sex first?”
Taken completely by surprise, the teacher didn’t know what to say and just stood there. What on earth does she mean?
It took a few seconds before he realised it was a common pronunciation problem with e and i. She meant “do we have six first?” or “do we throw a six first?”
Story number four
During the Taiwanese elections of 2004, a Taiwanese political commentator was interviewed by the BBC and stated, before the whole world: “The erection will certainly enhance Taiwan’s reputation in the region.” Please look up the word erection if you don’t know the meaning. It was clear as a bell. Pronouncing the difference between l and r is a common problem for speakers from east and south-east Asia because these languages have a sound that is in between the English l and r.
Tip: In English the two sounds are very different: l is produced with the tip of the tongue up in the middle of the bony ridge behind the front top teeth (show in your mouth -hold the position for a minute).
The ‘r’ is produced by lifting the tongue up towards the roof of your mouth a little behind the bony ridge. (open your mouth and make a ‘r’ sound). Make sure you don’t flap your tongue when making the r sound.
Story number five
Once one Thai student who had been in an academic English class for three months, and had successfully passed the university entrance exam and entered university, came to her teacher one day quite distraught.
She said: “My pronunciation is still terrible.”
What had happened?
She went to the university bookshop to buy something and saw a CD-Rom that she wanted. However, the CD-Rom didn’t have a price on it. So, she went over to the shop manager, an Australian man, and asked without thinking: “How much is this dick?”
She realised straightaway of course what she had said and felt terribly embarrassed.
She knew how to say ‘disk’ with the s in it. It had just come out the wrong way.
Sounds may come out the wrong way but that’s a normal part of the learning process as you can see from the above stories. It takes time and practice to permanently improve your pronunciation so be patient with yourself.
