Say it Right

Say it Right!

It is very difficult to utter a sentence without using English nowadays. We use many English words in our day-to-day conversations. E.g. pen, pencil, fan, glass, notebook, time, dress, shirt, shoes, calendar, chalk, tie, train etc. That shows the importance English language has acquired. No matter which field you are in, knowledge of English is of paramount importance. So I would like to share a few important concepts that would help people who want to improve their expertise in English language. A person is said to have mastered a language if he/she has mastered the three subsystems of the language:

1) Grammar
2) Pronunciation
3) Vocabulary

So when one wants to improve his language skills, he/she has to work in all the above areas. In this article I am going to concentrate on the area of pronunciation. When we speak, our pronunciation creates the first impression. Then come the areas of sentence structure (grammar) and use of words (vocabulary). The pronunciation system needs to be dealt in three levels moving from simple to complex:

1) Sound level
2) Word level
3) Sentence level

In this article I am going to concentrate on the sound level problems faced by the learners. We should pronounce each and every sound clearly and distinctly. While producing vowel sounds, we should be very careful about the length of the vowel sounds. If it is a short sound (as in fit), we should keep it short and if it is a long sound (as in feet), we should make it sufficiently long. Change in the length of the vowel sound can lead to the change in the meaning of the whole sentence.

For example,
I can’t live without it. ( Meaning: I will die without it)

In the above sentence, the vowel sound in the word ‘live’ is short and should be kept short. If by mistake anyone elongates the vowel sound in ‘live’, it becomes ‘leave’ and it changes the meaning of the whole sentence.

I can’t leave without it. (Meaning: I can’t go without it.)

While uttering consonant letters, one has to take care of the silent letter words. Some letters are silent i.e. they are not pronounced in certain words. For example, in the word ‘card’ , letter ‘r’ is silent. In fact letter ‘r’ is pronounced only if it is followed by a vowel sound. E.g. very, rain etc. Some of more examples of silent letter words are as follows.

B comb dumb climb lamb doubt debt
L could calm half talk walk chalk
H honour honest hour heir
T whistle castle listen fasten soften often
batch catch fetch witch wrestle
K knee knife know knob knot knit
R card park work sister teacher water
G gnat campaign design foreign sign resign
D Wednesday badge dodge handsome handkerchief edge
W write wrist wrinkle wrestle wrath wrong
N autumn column condemn damn solemn

Watch the consonant sounds, particularly when they appear at the end of the words. They can be sometimes weakly pronounced. Many Indians, especially Maharashtrians, face difficulty in pronouncing the sound of ‘f’ in the word ‘fan’. Instead, they tend to pronounce the combination of the first sound in ‘pan’ and the first sound in ‘hat’. So they pronounce ‘ph’ instead of ‘f’. When we pronounce ‘f’ in ‘fan’, our upper teeth should touch our lower lips. But many Indians pronounce it by using both the lips i.e. their upper lip touches their lower lip and it results in wrongly producing ‘ph’ sound. Another difference lies in the production of the sound of ‘w’ and ‘v’. The ‘w’ in the word ‘wall’ should be pronounced with rounded lips. On the contrary, many Indians touch their upper teeth to their lower lips and wrongly produce the ‘v’ sound instead of ‘w’. So ensure that you produce your vowel and consonant sounds clearly and rightly.


Exercise:

1. Try to read the following paragraph allowed with correct pronunciation of silent letter words.
Next Wednesday is the eighth of January, and I promised my grandfather very solemnly that I would visit the castle with him on that day. He asked me at Christmas, and I might have gone then, but I had an accident, when I cut my wrist and my thumb. I wrapped my handkerchief around my wrist, fastened it tightly with a knot and hastened to the doctor as fast as I could, but the sight of blood made me feel quite ill, so I was honest with my grandfather, and he thoroughly agreed that I oughtn’t to go out till my limbs stopped shaking and I felt calmer.

2. Practicing vocal Skills

Read the above paragraph silently and then aloud as if you were trying to speak to someone sitting next to you. Repeat the reading standing up and imagine you are communication to fifty people in a large space.


Written by-
Leena Jadhav
M.Phil (English)