Today, let’s look at the IPA to learn clear English pronunciation
Q: What is the best way to learn English pronunciation?
A: You need to learn to pronounce words and sounds clearly. We already know that katakana is not a good way to learn English sounds!
The best way to learn how to pronounce the sounds of English is to practice the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).?
Did you know English has a special alphabet for sounds? This is a special alphabet that has all the sounds of English. Click on the link below, to see the IPA.
| Examples:
Let’s think about the use of the letter ‘c’ in English… The word ‘cat‘ starts with the letter ‘c‘. In this word it makes a /k/ sound. BUT in the word ‘face‘ the ‘c‘ makes a /s/ sound. The IPA makes the sounds clear. |
A: It can be helpful to learn the IPA, but you don’t have to.
However, you should practice pronouncing the sounds of the IPA. The best way to practice is to say words that:
- Start with the sound
- Have the sound in the middle
- Have the sound at the end
Let’s start to do this next time!
Question: Have you used the IPA before?
I’ve used the IPA when I look up my dictionary , because it can help me how to pronunciation the words .
Yes, it is helpful if you know what the symbols mean! All dictionaries use them, but many students don’t. Well done Jane!