Pronunciation practice and tips - melody and rhythm

In my last blog I spoke about the difference between accent and pronunciation. I explained the differences and I hope you understand. In this blog I will explain more about pronunciation. We will see how to recognise different pronunciation techniques used by native speakers. This will help your listening comprehension and your pronunciation.

Melody.

All languages have some way to highlight the most important piece of information in a sentence. They all have a way to help listeners distinguish between old information and new information and thereby draw the listener’s attention to that piece of information that is new, and therefore, more important. But few languages depend on melody for this function as much as English. In English, changes in tone help listeners follow the speaker’s meaning because these melodic signals provide cohesion and contrast.

Melody in English is extremely important.

Example

a. Jane said, “Is that Mister Fogg?”

b. Jane said, “Is that mist or fog?”

Question: What was Jane talking about?

In sentence (a), Jane is asking about a person. In sentence (b), she is asking about something altogether different, the weather. In terms of pronunciation, however, the only difference between the two utterances is a melodic one. The pitch pattern of each sentence distinguishes it from the other and makes the

meaning clear for the listener.

Rhythm

The basic unit of English rhythm is the syllable. A syllable is most simply explained as something with a vowel sound at its center. It is very common for Spanish speakers to hear and say an extra syllable at the start of many words beginning with ´s´ (e.g., eschool or estudent, or even Espanish for Spanish). Listening comprehension is increased when students learn to notice the rhythmic effect of the number of syllables, including small words such as articles, auxiliaries, and affixes (e.g., the; do; -er; etc.). In easily confused words like this is/this and late/later the number of syllables is different, so the rhythm is different.

Understanding rhythm in English can help your pronunciation and your listening comprehension

The small ¨e¨ sound is very important in English. It is used in many words and especially when we talk fast. A lot of vowel sounds are reduced and replaced by the ´e´ sound. For example, the ¨ed¨ at the end of verbs in the past tense can sometimes be pronounces like ´e´. This makes it very hard to hear for English students and so when they speak, they often mispronounce the past tense.

Example

1. Yest’day I rent’ ‘car. (Yesterday I rented a car.)

2. Where’ ‘book? (Where is the book?)

3. We’ been here’ long time. (We’ve been here a long time)

Melody and Rythm in accent Vs Pronunciation

As you will see, this use of melody and rhythm is universal in all accents. This does not change from Australia to India to Ireland. As I said in my last blog  this is a key to understanding the difference between accent and pronunciation.

The Thought Group

Perhaps the most important way that English speakers help their listeners to follow their meaning is by grouping words so that they can be more easily processed. The stream of talk in English does not flow smoothly; it is composed of a series of short explosions of words.

In written English, punctuation is used to help readers separate thought groups. For instance, in the following example commas and a period are used to mark the end of each thought group.

Example

“John,” said the Boss, “is lazy.”

“John said, ‘The Boss is lazy’.”

Not only does written English use punctuation as an aid, but readers can always reread a piece of text if they become confused about the organization or grouping of information. But in spoken English there is neither punctuation nor the opportunity to recheck the words, so listeners must depend entirely on prosodic markers in order to know which words are grouped together.

What is a prosodic marker?

Thought groups generally start on a higher pitch and then drop at the end. To clearly mark the end of the group, there are several prosodic signals:

(a) a pause

(b) a drop in pitch

(c) making the last stressed syllable longer(the most subtle signal)

In slow speech, the pause is the most obvious indicator that a thought group has ended. But during rapid speech, there is no time for pauses, so pitch drops are essential signals.

The Focus Word

Every English thought group has a focus word. This is the most important word in the group. It is the word that the speaker wants the listener to notice most, and it is therefore emphasized. To achieve the necessary emphasis on the focus word, English makes particular use of intonation. The basic principle at play when emphasizing a focus word is contrast.

How to practice prounciation

Listen to this famous speech by Martin Luther King. In this speech he speaks very clearly and slowly. His thought groups and focus words are very obvious. Read the transcription of the speech as you listen and mark the thought groups with a /. Then listen again and underline the focus words. This will help you to recognise the markers and different ways to highlight important information when you speak. This will make your speaking much more clear and understandable. 

When you finish marking the transcript, practice reading it as Martin Luther King did. record yourself and listen. repeat until you think it sounds similar. You can contact  NATIVE Language Coaches and send them your recording. They will analyse it for free and give you a written report about how to improve your pronunciation.

I Have a Dream, Dr. Martin Luther King

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow I still have a dream it is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi a state sweltering with the heat of injustice sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character 

Now watch this video of Stephen Fry speaking. You can hear the same use of thought groups and focus words in his speech even though he is English and Martin Luther King is American. I hope this show clearly the difference between accent and pronunciation.