Importance of Pronunciation in English Language

English is the most spoken language globally, with about 1.132 million speakers who are either native speakers or use English as their second language. It is considered a global language as it is used extensively in all aspects of life, social or economic. Knowledge and understanding of the English language have become essential for everyone. The mere inclination to learn a new language is not enough, as every language has a methodology to be adopted to attain proficiency in it. Language experts believe that the speaker needs to understand the language broadly on the following parameters to understand any new language.

Grammar.
Vocabulary.
Phonetics.

The grammar of any language includes the set of rules which need to be understood while framing new words or sentences. After the speaker is comfortable with the grammar, the next step in language learning is knowledge of new words, known as vocabulary. How a word or a language is spoken is known as pronunciation. This may include the commonly accepted sounds used to pronounce or speak a particular word in a language.

Importance of Pronunciation in English

Correct knowledge of the English language helps write and verbally communicate intelligibly. In written communication, words and phrases convey messages/information. Nevertheless, a speaker can use body language and tone of voice to communicate meaning and urgency in verbal communication. Communication is incomplete if a speaker is unaware or unaccustomed to the correct pronunciation of words and phrases that may convey the message incorrectly. Despite being a global language, English is still a second language to a majority of people. The speaker might be aware of English grammar rules yet not be able to speak correctly due to a lack of proper guidance on English Pronunciation rules. People are not able to have a proper understanding of pronunciation in the English language due to many reasons, some of which are:

Mother-tongue influence.
Difficulty in understanding similarly pronounced words with different meanings, known as Homophones.
Unawareness of new terms.
Lack of practice.

The blog's purpose is to understand the difficulties faced by English speakers and look for possible solutions to improve English language pronunciation.

Language Development in Children

Early educators believe that language development in children occurs at multiple levels. There are several ways through which a child acquires an understanding of a language, further affecting the way they pronounce words and phrases.

The first and foremost way is by communicating with them in English at home and school. Another way is reading books to them and encouraging them to read. Children from kindergarten days should be encouraged to speak their thoughts and opinions. By doing so, they would be able to express themselves without hesitation, and their pronunciation would also improve. Language development is an essential aspect of child growth. Parents need to ensure that children are in an environment that would result in proper language development. Educators and scientists feel that language development in a child is connected to several other developmental parameters, some of which are listed below.

Language development enables a child to become a confident speaker and a problem solver.
It develops creative thinking in children.

Activities to Develop Pronunciation

Language development is a continuous process for children. Exposure to the English language can be fun and exciting for children by including educational games and activities. There are many activities in which the children can be involved to improve their pronunciation abilities. Some are listed as follows:

Building a story.
Encourage them to ask riddles and tongue twisters.
Show and tell about their favorite toy or book.
Reciting their favorite poem.

Children can be involved in these activities for a long time, even without direct adult supervision. These exercises enable children to have structured pronunciation training to help them become confident English speakers. The difficulty level of these activities can be increased depending upon the age group. Early educators discovered that language development occurs faster for children when pronunciation activities are introduced earlier. The activities mentioned in this blog can be modified for kindergarten, preschoolers, and regular school-going children. Along with these activities, parents can also search for websites or mobile applications that provide pronunciation training online for kids. Children in kindergarten are very adaptive in their learning abilities and can adapt to English Pronunciation classes online for kindergarten.

Pronunciation Activities for Kindergarten

Educators strongly feel that language phonetics should be introduced to kids around 3-4 years of age. The knowledge of language phonics and pronunciation of words are closely related. Children aged between 3-5, eligible for kindergarten, are introduced to the sounds of different alphabets, which helps them better pronounce words and phrases. Numerous activities can be introduced to improve their English pronunciation. Some are listed below.

Showing them flashcards of different alphabets and asking them to identify their sound/phonic.
Recite poems to them.
Sing along to popular songs which are easy for them to understand.

English Pronunciation Course for Kids

Children exposed to the English language in early childhood take up the inclination to learn languages faster. Apart from school and home, children can be enrolled in various online platforms to perfect their language skills to improve pronunciation and communication skills. English pronunciation classes prove to be highly beneficial in developing pronunciation skills in students. Online education has become a household name in current times, and children of all age groups have adjusted to the new way of learning. These platforms provide pronunciation training online to children of all age groups. Training is an excellent way to improve pronunciation. Children learn to work on their weak points and become confident speakers. There are several platforms available, and some are listed further.

Conclusion

Due to the current world scenario, countries across the globe are looking for professionals who can work and adjust to the global working environment. Earlier professionals who wished to work in a foreign location would have to relocate to a foreign land. But with the advancement of online work and education options, things have changed drastically. Due to this, it becomes vital that children are introduced to the concept of the global language from an early age. English is fast becoming a worldwide language, and thus, understanding the English language is a highly required skill that would help children become confident speakers.