How important is pronunciation?
There’s a simple answer to this too. It’s the next most important after vocabulary. You need words first, but then you need pronunciation, because it’s no use having words if people can’t understand the words when you say them!
But people often get too worried about pronunciation, and want to pronounce English ‘correctly’, so here’s an idea which may surprise you: there is no such thing as ‘correct pronunciation’. It doesn’t exist. Asking what is correct pronunciation is a bit like asking what the correct length for a book is. We all know that some books feel too long, others too short, and some are just right. So, with pronunciation: it depends what you want to do with your English.
(One reason that the idea of correct pronunciation started was that in Britain, the more educated, upper-class people used to think that everyone – not so much foreigners learning English, as British people with local accents – ought to try and talk like them. So you got phrases like “the King’s [or Queen's] English”, “BBC English”, “Standard English” and “RP [Received Pronunciation].” There are still many English people who think like this, but if you use the phrase “Standard English” in a country like the USA, people will think you’re mad. In the USA, if you’re a Texan you talk like a Texan – you don’t try and talk like a New Yorker.)
The best answer to correctness seems to be that if you are a Japanese person using English, there is nothing wrong with sounding like a Japanese person using English – it’s much better than sounding like a Japanese person who is trying to sound like a Londoner but just can’t quite do it!
But of course there is another side to pronunciation, which is that you want people to understand you. So many people are using English nowadays that it means quite a lot of very different kinds of speakers have to understand them. (Don’t by the way always think it’s your fault if they don’t understand you. Your English may be better than theirs, and anyway even native speakers fail to understand each other quite often.) So what you need if you want people to understand you is really the most ‘neutral’ kind of accent. Most countries have a more neutral form of their different accents or dialects – one that everyone can understand – often the form used on national television or radio – and usually it’s the form that people from other countries can understand too. In Britain the form is the same as what used to be called ‘Standard English’. So whatever English-speaking country you’re in, take that form as your model, and don’t worry if you put a bit (but not too much!) of your own accent on top of it. People will know better who you are.
Click on a question to go straight to the answer:
1. Why learn English?
2. What is the best way to learn English?
3. So how do I find the best way of learning English for me?
4. How can I describe my level of English now?
5. Does my native ( = first) language make any difference?
6. How long will it take me to learn English?
7. Is it necessary to go to an English-speaking country?
8. Which English-speaking country is the best to learn in?
9. What kind of place is it best to study in – city or countryside?
10. What kind of accommodation is best?
11. Which is better – a big school or a small one?
12. Do small classes matter?
13. How can I compare one English language school with another?
14. Do I need to study grammar?
15. How do I learn enough words?
16. Which is the best dictionary to get?
17. How important is pronunciation?
18. What about exams?
19. If I need to use English for my work, should I study Business English?
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