First off, thank you to everyone for participating this pronunciation clinic! I was so happy to see many familiar faces and meet some new ones.
I was very impressed with how well everyone did and how dedicated many of you were to improving your pronunciation. As many of you saw, levels six and seven are quite difficult, but not impossible. The “r” sounds are a challenge, but with practice everyone can master them. As always, be careful of the placement of your tongue. It is most important to keep your tongue down when making the “r” sound.
Also, I mentioned to many students already, but want to stress how important it is, please open your mouth. When we speak Japanese we tend to keep our mouths very tight, but in English we need that big open mouth to get nice clear sounds. The next time you see a movie from abroad, watch the actors’ mouths. See how big they open their mouths when they talk. Don’t be shy! You can do it too!
I was also really impressed with everyone’s reading this time. There are two things we should all be aware of when reading. First is to be careful with your “th” sounds. Often when reading “th” it sounds like “d”. Don’t be shy about sticking your tongue out and getting a clear “th” sound. For native speakers, when talking fast, we still have our tongues stick out just enough to get that sound. Second, be aware of the plural “s”. Since we don’t have it in Japanese it is often dropped off when we read. It is very important to use the “s” so what you say is understood. With these two sounds you will sound much more natural in your English.
