English pronunciation guides can be very confusing and difficult to read. Next to a word in the dictionary are some strange-looking symbols. For example, you may be in a classroom or meeting where you cannot use your cell phone or. Well, it's nice to meet you too. Now, the word 'meet' ends in the sound /t/, and the word 'you' begins with /j/, don't they? Or do they? Listen again. meet. view main entry for meet noun /miːt/. British English pronunciation: meet View American English pronunciation of meet. Pronunciations of related words.
I grew up with my mom saying this to me, and I think this answer bugged my clients as much as it did me as a child. As I put more thought into how my clients could better identify the correct pronunciation of new words, I began to realize the important connection between reading and speaking. We actually need to go back to phonics.
Pronunciation: MEAT and MEET | WordReference Forums
Phonics teaches the correlation between our letter system and the sounds each letter or group of letters can produce. Phonics programs have become very common in schools as a means to help children learn how to read. By learning common patterns used in English spelling, you can have a better chance of pronouncing a new word correctly.
Unfortunately, there are not a lot of phonics classes offered for adults, and phonics is taught even less than pronunciation which is already under-represented in English language classes. So how can an adult go about learning how to pronounce new words correctly?
Here are a couple ways you can become more aware of English spelling patterns. Listen and read at the same time. Pronunciation is a skill which is learned by listening.
You learn how to say a new word when you hear someone else say it first.
It's "PRE-rog-ah-tiv," like precognition. Supposably While "supposably" is a word, it doesn't mean what you think it does. Nuclear Despite George W. Asterisk This one you really want to get right, because it can, in fact, make you look ignorant if you get it wrong. There's no "x" at the end of this word--it's true to its "k. Larvae Chances are, your science teacher got it wrong, but your Latin teacher got it right, since Latin is where it comes from.
Jewelry This time we tend to cut out a syllable that's actually there. Zoology The correct pronunciation here is going to sound crazy, but it's true: Often In English, there are many words that contain silent letters. It's supposed to be "OFF-en. Sherbet You've probably been adding an "r" here since you were able to swallow sherbet.
Niche While commonly mispronounced "nitch," this word comes from the French word nicher, which means to nest. Accordingly, the correct pronunciation is "neesh.
How do I pronounce new words correctly?
Celtic It turns out we've all been calling the Boston Celtics by the wrong name. Chicanery The word itself means "trickery" or "deception," and its pronunciation is obligingly tricky. Bruschetta That delightful Italian dish of grilled bread with garlic, olive oil, and tomatoes actually takes a hard "r. Forte The technically correct way to say this sounds so wrong that it may not be worth doing.