The first language in India is Hindi, which can be said the most scientific language. Scientific language means that the words of that language are pronounced in the exact manner in which they are written, i.e. in Hindi, we speak the word exactly as described by its spelling, viz. there is no silent letters, voiced or unvoiced sounds. Moreover, Hindi is syllabic language whereas English is stressed language, which means; in Hindi we don’t emphasize any particular syllable more than others of the same word. But while speaking English the different syllables of the same word acquire different amount of stress viz. in the word “politics” the stress is given on ‘p’ whereas while speaking “political” primary stress is on ‘li’ and in “politician”, ‘ti’ acquires the primary stress. Hence the word pronunciation in English is different from Hindi. In Hindi we don’t need to bother about stress. Hence, being part of the nation in which Hindi is the first language, people face difficulties while speaking English, due to their habits in which they speak Hindi.
The problem for Indian speakers of English is that, they are not aware that English is not pronounced scientifically. I have seen many Indians in my surroundings, who pronounce English scientifically, some of the examples are, they pronounce “individual” as /indi-vidual/ in place of /in-də-‘vijwəl/, “certain” as /sərtāin/ in place of /’sər-tᵊn/, “environment” as /en-vironmеnt/ in place of /in-‘vī-rə(n)-mənt/ and necessity as /nesesiti:/ in place of /nə-sessətee/. They pronounce English word in the same way as their spelling force them to do. The thick pronunciation of /t/, /r/ makes their English to sound less like English and more like Hindi, viz. they use to give stress on /t/ every time, (irrespective when /t/ comes at end of the spelling then it is pronounced softly) e.g. in “butter”, many Indians think that the spelling tells that /t/ should be emphasized (due to double /t/) while a native American speaker will say it as /bədᵊr/ (even /t/ is much like /d/). So, to improve English communication you need to be less scientific for the pronunciation of English words. Here are some main problem areas and tips to improve them. [ American sounds: R, T and Th]
‘T’ sounds almost like ‘D’: In some parts of American/Europe Pronunciation of‘t’ is supposed to be less crisp. It should sounds more like a‘d’ in many cases, especially between vowels. Katie is pronounced almost like KaDie, water like waDer.
‘R’ pronunciation: There are varying observations on the sound of ‘R’:
-Let the sound of R flow; don’t put too much stress on this sound especially in the middle or in the end of a word.
-Don’t totally chewing up the sound of ‘R’ in other cases. Practice the stress on this sound, and listen to how your American/English friends use it. In ‘Robert’, the stress is on first R; let the second ‘r’ flow, without any pronounced stress.
2. ‘V’ and ‘W’ sound: This is a common problem for many Asians and Europeans, so don’t take it personally. There is a clear difference between ‘w’ and ‘v’ sounds. Even though most of Indians understand the difference, the distinction is often not carried out in spoken English. Let us try this:
-For the sound of ‘v’, place lower lip gently on the upper teeth and say the word. Don’t press it hard, you should be able to exhale through, while making the sound. Most of us find this hardest to get used to.
-For ‘w’ sound, it’s a different than ‘v’, the lips are supposed to be rounded and puckered like when we say ‘u’, and with no contact between the teeth and tongue. Move your lips in the forward direction as you vocalize the sound.
-The key distinction between the w/v sound and the ‘B’ sound is the fact that the lips are closed when we start to vocalize ‘B’.
3. ‘S’ and “sh’ pronunciation: Some of the new comers have this issue. The problem is not how to make the sound what when to use what sound. Learn the difference in pronunciation.
-The difference in the sound of ‘Sue’ and ‘Shoe’ should be easy to follow.
-‘s’ as ‘s’ or as ‘z’: ‘S’ in Sam (the sound is ‘s’), or in ‘is’ (the sound is like ‘z’).
4. ‘Th’ should not sound like ‘da’: Not a problem of speaking, but a habit. Put your tongue between your teeth to make ‘th’ sound.
5. The vowels are VERY important to pay attention to: If you are having difficulty with vowels, make sure to correct it. The long vowels are supposed to take longer to vocalize compared to the short ones.
Short vowels: rat, leg, pig, Rob, bus: Don’t park on them, move on to next sound.
Long vowels: rate, he, side, robe, tune: Hang in there, don’t rush.
6. Not too fast or too slow: Speak slowly, but not too slow. The right pace comes with practice. Don’t chew up the words by going too fast.
7. Open the mouth properly while speaking: Let the sound come out properly while speaking. Don’t speak through the teeth or with half open mouth.
8. Syllable stress matters: Understand which parts of a word should take the stress and which ones not. This comes with listening and practicing. [Intonation]
9. Practice is a must: A regular practice- over and over- is very helpful. The best way to get rid of so-called ‘thick accent’ is by speaking and imitating local (American or English) style and slang. A few ways to practice are:
- Speak out loud, speak out often, and as much as possible
- Practice in front of a mirror, or with a friend. Make a game out of it.
- Watch TV to get exposure to the local dialects and speech mannerism.
- Record your audio, listen to it, and then practice to improve the pronunciation.
- Avoid false or fake accent [More tips for Indian Speakers]
Another problem is pronunciation of article “the”. Many Indians don’t know the rule for pronouncing “the”; they either speak it as /ðə/ or as /ði/ irrespective of the sound followed by it. The rule is when “the” is followed by a vowel then it is pronounced as /ði/ and when followed by consonant then pronounced as /ðə/. If you have listened the Hindi song Tera hone laga hun..from [ Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahani], then you can easily memorize this rule from the very first line of the song “ Shining in the /ðə/ setting sun, like pearl upon the /ði/ ocean, come and feel me..”
Many Indians do not distinguish between /o/ and /ō/, /e/ and /æ/ viz. the /o/ sound of “plot” /plot/and “load” /lōd/ seems similar to them. Similarly, they pronounce /e/ sound in “then” /ðen/ and “than” /ðan/ with no difference.
At last, the main problem is the avoidance towards improving English pronunciation. Many people are not aware of the necessity for the good English communication. Personally, I have seen many students who are very good at many fields of studies, but while public speaking; they stammer and come out to be unable to make the audience clear about their ideas. So, it’s the advice to consider the importance of good English communication.
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