Page 8 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Balkar Singh, Lovely Professional University Unit 1: Simple Rule for Pronunciation & Intonation

Unit 1: Simple Rule for Pronunciation & Intonation Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction

1.1 Pronunciation
1.2 Word stress
1.3 Vowels

1.4 Linking
1.5 Intonation
1.6 Schwa
1.7 Summary
1.8 Keywords

1.9 Self Assessment
1.10 Review Questions
1.11 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Explain the importance of ‘word stress’
Recognise the vowels known and their linkage to pronunciation.
Discuss Simple rule for Pronunciation & Intonation
Describe intonation and schwa

Introduction

English pronunciation can be tricky indeed but there are numerous ways to practice and numerous
resources to help guide you. Many of the resources are free, online, right at your fingertips and
specialize in those learning the language pronunciation for the first time with English as a
second language. We communicate with each other largely through speech. Clear and accurate
pronunciation is therefore immensely important. At times, however, we may be stumped by
questions such as the following: How should we pronounce the words anemone, lapel or
hyperbole? Which syllable in Singapore should we stress? Do we pronounce the l in salmon?
And are there any common words in English that are frequently mispronounced?
Such questions on pronunciation may seem endless, but the solution is not as difficult as we may
think. With a good dictionary, and knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and
some simple rules of pronunciation, most of us will be able to find out very quickly the proper
pronunciation of various words, and the differences, if any, in how they are pronounced in the
major varieties of English (e.g., American English, British English). There are also many words
that have the same vowel pronunciation but use different combinations of vowels to produce
those sounds. A few examples of those include reign, in which the “ei” sounds like “ay,” plane,

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