Learning English is difficult, but going the extra mile and learning to pronounce it properly can make it easier to find a job.
This reflects the experience of many English language learners, who receive intensive instruction in grammar, writing, and vocabulary, but little – if any – help with their speech. They often leave an English course able to understand and read English, but without the confidence necessary to speak it.
“You receive a lot more training in other areas of English as a Second Language [ESL] instead of pronunciation,” said Andrea Tienan, who teaches an intensive elective in pronunciation for the English Language Center at LaGuardia Community College. “Sometimes, teachers are very intimidated about the prospect of teaching pronunciation.”
Professionals in the area say that correct pronunciation and a clear accent don’t come easily and require a lot of practice to obtain. There are different options for those who want to improve their speech, and they vary according to the cost and level of mastery that a student wants to reach.
One option is available through English programs, like at the center at LaGuardia, where low-level English students are required to take a class in pronunciation and those at higher levels can take an elective course. Many public universities in the CUNY system, such as LaGuardia, offer these programs for an affordable price.
Betsy Hill, who teaches pronunciation to students already more or less proficient in English at LaGuardia and also New York University, said that there are advantages to learning pronunciation in larger classes of 20-25 students.
“You have the feedback of people from different cultures, so it’s also a lesson in learning how you are being perceived by others and how you perceive other people,” Hill said.
Tienan’s experiences have been similar.
“It’s better, overall, to have a variety of people to interact with,” she said and, to this end, these classes focus largely on having fun and playing games.
Karli Kelber, who teaches English classes at LaGuardia and Borough of Manhattan Community College, sings songs and plays bingo and board games with her students so that they enjoy themselves while learning. Hill, who uses similar methods in her courses, attributes her students’ almost perfect attendance to her fun methods of teaching.
Hence, the three professors said that their classes were for people who wanted to clarify their speech but not necessarily erase their accents.
Kelber, who said that she has a lot of nannies, busboys, and blue-collar workers in her classes, finds that “most of them can’t lose their accents, but my goal is that they speak clearly so that they can be understood.”
“It’s more about being understood, and that is completely possible to do and still have an accent,” Tienan said.
But there are also options for people who – for a significantly higher price – want to be able to speak in a complete American English accent.
The three professors mentioned above, as well as private consulters like Dr. Diane Boardman, offer individual or small-group classes. According to Tienan, this type of service is directed more at foreign workers who need to interact with clients regularly. Many times their employers – often large corporations – refer them to and pay for the classes.
“The vast majority of immigrants in this country probably can’t afford this type of arrangement,” said Tienan. “They have to get their English however they can.”
But Boardman, who has a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology from Queens College and runs an office in Forest Hills, said that often basic ESL classes are not enough.
“There have been scientific studies that demonstrate that pronunciation is the last thing you learn, if you learn it at all,” she said. “If you have not been trained to hear certain sounds, your brain doesn’t process them.”
She suggested that one’s accent is developed and ingrained at a very young age and that those who want to reduce it, in order to feel more comfortable speaking English, have to go through extensive training.
“Most of our communication is through speech, and if you’re not comfortable with that it’s going to be very difficult,” Boardman said. “When you feel more comfortable, it’s a wonderful thing. And when I see that I have helped, it feels really good.”
