By Elena Dmitrievna Averina
Head of Foreign Languages Department,
North-West Institute of Printing,
St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design
Ph.D. in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor
https://eaverina.ru/
Dear Friend,
Settle in comfortably as we explore why mastering pronunciation is vital when learning a new language—and the challenges involved.
When communicating with a foreigner, you face two distinct tasks:
- Expressing what you wish to say
- Understanding what is said to you
For Speaking:
Your speech apparatus (tongue, lips interacting with teeth/palate, pharynx, larynx) produces specific sounds. To sound like a native speaker, you must train the same muscles natives use—developing the skill for instantaneous, precise tension and relaxation.
How quickly is a skill formed?
Psychologists know this: Depending on imitation and learning ability, a movement requires 12 to 240 repetitions. Astronauts train a single movement up to 900 times consecutively (see “Want to Help Your Child Learn Successfully, Easily, Joyfully?” Norma, St. Petersburg, 2004, p.5).
This repetition is your primary challenge. Make it interesting!
Motivate yourself by understanding the consequences of neglecting pronunciation:
If incorrect muscles move, the foreigner hears an inaccurate auditory image and fails to recognize their own language’s words.
For Listening:
Your ear captures auditory images (engrams) during conversation. Comprehension depends on recognizing these engrams by comparing what you hear with those imprinted in memory. If imprinted incorrectly, you won’t recognize familiar words and won’t understand.
Personal Example:
In the 1950s, I was taught the tongue-tip “r”. Arriving in Germany, I couldn’t recognize words like wir (we) or vier (four), sounding like “wia” and “via”.
German Example:
German has the Knacklaut (glottal stop) before vowels. Omit it, and the second word merges with the first. I witnessed a German fail to understand after five repetitions when the stop was omitted: für alle was heard as one non-existent word füralle.
This is where misunderstanding and speaking inability originate.
Speech as a Multi-Level System
Speech operates through hierarchical mechanisms. The foundation is “recognizing and reproducing long sound sequences”. If insufficient time is spent here (lacking repetitions), the foundation collapses. Higher-level speech mechanisms cannot form. This is why people cannot speak.
Structure of the Speech Mechanism System:
| Level | Mechanism | Development Method |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Recognizing/reproducing text models | Memorizing diverse text models and their distinguishing features |
| 8 | Recognizing/reproducing syntactic models | Studying syntactic systems; exercises for specific model recognition/reproduction |
| 7 | Recognizing/reproducing semantic models | Learning collocations; memorizing set phrases in contexts |
| 6 | Recognizing/reproducing word-formation models | Studying affixation; decomposing words; generating derivatives |
| 5 | Recognizing/reproducing word roots | Building lexical systems via mind maps; identifying roots in derivatives |
| 4 | Recognizing/reproducing morphological models | Inflection exercises (conjugation, declension) |
| 3 | Recognizing/reproducing letters | Transcribing spoken text; reading |
| 2 | Recognizing/reproducing sounds | Performing phonetic drills |
| 1 | Recognizing/reproducing long sound sequences | Memorizing speech patterns, poems, songs |
Why Prioritize Pronunciation & Intonation?
Focusing on pronunciation and intonation builds the foundational subsystems (Levels 1–3) and prepares the brain for higher-level language work. Don’t rush this. Remember: “Slow and steady wins the race” (German: “Eile mit Weile”).
Key Insight:
When learning a language, the brain first imprints sound images. Meaning is acquired later (N.P. Bekhtereva). This resembles loading data into a computer—without data, it cannot operate. Yet most students (and teachers) read a text once, translate it, and consider the task done.
To achieve mastery, material must be memorized so thoroughly that the brain automatically produces subsequent words upon hearing the first word of a phrase or sentence.
Why doesn’t comprehension occur?
Because engrams matching the words are absent—they weren’t properly imprinted.
Key Conclusions:
- Mastering intonation and pronunciation through repetition with native speakers isn’t just about sounding pleasant. It’s essential—without it, you won’t speak or understand.
- Create engrams in your brain for words/phrases you’ll encounter later. Discovering their meaning later will be rewarding. For now, ignore meaning—it distracts from sound focus.
- Adults struggle more to imprint sound sequences than to remember meaning. Mechanical memory (for sounds) weakens with age, while logical memory strengthens.
Should you build engrams through speaking or listening?
Listening first! Listen to short excerpts repeatedly. Why? Even in silence, speech muscles make micro-movements, creating kinesthetic images. When speaking later, muscles are already “trained.”
Neglecting this is why many never speak. They listen too little; their speech apparatus is unprepared.
Infants listen ~3,000 hours before speaking.
The 5-Step Pronunciation Workout
(For every exercise: words, phrases, or texts)
- Study & Listen:
- Read about sound formation (muscles involved).
- Listen to the sound repeatedly.
- Repeat it 20+ times (until correct).
- Focused Listening:
- Assume a relaxed posture (avoid direct light).
- Listen 5+ times:
- 1st/3rd time: Eyes closed (focus on sound).
- 2nd/4th/5th time: Eyes open (link sounds to letters).
- Controlled Repetition:
- Repeat words containing the sound.
- Notice how surrounding sounds alter it.
- Imitate all sounds accurately (even unfamiliar ones).
- Work like an echo: Repeat quietly in pauses, comparing your pronunciation to the narrator’s.
- Ignore word meanings. Your goal: Hear → Repeat → Link sound to spelling.
- Dictation & Correction:
- Write a dictated version of the exercise.
- Compare with the original; correct errors.
- Expect many errors initially—they decrease with progress.
- Foundation Building (Level 1):
- Memorize long sound sequences (syntagms, simple sentences).
- Use them immediately in relevant situations.
- Combine syntagms with other words/phrases to build new sentences.
This lets you communicate NOW—without waiting for grammar/vocabulary mastery. Parallel tracks (communication + study) will eventually intersect for fluency.
Intonation: The Invisible Glue
What are long sound sequences?
Syntagms (word groups between pauses) and simple sentences—memorizable and instantly usable.
When memorizing, ignore:
- Word count
- Grammar complexity
- Spelling rules
Focus on:
- Accurate pronunciation
- Speaker’s intonation
- Context of use
Start here. Prioritize intonation.
Why Intonation Matters:
Intonation binds words into sentences expressing the speaker’s intent. “Intonationally rich/poor speech” determines clarity. Poor intonation stresses unimportant words (e.g., “He was born in nineteen hundred thirty”). This only works if correcting a prior statement (“eighteen hundred thirty”).
Intonation reflects:
- Communication context
- Mood/emotions
- Intentions
- Attitude toward the listener
Misplaced emphasis = miscommunication. Listeners interpret this as your intention, not incompetence.
Real-World Impact:
Poor intonation can cost you a job. Sounding harsh (like a “prison guard” or Soviet-era salesperson) disqualifies you from client-facing roles. Soviet culture equated politeness with servility. Today, media often models “gangster” intonation—machine-gun-like cadence.
Working on pronunciation improves your native language’s intonation too.
Tools for Intonation (European Languages):
- Pitch change
- Volume change
- Speech speed
Phrase stress (volume/pitch on key words) depends on the speaker’s emphasis:
- How do you read? → “We eagerly read the book on German intonation.”
- What do you read? → “We eagerly read the book on German intonation.”
- About what? → “We eagerly read the book on German intonation.”
- Which book? → “No, we eagerly read the book on German intonation.”
Rules:
- Stress falls on the stressed syllable of key words.
- In English/German: Pitch rises before pauses, falls at periods.
- Pauses highlight key words (spoken slower/louder).
- Function words (articles, conjunctions) are usually unstressed.
Your Action Plan
- Study a phonetics book for your target language.
- Use software with pronunciation feedback (e.g., Rosetta Stone, Speechling).
- Embrace repetition. Each repetition is language mastery in progress.
“Don’t be discouraged by repetition. This is precisely when you conquer the language.”
Detailed Techniques & Resources
For comprehensive pronunciation and language mastery techniques, see E.D. Averina’s book:
“Foreign Language in 200 Hours”
(Order via email: eaverina@yandex.ru)
Wishing you success,
Elena Dmitrievna Averina
Author of the Translation-Free Language Mastery System
Website: https://eaverina.ru/