WHY IS PRONUNCIATION TRAINING IMPORTANT?

1.  The sound of a language is the most important aspect.

2.  Sound is the key to meaning.

3.  Every language has its own sound system.

4.  Some languages, like English, are not phonetic. They are not pronounced as written.

It's impossible to overstate the importance of mastering the sounds of a language.

Approximate [and theoretical] importance by percentage:

Speaking + Pronunciation + Listening: 80%

Vocabulary: 15%

Grammar + Writing + Reading: 5%

Mastering the sounds of a language is fundamental. If you can't make the sounds correctly, you will not be understood. If you don't master the sounds, you will not be truly able to identify yourself as a speaker of the language. Once you master the sounds and vocabulary, you are no longer a "foreigner".

English is not phonetic, and it has a lot of vowel and consonant combinations. 

The English language itself has almost three times more main vowels than its alphabet does.

We use the International Phonetic Alphabet to help you master the sounds of English. Each of these symbols only represents one sound, so it's very easy to master this alphabet. Most letters in the English alphabet can be pronounced in different ways. Some of them in 4 or 5 ways.

The IPA, as used in this course, is found in dictionaries. The symbols vary from dictionary to dictionary, but usually only slightly. Webster's American dictionary uses its own symbols.

Reasons for differences:

1. Difference in convention, for example /bed/ instead of /bɛd/. 
The vowel in bed: /bɛd/ is not the same as the one in egg: /eg/.

2. Regional. Difference in accent. A British dictionary will have different sounds from an American one.

3. Mistakes. Many cheaper dictionaries contain mistakes.

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