Studying English, Basic English Conversation, and Studying

After a level test in English simply with beginners, speaking in Korean and speaking in English are usually the same tone. In English, there is a strength based on words and the rhythm of sentences created by the combination of those words, which ignores all of these principles, so speaking Korean in monotone and speaking in English becomes the same. It is also overlooked that English pronunciation, such as vowels and consonants, should be learned from the basics because it is often not intended to learn the principles of sound one by one. Naturally, I think I can pronounce and read English. Therefore, I think about how I can improve my fluency beyond the basic process.

Why? Because we’ve been learning English at school, anyway, for 12 years at the academy. I read English textbooks at school and have been taking tests based on them. If you learn French or Chinese, you will start focusing on basic pronunciation and sound, but English does not seem to have no basics at all. To become this vague basic skill, I don’t know how to set the starting point for studying English, making me wander in direction.

I made a similar mistake when I first started studying English. Rather than laying the foundation from the source that forms the basis of English sounds, such as pronunciation and vocalization, I focused on how to make sentences and develop fluency by using grammar. While studying like that, I met various foreigners. Listening to various colors of English, including India, Malaysia, and Singapore, I proudly spoke English with Korean colors. When my confidence was building up, I had a short conversation with an American who I met by chance while traveling, which shocked me a little. I thought I could speak English, but the other person couldn’t understand my pronunciation well, so I often shouted ‘What?’

Then I realized the importance of pronunciation properly. There are countless people in the world who speak English. At first glance, it sounds like a sham English, but there will be an old man who sells things in that English in the Vietnamese market, and there will be an American lawyer who has to listen to and speak relatively high-quality expressions. Anyone can understand my English if they use sound based on correct pronunciation. Otherwise, you can talk well with someone, but there is a situation where communication with someone keeps getting tangled. Having decided to study English, shouldn’t you aim to use the correct sound so that anyone can understand my English?

Next, I will introduce some ways that beginners can lay the foundation for English sounds.

-Learn the phonetic symbols.

There are lectures on how pronunciations, such as vowels and consonants, sound in words. Of course, once you see it, you won’t be fully embodied, but as much as you know it, it helps you listen to English accurately and speak along with it. For example, the words “apple” and “forever” are expressed in Korean, although both have a common vowel, they are expressed by different phonetic symbols in English. It is not the same sound, but if you keep thinking about it based on Korean standards, it is naturally perceived as the same sound, and in the process, incorrect pronunciation is formed. You should continue to practice making sounds according to the unique pronunciation preferences of English, not Korean standards of Korean language.

-Even if you study alone, always train yourself to speak with native speakers.

You should try to shape things such as pronunciation, the strength of words, and the rhythm of sentences through shading training, which starts with short sentences. Rather than starting with things like my favorite American dramas, I like animations that talk in English at the middle school level.

-It’s good to have a native speaker who can feed you back.

Of course, it’s good to have someone who listens to me speak English and corrects things like pronunciation and expression even once or twice a week.m. a week. If there is anything pointed out, just search for the pronunciation on YouTube and try to study it. Thankfully, there are teachers who teach you most difficult pronunciation through short videos on YouTube.

Instead of learning the pronunciation perfectly and moving on to the next course, you should study with the idea of slowly reducing the unknown if there is a vast world of English sounds. It may seem boring to build up the basics of sound rather than to practice expressing what I want to say right away, but it is a necessary process for a higher level of development.