Pitfalls of Pronunciation

American accents are many.  In many of these accents, words often get jumbled and mispronounced.  There are a few reasons why we botch up English pronunciation: speaking too fast, not reading enough and being lazy.  These are common to all regions of the USA.  Here are the top five consequences of such causes:

1.  The vowel drop

These words end up shorter and somewhat garbled.  While it is easier just to cram the letters into one long syllable, most people will look down upon this type of mispronunciation.  Words such as federal have become fedral, and miniature has become miniture.  Most people will still be able to follow what you’re saying, but bear in mind that you may not be taken seriously.

Another vowel issue that commonly arises is the switching of one vowel for another.  In this type of case, you need to slow down and take time to think about the actual spelling of the word.  Sometimes you can even change the whole meaning of the word, leaving your listener confused.  Take the word tenet; so many times the word tenant is pronounced instead.  A tenet is a doctrine; a tenant is someone who rents housing.

SEE ALSO: American English: Grammar, Vocabulary, Features

2.  Letter misplacement and inventing new words

Obviously, when you switch around the letters, you’re going to get a funny pronunciation or a different meaning.  This is a result of not reading enough or reading too fast.  Let’s look at the word larynx.  It is much easier to say larnyx but that is incorrect.  There is no body part called a larnyx.  Another frequent mispronunciation due to misplacement of letters is of the word relevant.  Time and again it is pronounced as revelant.  This makes for a new word which has yet to be given any definition.

3.  Changing the letter sound

There is no better way to sound ridiculous than by changing the letter sound right from the start.  Somehow, probably due to laziness, we have managed to turn some sounds for ‘s’ into ‘x’.  “I love to drink coffee, expecially, expresso,” is neither correct nor desirable speaking.  Remember to always sound out a word first if you are unsure.

4.  Dropping consonants

Again, this can lead to nonsense words or give an unintended meaning.  A dictionary can come in handy for these situations when you really don’t know the correct pronunciation.  A prime case in point is the word Arctic.  Too many times we drop the consonant ‘c’ and the Arctic region becomes a mythical place called the ‘Artic.’

5.  Changing the meaning

All too commonly, we say one word but mean another.  We need to distinguish between accept and except, libel and liable, affect and effect, or close and clothes. There is a fine line between correct pronunciation and mispronunciation concerning these words.  Knowing what you want to say, then clearly thinking about your intended message will get you around this pitfall.

American accents come in a lot of varieties, and navigating your way around them can prove difficult.  If you are unsure about a word, do not hesitate to pick up a dictionary and learn the correct usage of the term.