Pronunciation

I have often explained the many reasons why working on your pronunciation pays off and, of course, I have also heard the countless excuses that students use to justify their inability to pronounce extremely simple sentences such as she lives here or you’re very special. Yes, you can certainly relay a message with pretty bad pronunciation but, then again, you can also attend a business meeting in military fatigues or wearing nothing but a speedo. Even if what you say at that meeting is reasonable... you know... the clothes may not be exactly appropriate. As a matter of fact they may be distracting. People might not take you seriously or may simply wonder why you chose to wear something so unusual. The clothes you wear, just like the tone of voice or your body language do affect the oral message you intend to deliver.

I know my example is extreme but I can’t find a better way to make this point: pronunciation is NOT irrelevant. It has all kinds of consequences. If you don't pronounce words well you may end up saying something you don't want to say (he's a son of a beach). You may confuse people (I feel it or I fill it?). You reinforce national stereotypes made popular by the likes of Pedro Almódovar, Guillermo Amor and Ana Botella. You can wind up uttering nonexistent terms (compare the huge difference between [bi:n'tas] and ['vIntIdʒ]) and simply force people to make a constant effort to try and decipher what it is that you're saying. I could go on...

That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having an accent (unless you’re an actor aspiring to play the role of a native speaker) but not pronouncing basic English sounds (like the last consonant in the word English) does seem like you are not trying hard enough. I have noticed that some of you have improved your pronunciation significantly since the beginning of the course, back in October. So congratulations are in order. Some of you, though, still need to keep working on it. Just remember that our goals are not ambitious. I would be happy if all of you overcame the quintessentially Spanish obstacles: [∫], [v], [st-] and the "-ed" ending.

Anyhow, I came across this little website, which lists five common pronunciation mistakes amongst Italian learners of English. I know. It’s for Italians. However, you will realize that errors three, four and five can be applied to most Spaniards.