TOP 5 TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PRONUNCIATION OF L AND R
by Charm and Wilter
Among students who study English in the Philippines, there are many Japanese, Korean and Chinese students who find it difficult to pronounce the sounds of L and R. So in our blog series on how to learn English in the fun and interesting way, we wrapped up tips on how to pronounce those sounds perfectly.
1. TONGUE EXERCISE EXECUTION
/l/ is pronounced with a large flap of the tongue. The best way to make it clear that you aren’t pronouncing /r/ is to bend your tongue as far back as you can in your mouth, and flick it forward as you say /l/. (You can help control your tongue by holding one hand next to your mouth with your fingers in the same position as your tongue, and flick your fingers at the same time as your tongue.)
/r/ is pronounced by having the tip of your tongue further back and the tip of your tongue should not touch the roof of your mouth.
2. RELAX YOUR JAW AND DO NOT OVERTHINK
Try to relax as you practice the sounds /l/ and /r/ to pronounce them clearly. Avoid being stiff and thinking about the sounds too much.
3. SING A SONG/LISTEN TO NEWS IN ENGLISH
If you are musically inclined, you can pick an English song to practice. This stimulates our brain to familiarize our tongue with the sounds so it comes out naturally.
4. PRACTICE WITH MINIMAL PAIRS
To identify the distinction between the /l/ and /r/ sounds, practice reciting minimal pairs. You can start from the easy ones and progress to ones that are more difficult each day.
Note: To monitor your progress, keep an audio record and listen to it.
Examples of Minimal Pairs:
| Glass | Grass | Flee | Free | |
| Law | Raw | Glow | Grow | |
| Lead | Read | Lighter | Writer | |
| Clown | Crown | Leader | Reader | |
| Play | Pray | Collect | Correct |
5. RECITE TONGUE TWISTERS
When you have already mastered pronouncing minimal pairs correctly, proceed to Tongue Twisters.
- Jerry’s jelly berries taste really rare.
- Rory’s lawn rake rarely rakes really right.
- A really leery Larry rolls readily to the road.
- The road’s load is lessened lightly.
- Lassie Lilly likes Ronny’s rulers.
If you follow these tips, the next time you encounter words with /l/ and /r/ sounds, you will feel confident to pronounce these words like a pro!
Paradise English offers one of the best English courses in the Philippines, our teachers would be happy to see you on beautiful Boracay and help you to improve your English. Come and study with the best!
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