Sorry everyone, it's been a while!
One of the obvious ways of mastering English is acquiring proper pronunciation and a neutral accent. By neutral, we mean that there is hardly no trace of a heavy accent (usu. of the speaker's native language).
It's often harder for older people to achieve this because their tongue has been familiar with their native language all along. It's hard to change its ways after so many years of talking in the native language. So, it's always advisable to learn a different language while you're younger. My classmate mentioned about a study in the UP Linguistics department asserting that people can only speak a different language (not their native tongue) like a native speaker when they're exposed to it from childhood until the age 21.
So what does this mean? Does this mean older people, including me (I'm 22) should give up on ever speaking another language like a native speaker? I guess not. As they say, as long as one's alive, there's hope. Haha.. So maybe we couldn't learn a language as fast as younger people can, but we can employ smarter methods.
Of course, we already know that there are many aspects of learning a language, and that we need to do different exercises to improve areas like grammar, writing, speaking, etc. At this point, we'll focus on pronunciation and neutralizing accent. Here are some points to remember:
1. Pay attention to the details. Train your ears and listen carefully at how native English speakers (or those who speak like them) pronounce words. And it doesn't stop there. When you can already distinguish between the right and wrong pronunciation, make sure you make an effort to correct yours.
2. Make sure you're pronouncing the words clearly. While it maybe attractive for some to speak slang or to make short cuts, nothing beats proper enunciation. Most Americans or English speakers tend to eat some words, but you shouldn't always imitate them.
As we often say in writing, you should "know the rules before you break them." In this case, you should learn to pronounce correctly, before you try to speak like native speakers. It's not enough to know the grammar rules and to have a wide vocabulary. As my American business partner used to say, "people respect you if you speak intelligently." And part of speaking intelligently is being clearly understood and enunciating words properly.
3. Learn to imitate. This is very easy. We've been doing this all our lives, imitating our parents, friends, teachers and many other people. How else did babies learn to speak a language? Observe the way English speakers open their mouth and talk. Then, imitate them. You may not get it right the first time, but the good thing is, you can always try again.
4. Read some tips about how to pronounce difficult vowels, letters and words. For sure, it's useful to learn how to utilize your vocal chords and use our mouth and facial parts to speak well. English has been around for a long time, and if you'll make time, you can certainly find guide books on how to pronounce your 'f's, p's, v's, b's, etc. I've given you some tips earlier and for sure you can read other useful tips in comprehensive books.
Maybe I'll give you more next time. But I guess I should say goodbye for now. I'm getting sleepy (it's 1:46 am) and I still have to finish enlisting my subjects tomorrow.
