地道英語發(fā)音并不難，技巧掌握很重要

語言學習者往往忽視培養(yǎng)好的發(fā)音，把注意力集中在語法和詞匯上——但練習你的口音也很重要。今天這篇鍛煉口語的小技巧是從發(fā)音角度講，很基礎，明白易懂好上手。

 

 

Hacking Your Language Study

巧學英語

My favourite tricks focus on the aspects of English that are very easy to master, and I develop ways around the parts of English that are “hard” to understand. Usually, it's not the language itself that's “hard”, but your method for studying might be causing the language to seem more challenging. If you look at those challenges in a new light then they can become much easier!

英語學習的訣竅中，我最喜歡的最容易掌握，最“難”理解的部分我會重點擊破。一般來說，語言本身并不“難”，“難”的是學習的方法不對，會讓一切努力事倍功半。如果你換一個角度看這些難點，它們就會變得簡單多了。

Simple Rules for Pronouncing ~ed

~ed的發(fā)音規(guī)則

One of my favourite pronunciation hacks for English learners is how to properly pronounce ~ed.

這是我最愛的英語發(fā)音絕招之一，即正確發(fā)出~ed這個音。

In my experience this is one of the most obvious parts of a foreign accent. Luckily, it's also one of the easiest to fix. Learning the right way to say ~ed can have a huge impact on your accent. But best of all it is very easy to learn.

以我的經(jīng)驗來看，這個部分的發(fā)音錯誤最明顯，不過這個部分也是最容易糾正的。如何正確發(fā)出~ed對你的英語口語有重大影響。最最重要的還是它糾正起來最最簡單。

There are only three possible ways to pronounce this, and (unlike much of the English language) the rules are consistent:

~ed只有三種發(fā)音，它可不像其他英語發(fā)音千變萬化，它的發(fā)音規(guī)則是有跡可循的：

Rule1: After a d or t, pronounce it as [?d].

規(guī)則1：跟在d或者t后面，請發(fā)[?d].

In English, it's not possible to say a t and d sound immediately after each other, so we add in the vowel sound. Do this in words like wanted, painted, ended, admitted, suggested, started, etc.

英語中 t 和 d 連在一起不可能直接發(fā)這兩個音，所以兩者之間需要加一個元音。將這個規(guī)則用在如下單詞：wanted, painted, ended, admitted, suggested, started等。

Rule2: After the sounds p, f, s, ch, sh and k, pronounce it as [t].

規(guī)則2：如果~ed跟在p,f,s,ch,sh和k之后，請將其發(fā)成[t]。

These sounds cannot be followed by a d in English, so the sound changes to a [t]. Do this in words like stopped, laughed (f sound), finished, and walked.

以上一連串的字母不可以直接接d，所以需要變音為[t]。請發(fā)音如下單詞： stopped, laughed (尾部是f的發(fā)音 ), finished, 以及 walked。

Rule3: In all other cases, pronounce it as [d].

規(guī)則3：其他的情況下，ed發(fā)音為[d]

Take care not to pronounce the e sound in ~ed here: just pronounce the [d]. Try it in the words imagined, cleaned, enjoyed, cried, and allowed.

請注意，不要將~ed中的e真正發(fā)出來，發(fā)[d]就好。請嘗試朗讀如下單詞：imagined, cleaned, enjoyed, cried, and allowed

The Position of Your Mouth

注意口型

Another way to remember this is to think of the position of your mouth in the part of the word before the ~ed.

還有一種方法，記住發(fā)~ed音的時候你的口型是怎樣的。

For the first rule, notice that d and t are both sounds created by putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Because they're in nearly the same spot, it's hard to move between them without adding in a vowel! Try it out.

對規(guī)則1來說，要發(fā)出d和t兩個音，都需要將舌頭頂住上腭，發(fā)音位置近乎一致。所以要連續(xù)發(fā)這兩個音是很困難的，必須要在中間加一個元音!現(xiàn)在再發(fā)音試試看吧。

For the second rule, all but one of the sounds (k) is made by putting your lips or teeth together.

對于規(guī)則2，所有的音(除了k)都需要嘴唇或者牙齒閉合。

For the third rule, most of the sounds have either a hummed sound (like n or m) or an open, vowel position (like a or o) prior to the ~ed.

規(guī)則3，跟在~ed之前，大部分的音都跟“哼”的聲音很像(像n或者m的發(fā)音),或者是一個開元音的發(fā)音位置(如a或者o的發(fā)音)。

Just remember that certain mouth positions lend themselves to being compensated for with different ways of saying ~ed, and you're good to go!

只要記住一些口型是為了迎合~ed發(fā)音而變化的，發(fā)準音絕沒問題!

And if that is still too confusing?

如果你還是覺得沒弄明白的話怎么辦?

Then just remember this one rule: for the majority of cases, when you see ~ed, you should pronounce it like [d] (rather than [?d], which is only relevant after d or t). If you use this pronunciation by default when you're not sure, you're most likely to get it right.

只要記住這一條法則就行：大部分情況下，你看到~ed就發(fā)音為[d](而不是[?d],因為只有d和t同時出現(xiàn)的時候才需要)。如果在你不確定的時候那就這么發(fā)音，發(fā)音正確的概率還是很高的。

Making English Easy

讓英語變得小菜一碟

Even if you only follow this one, easy rule, it will help you with your English pronunciation, and soon enough the looks of confusion on the faces of your English-speaking friends will turn to smiles and nods of understanding.

單單這一個絕招，就能幫你提升英語發(fā)音。很快你的外國朋友會舒展臉上疑惑的眉頭，一展理解的笑容，頻頻點頭。

This applies to all languages you may be learning, not just English. If you're also learning Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Chinese along with English, you'll find more hacks you can use right away in the FI3M language guides.

不僅是英語，對于學習所有的外語這都適用。一旦你學了這幾招，語言學習就會飛速進步，你就會明白為什么英語學習so easy啦!

下面還有一些實用的小妙招有助于你改掉老一套的發(fā)音：

1. Learn the phonetic alphabet

1.學習音標

Getting familiar with the phonetic alphabet will help you identify new sounds and provide you with some markers to navigate the language you want to learn. Familiarity with a language’s phonemes helps you recognize sounds that your ear isn’t "tuned" to natively. Once you can recognize these sounds, you’ll start noticing them way more often when speaking and listening in your new language.

熟悉音標將會幫你辨認一些新的發(fā)音并且給你提供一些標記來駕馭你所學的語言。 熟悉一門語言的音素能夠幫助你辨認耳朵本身不能辨認的聲音。一旦辯認出這些聲音，當你聽別人說新語言或者用一門新語言交談的時候，你就會注意他們的發(fā)音方式。

By becoming aware of the range of sounds that exist in the language you are learning, you’ll learn how to differentiate sounds that seem similar to the untrained ear, and it will make spelling easier. This can be especially helpful if you are learning mostly by reading.

通過注意你所學語言的聲音范圍，你將學會怎樣區(qū)分那些對于并未接受專業(yè)訓練的耳朵來說很相似的聲音，這樣會使拼寫更加容易。如果你大多數(shù)時間都通過閱讀來學習，那么這種方法將會尤其有益。

2. Get familiar with the spoken language

2.熟悉口語

Switch from theory to practice: try to expose yourself as much as possible to the language you are learning. Talk as much as possible with native speakers if you have the chance. When you have trouble pronouncing a particular word, ask people to repeat it and record it on your phone. You can then replay it and train your pronunciation as often as you wish. You can also listen to the correct pronunciation on some online dictionaries so that your ear gets familiar with all the sounds that initially strike you as unusual. Listen to podcasts or stream TV shows in the language. Even if you can’t understand everything, put it on in the background when you’re doing your chores so you get used to the particular melodies and unfamiliar sounds.

從理論轉換到實踐：使你自己盡可能多地接觸你所學的語言。如果你有機會，盡可能多和母語使用者交流。當你某一個發(fā)音有問題的時候，讓別人重復它，并且用你的手機錄制下來。你可以用手機重復播放，盡可能多地練習發(fā)音。你也可以用在線的網(wǎng)絡詞典聽正確的發(fā)音，這樣你的耳朵就會對那些一開始并不熟悉的發(fā)音熟悉起來。還可以聽播客或者看電視節(jié)目來學習語言。即使你不能理解所有的東西，在你做家務的時候播放它作為背景樂會讓你習慣這些特殊的音調和不熟悉的聲音。

3.Identify what’s "weird" about the pronunciation

3.弄清楚“怪異”的發(fā)音

With this exposure, you’ll quickly notice that your new language has many sounds in common with your native tongue (even if those sounds are written differently). With the similarities identified, you can focus in earnest on the sounds that don’t exist in your native tongue. Resist the temptation to systematically compare these unfamiliar sounds with similar ones from your native language. This might seem like a useful shortcut, but it’s a bad habit that will make bad pronunciation even harder to correct in the long run.

使用這種方法，你很快就會發(fā)現(xiàn)你新學的語言和你的母語有很多共同的發(fā)音(即使這些音的寫法不同)。 弄清楚發(fā)音的相似之處，你就可以把注意力集中在那些母語里沒有的音上面。不要試圖把這些不熟悉的音和你母語中熟悉的音進行系統(tǒng)的比較。這似乎是一個有效的捷徑，但是這是一個壞習慣，它會使你的發(fā)音在長期內更難得到改正。

Ignoring the peculiar sounds of your new language will, at best, make you sound silly and, at worst, result in you actually saying the wrong words! The difference between the Spanish pero and perro is a rolled r, but they don’t mean the same thing. And if you’re learning French, people will have trouble understanding you if you don’t learn to pronounce the subtle differences between cent, sang, sens and sans, or au, aux and eau.

忽略一門新語言中特別的發(fā)音，最好的情況下會使你的聲音聽上去發(fā)傻不地道，最糟糕的是它會導致你直接說了錯誤的詞語。在西班牙語中pero和perro的區(qū)別就是一個卷舌的r音，但是它們的意義卻不同。如果你學法語時，學不會cent, sang, sens 或者sans, or au, aux 和eau的發(fā)音的細微差別，人們理解你說的話就會很困難。

If you really have trouble with one phoneme in particular, use cards. Write it down along with other similar-but-different phonemes. Repeat them aloud several times. This will help you to recognize nuances and master those small differences.

如果你對某一個特定的發(fā)音有問題，使用卡片。把它和其它相似但是卻不同的音一起寫下來。重復大聲朗讀幾次。這會幫助你辨別它們之間細微的差別，掌握它們之間微小的不同之處。

4.Listen, listen, listen!

4.聽，聽，再聽!

As mentioned in point two, the internet gives you access to plenty of audio material that can help you improve your pronunciation. Listen as much and as regularly as possible, but instead of always focusing on grammar and vocabulary, dedicate some time to the phonetic aspects of the language. Listen to short audio tracks and focus on rhythm, breaks and intonation. Try to understand what gives the sentence its fluidity and try to imitate it. If you watch a movie in your learning language, avoid reading the subtitles and keep your eyes on the actors’ mouths.

像在第二點中提到的一樣，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)能夠讓你接觸到許多幫助你改善發(fā)音的音頻資料，盡可能多和規(guī)律地去聽，而不是一直把注意力集中在語法和詞匯上?；ㄒ恍r間去學習語言的發(fā)音知識，聽一些短的音頻，注意韻律、停頓和音調。努力去弄清楚是什么使句子變得流暢并且努力去模仿。如果你用看電影來學習一門新的語言，不要去看字幕，要看演員的口型。

If you find it too hard, slow down the speed of the video or audio that you are watching (most digital media players allow you to do this; you can even slow down YouTube videos). This can help you identify and separate each syllable.

如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)這樣很難，放慢你正在看的視頻或者音頻的速度(大多數(shù)的數(shù)字媒體播放器都允許你這樣做;你也可以放慢視頻播放網(wǎng)站的錄像)。這樣會幫助你辨別并且區(qū)分每一個音節(jié)。

If, on the other hand, your comprehension level is already quite good, you can challenge yourself by accelerating the speed.

另一方面，如果你的理解能力很不錯，你可以通過加快速度挑戰(zhàn)你自己。

5.Practice, practice, practice

5.練習，練習，再練習

Training your accent requires some skill and patience, so don’t get demotivated if it doesn’t come immediately. For maximum efficiency, your training sessions should be frequent — no longer than two days between sessions. Collect newspaper articles, movie scripts and lyrics, and record yourself while reading them aloud. Then listen and analyze: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Which of your native speaking habits are you carrying over to your new language? You can also ask native speakers for input. For example, you could upload your recordings to online communities like Judge my accent.

訓練發(fā)音需要一些技巧和耐心，因此，如果效果不是立竿見影，請不要失去動力。為了效率最大化，你的訓練課程應該頻繁一點 — 課程的間隔不超過兩天。搜集報紙文章，電影劇本和歌詞，在大聲朗讀它們的時候記錄下來。然后回放并且分析：你的優(yōu)缺點是什么?你把母語的哪些習慣帶到新的語言中?你也可以向一些母語使用者尋求發(fā)音的幫助。例如，你可以把你的錄音上傳到網(wǎng)上社區(qū)，如Judge my accent評判我的口音。

Accents can be tricky, but never lose hope! The more you speak and the more feedback you can get (either from yourself or native speakers), the better your accent will become.

改善語音面貌可能是困難的，但是絕不要失去信心!你說的越多收到的反饋越多(從你自身或者說本族語的人那里)，你的語音面貌就會變得更好。