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There are many things I want to change; I have picked up one of them today. It’s the pronunciation of English. I feel inferior about my Japanese accent in English. I’m not a returnee from an English-speaking country, nor do I have experience studying abroad. Also, I’m not good at singing. My husband often says, “You are out of tone.” Some insist that those who are out of tone have a bad ear for languages. I started studying pronunciation about twenty years ago. After that, I could pronounce most of the consonants in English but L and R which always annoyed me. Also, English vowels are very challenging for me. They really drive me crazy.
As an English teacher, I want to master the proper pronunciation of English. I took some lessons to improve my pronunciation, and I tried an English pronunciation exam. However much I practiced, my vowels are Japanese, not English. I literally cried in vexation. Isn’t there any hope for someone who is out of tone? Isn’t it possible for one who has never studied abroad to master good pronunciation?
To make things worse, my voice tone is quite high. They say “If you want to improve your English pronunciation, you should speak with a lower and deeper voice.” Of course, not all English speakers speak with a lower voice. However, I think it’s easier to take a deeper breath if you speak with a lower voice, and that is more suitable to speak English. In addition, when I read English sentences, my reading often becomes flat. It’s difficult to distinguish which word I should stress. Also, English's unique intonation is bothering me.
Anyway, I have to practice hard even though many would say, “You can’t improve your English pronunciation anymore regardless of the efforts you make” and laugh. I will never give up. I really want to change my English pronunciation to a better level.
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