Do you want to get rid of your accent and speak so that foreigners understand you well? We think that many language learners pursue such a goal. Students often ask whether it is possible to do it in the classroom via Skype. We decided to tell in detail how to work via Skype to study how to speak correctly.
Are Such Lessons of Phonetics Effective?
We have collected the most popular questions asked by different people. Based on the experience of different professors, we were able to formulate the most accurate answers to these questions. We hope that they will help you make the right decision regarding learning. If you are skeptical about the effectiveness of such learning, do not rush to make premature conclusions. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses, each person needs an individual approach, so, in any case, you can finally make sure of the expediency of a certain technique only after you have tried it by yourself.
Can Online Lessons Replace Offline Ones?
Yes, they can. When studying in such a way, the camera is used, so a professor can easily tell you and show you how to place the organs of speech when you pronounce certain sounds, a good headset will let you hear a teacher as if he or she is standing next to you. Some students note that speech in the headphones sounds even clearer and more legible than person's live speech, because the headset does not allow the extraneous noise to penetrate.
What Exercises Can Help You in the Classroom?
In the classroom, you will repeat the sounds of a professor many times, perform various exercises, read texts in English. Time is spent for training intonation, because it is quite different from others and seems strange to some students. However, you quickly become accustomed to these features and learn to speak as strangely correctly as native speakers. If at first, you have to accustom yourself to the right intonation, then you will learn how to use it in a natural way in spontaneous speech.
How Long Does It Take to Practice Phonetics to Get Rid of the Accent?
This is the most difficult question. The answer to it depends more on a student. Think about how often and diligently you are willing to work, whether you will do homework, maybe, there will be a desire to show yourself indulgence and skip a lesson. If you are serious about lessons and are ready to work, then after the first classes, you will feel positive changes. And the total length of the course depends on the degree to which you would like to remove the accent, and your abilities.
With Which Professor to Engage in Phonetics?
It is rather difficult to answer this question. On the one hand, native speakers have correct pronunciation, because they speak English all their lives. Moreover, you can imitate your teacher and learn the American, British or any other variant.
On the other hand, other teachers thoroughly studied phonetics while studying at a university. They went your way: from indistinct speech to good verbal abilities. This teacher understands very well what difficulties you encounter when studying English, and can offer those tricks that helped them personally get rid of the accent. Among such teachers, it is easy to find a mentor with an excellent pronunciation. Therefore, choose for yourself, with whom you will be comfortable to work.
Several Important Points
It is quite real, even though you see your teacher only through a webcam. So, if you mispronounce some sound, a professor will help you cope with this difficulty – this is the main advantage of personal lessons. We also would like to give the advice to facilitate your work.
- Purchase a high-quality headset
In order to know how to pronounce various sounds, intone phrases and put stress, you must first HEAR the correct speech. This is the first and most important condition, without which nothing will come of it. You will not be able to learn to play the piano if you have never heard someone playing it. You will not be able to learn to draw if you have never seen others do it. And in order to accurately grasp all features of this correct speech, you need to hear well what your teacher says. Therefore, the headset – your main working tool, ensuring the efficiency of lessons.
- Choose the right course of study
In the process of studying at any of the courses, you will develop the correct pronunciation. And yet, if your main goal is to get rid of your accent, you should think about the phonetic course of English via Skype. This special course is designed specifically for those who want to learn the correct intonation and phonation of English sounds. As a result of learning, you will master coherent speech, understandable to foreigners. For this, special textbooks and a training program are used, designed according to your needs.
- Get the most out of the class
Try to give your best in class: talk a lot, do exercises. If something is not clear to you or is difficult, be sure to ask your teacher to explain a difficult moment, even if you have already been explained it. Shyness is not the best assistant in the study of languages.
- Attack on all fronts
The success of the whole business is directly dependent on your efforts as well as willingness to regularly practice and perform exercises. Only perseverance will overcome all. Therefore, if you want to see results as quickly as possible, you need to work on it not only in class with a teacher, but also by yourself. As they say, practice makes perfect.
As you can see, learning via Skype, you can and should work on pronunciation. Fortunately, scientific progress has brought to nought the fine line between online and offline lessons. Today you do not need to travel to the other end of the city to a good teacher, you can simply turn Skype on and learn. The harder you work, the faster you will achieve perfection in pronunciation. Or perfection still does not have a limit?
Chat with us