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Breathing and Pronunciation
Part 9
Part 9 of this free
online ESL course teaches the student how to combine
correct breathing and good pronunciation. There’s more to
pronunciation than opening one’s mouth and speaking.
The Effects of
Good Breathing
When students learn a new
language, they concentrate so much on the mechanics of the
language they forget the effects of good breathing on
pronunciation.
Many students think they
can speak correctly slouched at a desk in school, or lying
on a couch. There is nothing further from the truth.
The Forward Head
Posture
As more and more of us
leave sport aside for Internet and TV our body assumes,
what doctors call, a Forward Head Posture.
In a Forward Head Posture
our
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head changes its
natural center of gravity
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upper body
automatically sways backward
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hips lean forward.
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In a correct posture the
ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle create an imaginary
straight line. This is impossible in a Forward
Head Posture.
The worse thing about the
Forward Head Posture is its affect on our
lungs: Bad posture can reduce our lung
capacity by as much as 30%. This in turn affects our
pronunciation.
Sometimes a student can
spend hours trying to pronounce correctly, when all he/she
has to do is stand correctly. Progress is not a result of
hours. It is a result of doing something correctly.
The Exercise
Standing:
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Stand up in front of
a mirror
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Use a second side
mirror, or ask someone’s help.
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Hold your head up
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Pull your shoulders
back.
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Imagine a straight
vertical line connecting the ear, shoulder, hip, knee,
and ankle.
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Breathing:
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Inhale to the count
of 4
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Hold for a count of 2
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Exhale to the count
of 4
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Hold for the count of
2
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Standing +
Breathing + Reading
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Take a deep breath
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Read out-loud.
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Look at yourself as
you speak.
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This posture may seem
awkward at the beginning, but it will soon become a habit.
How the Exercise
Effects the Student’s Pronunciation
This simple exercise
helps the student:
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Articulate clearly
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Slow down
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Eliminate slurring
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Regulate his speaking
rate
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Assignment:
Do this exercise every
day. It doesn’t have to be long, but it has to be done on
a daily basis.
Any reading material is
good for this exercise. It will be more fun if it changes
from day to day.
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Newspaper articles.
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Problem sentences
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Your homework
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Ads
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Comic books
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Jokes
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Poems
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You can also do this
exercise with your study buddy as a conversation.
This exercise also works
well for role plays.
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