Pronunciation Keys

Pronunciation Keys is an English-language learning system designed to help non-native speakers improve their listening-comprehension and speaking skills.

It is based on two fundamental beliefs:

The closer your pronunciation is to that of native speakers, the easier it will be to understand their speech. (And of course, the better your pronunciation, the easier it will be to make yourself understood.)

By watching and mimicking mouth and tongue movements, you can quickly learn to speak more clearly and naturally. (Because of this, the video is the most important component of the Pronunciation Keys system.)

Pronunciation Keys offers students a visual guide to better pronunciation of letter sounds, commonly reduced phrases and difficult contractions, and to the use of stress (intonation) in English. All these elements are essential for the development of good listening skills and natural speech.

The Pronunciation Keys manual and video begin with those letters and sounds that I have found to be the most problematic for non-native speakers. Basic instructions for correctly forming the sounds (i.e. mouth and tongue movements, breathing requirements, etc.) are provided in the book and on the video, followed by a practice group of sample words and sentences. We then cover some reduced words and troublesome contractions that are very common in spoken English in order to further develop listening-comprehension and speaking skills. Finally, we look at how stress works in English sentences to maintain rhythm and determine meaning. The video provides a visual guide to English pronunciation and introduces some special practice techniques developed for this system. (Practice, itself, is important for developing the mouth muscles required to speak naturally.) Translations are provided for all instructions and essential items. Non-essential information such as sentence meanings and incidental speech is not translated as the focus here is on pronunciation. (A complete video transcription with translation, however, can be found in the back of the manual.) Remember, the manual is only a guide; it is more important to follow the tape.

The material is divided into five sections. The most troublesome letters are presented in
PART I and are entitled THE TERRIBLE TWELVE:

Fun and challenging tongue twisters are used in this section to give your mouth a workout and to force you to enunciate (speak clearly). (This technique is employed only for THE TERRIBLE TWELVE.)

PART II introduces another group of difficult sounds and is entitled THE NASTY NINE:

PART III covers some of the most natural reductions in conversational English and is entitled COMMON REDUCTIONS:

Example: want to => wanna (e.g. I wanna check my E-mail.)
                 have to => havta =>afta (e.g. You don't afta send the report today.)

PART IV introduces a group of difficult sounds that occur in KILLER CONTRACTIONS:

Example: "Have" contractions with modal verbs may, might, would, could,
                 should, must, will (in natural speech, these really sound like may'a,
                 might'a, would'a, could'a, should'a, must'a, will'a--e.g. You should'a
                 called earlier!)

PART V is a LIGHTNING REVIEW AND RHYTHM SECTION where all material is reviewed for practice using the sounds and words in sample sentences that are also highlighted to show how stress works in English.

Example: F/PH/GH
1) "I'm meeting my friend,Frank, for coffee."
2) "I'm meeting my friend, Frank, for coffee."

In Summary

It is important to keep in mind that Pronunciation Keys will not cure pronunciation and listening problems overnight, though they will improve quickly. Please practice with the video 2-3 times a week for at least four weeks followed by occasional review, particularly on persistent problems.

The more you practice, the faster you will develop the necessary mouth and tongue muscles to speak English smoothly and naturally. You will find that the methods and material in this manual and videotape steer away from traditional teaching formulas (and are hopefully more interesting) because the focus is on informal conversational English.

Additionally, this material encompasses only those difficult points which are key to helping your pronunciation of letters, reductions, etc; not every problem is covered. Once you have learned these keys, however, your ability to listen and speak will improve naturally, regardless of your level.

Please follow the instructions in the manual and on the videotape very closely as many of the pronunciation techniques will be new to you. Most of all, have fun and believe in yourself, and welcome to the world of natural English!

Real Natural English
Product Suite

100 Minute Video (avi file download)
 
Pronunciation Keys E-Book (pdf)
 
75 Page Workbook (pdf)(includes reductions, idioms, slang, and much more!)
 
*Bonus* 2 One Hour Audio Lessons (mp3) with Worksheets (pdf)