"Smile from cheek to cheek." Handy tips for producing verbal English.

Human communication combines language with gesture, and expressing something with a smile is an effective communication tool in second language acquisition.

First, let us begin by identifying the actual science of how speakers can articulate the words clearly. Next, let us examine how you can use smiling and other strategies to your advantage to pronounce and speak in an efficient way when communicating with someone. Lastly, let us turn to helpful suggestions that can be seamlessly incorporated into one’s language learning routine.

The science behind the smile

When you smile, your tongue typically presses on the roof of your mouth, which might cause it to be pushed back slightly and, in turn, improve the clarity of your speech. Additionally, smiling can also help elevate the soft palate located at the back of your mouth and change the position of your tongue and lips, which can influence the way you produce certain sounds in different languages.

What do English native speakers do to produce sounds and articulate words?

A native English speaker has the tongue naturally spread at the back of the mouth, and its sides are in loose contact with the upper rear molars, creating the “butterfly” configuration. Latin-based and most other language speakers differ in their articulatory setting, where the tongue lies flatter, longer, and narrower. The lowering of the French speaker’s jaw, for instance, allows the tongue to be visible, whereas an English speaker’s jaw movement is slight, so that the tongue is hardly ever visible when they speak.

Test the sounds at: https://dood.al/pinktrombone/

"Smile a mile wide."

The role of smiling and reading aloud can help improve pronunciation, intonation, and overall speaking skills.

Let us try practicing the consonants [t, d, l, n, and r] with a smile :)

1. The 9 X table /n/ (The International Phonetic Alphabet)

Nine nines are eighty-one.

Nine tens are ninety.

Nine elevens are ninety-nine.

2. Aspirated /t/

1. Daisy likes red rag dolls, and Martin likes cotton curtains.

2. Students love to study Latin in Britain.

3. The intercontinental hotel is on the mountain.

Getting the message across

Stress and reduction are what make English different from speaking other languages. The syllables of most languages contain full vowels and are usually unstressed. This is not the case in English, where most syllables tend to be stressed with full vowels or unstressed with reduced vowels. Unstressed vowels containing full vowels are a small minority in English.

Native English speakers will keep the tip of the tongue very relaxed and use a pulse of breath to blow the tip of the tongue off the alveolar ridge to produce syllables. Other languages do not push air to produce stress.

Whispering requires a lot more air and effort than normal speech and makes it easier to be aware of one’s respiratory actions.

Let’s practice saying the following sentences that contain some stresses: three times in a soft whisper, then three times in a loud whisper, paying particular attention to the abdominal muscles and respiratory system.

(*Try to exaggerate the word in bold; this is the stress word, by using extra force to produce a rush of air through your mouth.)

1. A: Where’s the pencil?

B: It’s on the table.

A: Is the pencil on the table or under it?

B: It’s on the table.

2. Hi, my name is _________. I’m taking an English course. There’s a lot to learn, but I hope to make it as interesting as possible. I should pick up on the syllable stress quite easily, but the only way to learn is to practice all of the time.

“Sing one's heart out.”

Can singing actually help with English speaking? Yes, the unique demands of singing provide multiple benefits for overall speech development and language acquisition. Here are the ways it helps:

• When you sing, proper pronunciation is reinforced with the exaggerated movements of one’s mouth, lips, and tongue to enunciate the lyrics clearly.

• It improves one’s ability to sustain vowels for longer periods and therefore produce them more clearly.

• In order to sing well, closer attention is paid to diction and the clarity of consonants.

• Singing requires proper breath support, which allows for overall speech clarity and the projection of sounds.

• Pronunciations become more natural over time as the repeated motions involved in singing specific sounds and words, help to build muscle memory in the oral and facial muscles.

Try singing this famous short nursery rhyme by Jane Taylor, with the stressed syllables in bold:

Twinkle, **twin**kle, **lit**tle **star**,

How I **won**der what you **are**!

Up a**bove** the **world** so **high**,

Like a **dia**mond in the **sky**.

Twinkle, **twin**kle, **lit**tle **star**,

How I **won**der what you **are**.

(wallpapercave)

Here is a lyrical poem with the stressed syllables in bold:

The moon shines brightly on fields of white,

a glowing orb in the stillness of night.

The stars shimmer high in the dark blue sky,

as a crisp breeze whispers its lullaby.

The world is hushed, in peaceful rest,

except for the owl's soft, hooting quest.

I stand in wonder, my heart aglow,

delighted by the moon's soft white glow.

Consistent practice using these tips can go a long way toward improving your English pronunciation as a non-native speaker.

“Tool Up”: the tools to help non-native speakers improve their pronunciation:

Here is a table with some good free sites and apps that can help train English speaking and pronunciation.

SITE / APPS	DESCRIPTION
1. Forvo https://forvo.com/	A crowdsourced pronunciation dictionary with audio recordings of words in multiple languages, including English.
2. Pronunciation Practice https://pronuncian.com/sounds	A free website that provides interactive exercises and lessons to improve English pronunciation
3. English Central https://www.englishcentral.com/browse/videos	An app and website that uses videos to help learners improve their speaking and pronunciation skills.
4. BBC Learning English https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/	The BBC's website for learning English includes pronunciation lessons and resources.
5. Speechling https://speechling.com/	An app that provides feedback on your English pronunciation and helps you improve through targeted practice.
6. Sounds of English https://www.soundsofenglish.org/	A website with interactive exercises and lessons focused on specific English sounds and phonemes.
7. Pronunciation Workshop	A free online course from the University of California, Berkeley, covers English pronunciation in-depth. https://events.berkeley.edu/bio/event/237482-english-pronunciation-communication-skills
8. Youglish https://youglish.com/	A tool that allows you to search for YouTube videos of words or phrases being spoken by native English speakers.
9. Elsa Speak https://elsaspeak.com/en/	An app that uses speech recognition technology to provide feedback and personalized lessons for improving pronunciation.
10. Fun Kids English https://www.youtube.com/@Funkidsenglish	A popular YouTube channel with videos to encourage kids to sing along to English songs and nursery rhymes, exposes them to natural pronunciation and rhythm.

These sites and apps offer a variety of free resources, from interactive exercises and lessons to audio recordings and feedback, to help non-native English speakers improve their pronunciation. Exploring and using these tools can be a valuable part of your language learning journey.

When practicing, do not forget to slow down your speech. Speak slowly and clearly, as this will help you focus on the proper articulation of sounds and words.

Try to sing short lyrics whenever possible. Singing can help with stress patterns in English that are important for conveying meaning and emotion in spoken language.

And do not forget to smile!

By incorporating a variety of activities like these into your language learning routine, you can enhance your English speaking abilities over time.

(Ref: Teaching Pronunciation Differently-EVO)