Why pronunciation needs to be shown

Most of what the mouth does to make a sound cannot be seen. A student copying a teacher sees the lips and hears the sound, but cannot see where the tongue is or whether the voice is on. A student who cannot see what to change keeps guessing.

What each lesson shows

• The Fonetic English characters that make the sound, an example word and the IPA symbol.
• A drawing of the mouth from the front and a drawing of the mouth in cross section. The cross section shows where the tongue goes.
• Videos of a person making the sound, from the front and from the side.
• A description of what the lips, tongue and voice do.

Compound sounds are taught step by step

Some English sounds are made from two movements. The /ch/ in cheese starts as /t/, with the tongue behind the upper teeth, and moves immediately to /sh/. The /w/ in wind is made from /oo/ closely followed by /u/. For a compound sound, the lesson shows each step separately, then shows the two steps combined into one sound.

Voiced and unvoiced sounds

The main page explains voiced and unvoiced sounds. A student who puts their fingers on their throat and says Sss, then Zzz, feels the difference. The voice box is still for s and vibrates for z. Many English sounds come in voiced and unvoiced pairs, such as f and v, s and z, p and b, and the two th sounds in thumb and them.

Finding a sound

The main page has two lists. The first list arranges the English sounds by type, such as short vowels, long vowels and consonants. The second list arranges the sounds alphabetically. Clicking any sound opens its lesson.

Record and compare

Each lesson has a Practice box with a red microphone. The student records the sound, plays the recording back and compares it with the reference sound. Students hear their own pronunciation from the outside, which is very different from hearing their own voice while speaking. A student can record as many times as needed.

Watching the mouth

A student can open the computer’s camera in one window and Pronunciation Instructions in another. The student watches the video, makes the same mouth shape and compares the two.

Who it helps

Pronunciation Instructions is central for students learning English as a second language, particularly in the first lessons. A student whose native language does not have a sound has never made that sound before. Pronunciation Instructions shows the student how to make it. Native English speakers use the tool much less. Tutors can use the lessons in class and set them as homework.