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Fixing English Pronunciation! - A Guide for Spanish Speakers

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Fixing English Pronunciation! - A Guide for Spanish Speakers

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Students' names:

Michell Moncada - 20191002534

Joseph Hernandez - 20191001273

Isaac Alonzo - 20181030204

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Correct pronunciation in English is sometimes challenging for Spanish speakers. They frequently have problems pronouncing sounds which are not present in Spanish. This can cause many misunderstandings or a very pronounced accent. But don’t worry. Making mistakes is normal, and with the right approach, you can improve your pronunciation a lot.

One of the best techniques that exist to help with the pronunciation problem is called Error Analysis (AE). This educational technique helps to identify problem areas by looking for patterns in students' mistakes. In the case of Spanish speakers, pronunciation errors almost always come from taking sounds from their mother tongue, misinterpreting spelling in English or not knowing certain sounds. These factors can make English more difficult than it should be. However, once these specific areas are addressed, the problem is easy to solve.

Some of the most common pronunciation barriers for Spanish speakers include: the sound schwa /ə/, the most common sound in English and unknown in Spanish. Also, insert an additional vocal sound before the words beginning with/s/ as s- school. Additionally, confusion between the sounds /ʃ/ (sh) and /tʃ/ (ch) that are often exchanged but sound clearly different in English. Another commun error is the incorrect pronunciation of the /j/ sound, which does not have an exact or similar equivalent in Spanish.

In this blog, we will discuss these four pronunciation problems, why they occur, and offer you practical steps to overcome them. With enough practice, you will not only sound clearer when speaking in English, but also feel more confident!

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The schwa is a short, neutral vowel sound that is pronounced in a relaxed manner in unstressed syllables. This has no definite sound, but it is pronounced very softly and quickly. One of the most common mistakes in schwa /ə/ pronunciation occurs when non-native speakers replace it with a more pronounced vowel, such as /e/, /o/ or /a/. This is because in many languages, such as Spanish, the vowels are pronounced clearly and not reduced as much as in English. 

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Some common errors include:

1. Make the schwa sound too loud. For example:

sofa /ˈso.fa/ instead of /sə ˈfɑ ː/

banana /ba' na.na/ instead of /bə ˈnænə/

2. Do not reduce the vowel in unaccented syllables

family /ˈfæmili/ instead of /ˈfæmə li/

chocolate /ˈʧɔ kɔ lɛ t/ instead of /ˈʧɔ klə t/

3. Replace the schwa with the wrong vowel

about /aˈbaʊ t/ instead of /ə ˈbaʊ t/

support /suˈpɔ rt/ instead of /sə ˈpɔ rt/

How can I improve this pronunciation error?

Pay attention to syllables without an accent, as shcwa often appears on them.

Listen to how the natives speak and notice how they reduce certain vowels.

Practice with common words like sofa, about, family, chocolate.

Consult a dictionary with phonetic transcriptions, such as the Cambridge Dictionary, to verify correct pronunciation.

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 This exercise will improve your pronunciation and fluency by helping you recognize and imitate the schwa /ə/ sound, making your English sound more natural and understandable.

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EXERCISE 1

Instructions: Listen to Barack Obama’s speech and identify the schwa vowels /ə/ in long words with weak syllables. To make the exercise easier, the correct text is provided below with some schwa sounds highlighted in bold for clarity. First, listen carefully and focus on how weak syllables are pronounced. Then, read the text aloud, paying attention to the schwa sounds and comparing your pronunciation with the video. Next, repeat each sentence, pausing after each one and trying to imitate the speaker’s pronunciation as closely as possible. Finally, check your pronunciation against the video and adjust if necessary.

Here is the correct text to make the exercise easier:

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union … 221 years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America‘s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars, statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document (dokiəmənt) they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least 20 more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

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"A More Perfect Union" Part 1 of 5 (HI RES)

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This exercise will help you improve your pronunciation and speaking skills by practicing the schwa /ə/ sound, making your speech more natural, increasing your confidence, and allowing you to learn together with others through practice and feedback.

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EXERCISE 2

Instructions: With the following list of words, watch the video where the pronunciation of the schwa sound is presented and listen carefully. Then repeat each word aloud, imitating the rhythm and intonation of the video, focusing on the soft, relaxed sound of the schwa in the correct syllables.

As a challenge, record yourself saying all the words on the list and share your recording. Don’t forget to comment, listen to others' recordings and share your practice to learn together!

ago absence achieve administration

person absent across adopt

parent academic adapt adult

action accident addition advance

ability accurate address afraid

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🔎 What is this error?                                                                                                                                                    One of the most common pronunciation mistakes Spanish speakers make when learning English is adding an /e/ sound before words that start with "s" followed by a consonant.This happens because, in Spanish, words do not start with "s" + consonant without a preceding vowel. Instead, they always have an initial vowel (e.g., escuela, especial, español).As a result, Spanish speakers unconsciously modify English words that start with "s" + consonant, pronouncing them incorrectly.           

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📝 ERROR 2: ADDITION OF THE VOWEL “E” BEFORE “S”

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📝 ERROR 2: ADDITION OF THE VOWEL “E” BEFORE “S”

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📌 Explanation

In English, words can begin with "s" followed by a consonant with no vowel before it. However, Spanish does not allow this sound pattern. Because of this, Spanish speakers tend to insert an extra /e/ sound at the beginning of English words like:

school → eschool

special → especial

student → estudent

This makes pronunciation sound unnatural and can make communication less effective.

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🚨 Common Errors and Examples🚨

✅Correct Pronunciation ❌ Incorrect Pronunciation

school /skuːl/ eschool /eskuːl/

special /ˈspeʃ.əl/ especial /espeʃal/

student /ˈstjuː.dənt/ estudent /estjuː.dent/

street /striːt/ estreet /estriːt/

strong /strɔŋ/ estrong /estrɔŋ/

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❓ Why does this error occur?

🔹 Spanish phonetics rules: Spanish does not allow words to start with "s" + consonant without an initial vowel.

🔹 Muscle memory: Spanish speakers are used to pronouncing "s" sounds with an "e" before them, so their articulatory habits transfer into English.

🔹 Unconscious adjustment: Since their native language does not have words like school, they perceive them as incomplete and modify them automatically.

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Now we are going to see some exercises that will help us correct mistakes with E and ES

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🎯 TIME FOR EXERCISES TO CORRECT THE ERROR

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🎯 TIME FOR EXERCISES TO CORRECT THE ERROR

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📚 Exercise 1: Listen and Repeat

1. Listen to a recording of the following words.

2. Repeat them without adding an "E" at the beginning.

3. Record yourself and compare it with the correct pronunciation.

🔹 Words to Practice:

School

Special

Student

Strong

Spain

Smart

Street

Space

Speak

Spider

📚 Exercise 2: Minimal Pairs Reading

1. Read the following word pairs aloud.

2. A partner listens and corrects if you add an "E" sound.

🔹 Minimal Pairs:

School vs. Eschool

Special vs. Especial

Student vs. Estudent

Strong vs. Estrong

Speak vs. Espeak

📚 Exercise 3: Sentence Practice

1. Read each sentence aloud, focusing on correct pronunciation.

2. Repeat them multiple times, increasing speed while maintaining accuracy.

🔹 Sentences:

Spanish students study at school.

A Special spider spins silk.

The smart speaker spoke Spanish.

Strong storms sometimes scare small children.

Spain is a special country with stunning views.

📚 Exercise 4: Speaking Challenge

1. One student says a word from the list without an "E" sound.

2. Another student must quickly make a sentence using that word correctly.

3. Rotate turns and correct each other.

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🔎 What is this error?                                                                                                                                      Spanish speakers often confuse the English sounds /ʃ/ (as in sheep) and /tʃ/ (as in cheap).In Spanish, the /tʃ/ sound exists (e.g., chico, chocolate), but /ʃ/ does not. As a result, Spanish speakers tend to replace /ʃ/ with /tʃ/, leading to mispronunciations like:sheep → cheapshop → chop     

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📝 ERROR 3: CONFUSION BETWEEN /ʃ/ (SH) AND /tʃ/ (CH)

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📝 ERROR 3: CONFUSION BETWEEN /ʃ/ (SH) AND /tʃ/ (CH)

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📌 Explanation

The /ʃ/ sound exists in English but not in Spanish. Since Spanish speakers are unfamiliar with it, they substitute it with /tʃ/, the closest sound in their native language.

This can create confusion because some words in English have very different meanings based on pronunciation.

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🚨 Common Errors and Examples🚨

✅Correct Pronunciation ❌Incorrect Pronunciation

sheep /ʃiːp/ cheap /tʃiːp/

shore /ʃɔːr/ chore /tʃɔːr/

shop /ʃɒp/ chop /tʃɒp/

shirt /ʃɜːrt/ chirt /tʃɜːrt/

shoes /ʃuːz/ choose /tʃuːz/

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❓ Why does this error occur?

🔹 Lack of the /ʃ/ sound in Spanish: Spanish does not have this sound, so learners replace it with /tʃ/.

🔹 Orthographic influence: English words with "sh" resemble Spanish words with "ch" (e.g., chocolate vs. shop).

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Now we are going to see some exercises that will help us correct mistakes with SH and CH

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🎯 TIME FOR EXERCISES TO CORRECT THE ERROR

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🎯 TIME FOR EXERCISES TO CORRECT THE ERROR

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📚 Exercise 1: Listening and Classification

1. Listen to the following words.

2. Write “SH” if the word has /ʃ/ or “CH” if the word has /tʃ/.

🔹 Words:

Ship

Chair

Shoes

Chocolate

Shark

Chips

Shirt

Cheese

Show

Chicken

📚 Exercise 2: Tongue Twister Practice

1. Read the following tongue twister aloud:

🔹 Tongue Twister:
"She sells cheap chips at the shop, but Charlie chooses chocolate."

2. Repeat it multiple times, increasing speed while maintaining accuracy.

📚 Exercise 3: Minimal Pairs Challenge

1. Read and pronounce each pair, focusing on the differences.

2. A partner listens and corrects mistakes.

🔹 Minimal Pairs:

Sheep – Cheap

Shore – Chore

Ship – Chip

Shock – Chalk

Sheet – Cheat

📚 Exercise 4: Find the Mistake

1. Read the following sentences aloud. One sentence in each pair has a mispronounced word. Identify and correct it.

🔹 Sentences:

1. I bought a cheap pair of shoes. ✅

2. I bought a cheap pair of shoes. ❌

3. The shark swam near the shore. ✅

4. The chark swam near the shore. ❌

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In English, the letter "Y" can represent different sounds depending on its position in a word:

As a consonant /j/

As a vowel /i/ or /ɪ/

As part of a diphthong /aɪ/ or /eɪ/

1. "Y" as a consonant: /j/

This sound appears at the beginning of words like:

"yes" /jes/

"yellow" /ˈjɛloʊ/

"yogurt" /ˈjoʊɡɚt/

Common problem for Spanish speakers:

In Spanish, there is no exact equivalent to the English /j/ sound.

Some Spanish speakers pronounce it more softly, like the "ll" in clef (/ʝ/ in some accents).

Others substitute it with the "sh" sound, especially in River Plate Spanish, saying "shes" instead of "yes."

2. "Y" as a vowel: /i/ or /ɪ/

When "Y" is at the end of a word, it functions as a vowel.

Examples:

"happy" /ˈhæpi/

"family" /ˈfæmɪli/

"crazy" /ˈkreɪzi/

Common problem for Spanish speakers:

Many pronounce the final "y" as a hard "i" or add an extra sound, saying "japi" instead of /ˈhæpi/.

Confusion between /i/ (as in happy) and /ɪ/ (as in family).

Strategy:

Mirror exercise: Look at yourself as you say yes. Your tongue should NOT touch the roof of your mouth; just get close.

Listen and repeat with pauses: Use an app like Forvo or YouGlish to listen to native speakers and repeat. YouGlish can also help you with TikTok videos.

Try the transition: Say it slowly: i-es, i-ello, i-ogurt, until it sounds natural.

🔊 Practical examples:

Pronounce "yes" as an "i-es" very quickly.

Try longer words: yesterday, yellow, Europe.

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Exercise 1: "Yes, you, yellow" (to improve the /j/)

Objective: Make sure the initial "Y" sounds like /j/ and not /ʝ/ or /ʃ/.

Steps:

1️⃣ Say each word slowly, making sure your tongue doesn't touch the roof of your mouth:

Yes, you, yellow, yesterday, yogurt.

young, Europe, regular, university

2️⃣ Now say complete sentences, exaggerating the "Y":

"Yes, you're young!"

"Yesterday you ate yellow yogurt."

"Young people generally love music."

3️⃣ Record yourself saying the sentences.

4️⃣ Listen and compare the pronunciation with that of a native speaker on Forvo or YouGlish.

Tip: If the "Y" sounds like a "sh" or "ll" in Spanish, repeat it more slowly until it sounds like a quick "i."

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Exercise 2: "My sky is gray" (to improve the diphthongs /aɪ/ and /eɪ/)

Objective: Correctly mark the diphthongs /aɪ/ and /eɪ/ without reducing them to a Spanish vowel.

Steps:

1️⃣ Say the words separately, exaggerating the diphthongs:

my, fly, sky, why, try (/aɪ/)

they, gray, say, stay, play (/eɪ/)

2️⃣ Make mini-sentences with each word:

"My sky is gray."

"They say it's fine."

"I like to fly high."

3️⃣ Do a language activity with diphthongs:

"My bright sky is gray today, but they say it will stay that way."

Why do they play in the rain?

4️⃣ Record yourself and listen to it to make sure the diphthong is clearly pronounced.

Tip: If you feel like the pronunciation sounds like "mi" instead of /maɪ/, or "tey" without a diphthong, exaggerate the transition between "a" and "i" in /aɪ/.

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During this project, I learned a lot about identifying pronunciation errors and how to deal with them effectively. I realized the importance not only of detecting these errors in Spanish speakers, but also of developing dynamic strategies to correct them. When analyzing the different errors, I found it difficult to decide which one to include in the blog since we had several important them in mind. However, I think the four that we chose are so good because all of us at some point in our lives we have committed some of them in the past, or still continue to commit them know. This makes me reflect on how important the pronunciation is, and how we must be in constant practice with it in order to obtain an effective learning.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was to develop proper exercises, to be specified for the Schwa sound. I wanted to find an activity that was fun and really helped improve speech pronunciation. At first I was thinking of putting a karaoke in the exercise, but it was so difficult to find a song with enough examples of schwa sound. Then, after several searches, I decided to place other activities that were also dynamic and effective, so I chose the exercises focused on repetition of sound because I believe that through repetition we will be fully aware of its correct pronunciation.

Therefore through this activity I can reflect that pronunciation is the most important part to be able to transmit correctly the message we want. That is why we should be concerned about learning the correct pronunciation of each word, and try not to keep making these same errors. So, we can achieve this through the different resources or tools that help us to correct them as with blogs like this, pronunciation videos or through our teachers too. As a future teacher, I want to continue discovering and learning about these wonderful tools that help us a lot with these errors. Since they are useful and interesting at the same time, giving students more confidence in this difficult path of English.

By Michell

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Speaking English correctly is important to communicate clearly. Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes with pronunciation, like saying "cheap" instead of "sheep" or adding an extra "E" before words like school ("eschool"). These mistakes happen because Spanish and English have different sounds and rules. But don’t worry! With practice, these errors can be corrected.

These pronunciation problems come from Spanish rules. In Spanish, there is no /ʃ/ sound, so people replace it with /tʃ/. Also, Spanish words don’t start with S and another consonant, so learners add an extra E before words like Spain ("Espain"). Understanding this helps teachers and students focus on the right exercises to fix these mistakes.

The best way to improve is to practice a lot! Listening carefully, repeating words, and doing fun exercises like tongue twisters or word games can really help. Little by little, pronunciation gets better, and speaking English feels easier and more natural. Just keep trying, and soon, your English will sound much clearer.

By Yaakov Alonzo

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Reflection on Pronunciation Errors

Pronunciation errors related to the letter "Y" and designing exercises to correct them have been an enriching experience. I realized that common mistakes, such as mispronouncing /j/ as /ʝ/ or /ʃ/, or not correctly pronouncing diphthongs like /aɪ/ and /eɪ/, are usually due to interference from the native language. This process helped me better understand the phonetic differences between Spanish and English, and how small changes in articulation can make a big difference in pronunciation. Additionally, I learned that pronunciation practice exercises should be clear, engaging, and offer enough repetition to help students develop a good memory.

One of the challenges I encountered while observing was distinguishing subtle pronunciation mistakes, especially when errors were minimal but still noticeable. Identifying mistakes required careful listening and comparing with native pronunciation. Designing exercises was also challenging because they needed to be both effective and easy to follow. I had to ensure that instructions were simple and that the exercises helped learners recognize and correct their errors step by step.

This project strengthened my understanding of how to teach pronunciation effectively. I particularly enjoyed the creative aspect of designing exercises, as it allowed me to think like a teacher. I now feel more confident in identifying pronunciation errors and providing constructive feedback. In the future, as a student, I plan to apply this experience by improving my own pronunciation and helping classmates with theirs. As a future teacher, I will use these strategies to create engaging and practical pronunciation lessons, ensuring that students feel comfortable and motivated to refine their speech.

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Hasyim, S. (2002). Error Analysis in the Teaching of English. Jurnal Sastra Inggris, 4(1), 42-50. Universitas Kristen Petra. Retrieved from https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/143572-EN-error-analysis-in-the-teaching-of-englis.pdf

Zac. (2009). ¿əh?: El sonido del schwa en el inglés. Hablamejoringlés. Retrieved from https://www.hablamejoringles.com/%C9%99h-el-sonido-del-schwa-en-el-ingles/

Learn English Quickly and Easily. (2013, 21 de marzo). Pronunciation of the consonants CH (watch) and SH (wash) in English. Aprender Inglés Rápido y Fácil. [https://www.aprenderinglesrapidoyfacil.com/2013/03/21/pronunciacion-de-las-consonantes-ch-watch-y-sh-wash-en-ingles/]

Wall Street English. (s.f.). Errores de pronunciación en inglés más comunes. Wall Street English Argentina. [https://www.wallstreetenglish.com.ar/blog/errores-de-pronunciacion-en-ingles-mas-comunes]

Ingles.com. (s.f.). La pronunciación de la Y en inglés. Ingles.com. [https://www.ingles.com/guia/la-pronunciacion-de-la-y-en-ingles]