Techniques for clearer pronunciation?

What are some techniques that can help me to pronounce words more clearly?

I find that people often have trouble understanding what I am saying. I have recorded my own speech and discovered that my pronunciation is often unclear. I seem to speak in a staccato-like manner, with certain syllables sounding very sharp and others barely audible (reduced to a whisper, a tap, or a schwa).

Reading the above to myself, for example, I hear myself saying "TRUBB-b" for trouble, "und-STAND-ing" for understanding, "sing" for saying, "record" for recorded, and "uh-SEEM-t'SPIK" for "I seem to speak". Additionally, my pronunciation has a breathy quality to it.

I have practised enunciating my words, of course. This always ends in my getting tongue-tied and muddling everything up, and sounding no better than before. I also become short of breath quite quickly.

This is also true for my Chinese: my mum comments frequently on how slurred my Chinese is. For example, I pronounce he-tang (drink soup) as h'dangh or something like that.

So can someone please help me?? Please teach me how to speak clearly and naturally. It would also be great if you could tell me where my problem lies. Thanks!!

Oh, are these facts significant?

1. My teeth are all over the place - especially on the right where they are almost resting on top of my tongue. I know I desperately need braces but I don't like them.

2. In a biology experiment, my lung capacity was the lowest in the class. I cannot vouch for the accuracy or precision of the measurements.

(And NO, I DON'T smoke! =p)

I don't know how it is in Britain, but students who have been identified as having difficulty with speech are sometimes given the opportunity to work with a professional who can help them (they can also refuse this help). If your difficulty is not hearing or speech-related, then I suggest that you slow down when you speak. I notice that you keep mentioning your breath. Perhaps this is because the experiment is weighing heavily on your mind. I'm going to guess that you are NOT a singer or play a wind instrument. There are various reasons why your lung capacity could have been the lowest in class, but this is a language site, not a consultation room. If you have shortness of breath on a regular basis, then it's time to see a good physician and go from there. Mention the breathiness too. Do you get out of breath quickly? Write down your symptoms and present them logically to your health care provider.

To recap:

Don't worry so much.

If you have breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, heart racing, etc.,
get your worries checked out by a physician.

Try to slow down when you speak. How many words per minute do you speak? It may be that you need to slow down quite a bit.

Thanks for your advice, Guest!!

I haven't been to see my GP, but I have worked a lot these two days to improve my lung capacity and speak more clearly.

I've never been formally diagnosed with asthma, but I constantly experience allergic symptoms comparable to those of asthmatic patients. To relieve these symptoms, I bought some beclometasone from my local pharmacy and it's worked like a miracle.

I've been singing in the shower (thanks to your mention that I'm not a singer =p). Well... I hope no one heard me!! I'm a choir pianist, so I hope I wasn't TOO off-key or it would be a disgrace =p. I've also been reading lots of stuff aloud in various languages - English, French, Mandarin - at various speeds (and drinking lots of water!!).

I think it's loosened my tongue and lungs a bit... I've never been a very talkative person and my parents say that might be the reason why I don't speak too well =p. I hope I don't relapse soon into slurred speech, eheh.

I mentioned singers because some well-trained singers may have greater lung capacity even if they have asthma. Also, some singers have enviable good abdominal muscle strength. People who play certain instruments may be aware of their breath more.

You may sing ON key, and still not have good lung capacity, so I'm not sure why you mention your sense of pitch here, unless you dispute my guess about being a singer.

I don't mean people who casually sing. I mean people who seriously sing.

I'm not sure why you are doing some of the things you mention.

It sounds like you are trying to diagnose yourself.

It's impossible for me to know if yours was even a serious post with your emoticons.

Dear Guest,

Thanks again for your advice. I was not trying to dispute your guess. I'm definitely not a singer. I don't sing at all, not even casually, when there are any humans within 3 metres of me. You're entirely correct.

Frankly speaking, I don't know how I managed to make myself understood. I was taking your advice: I almost never sing, so maybe singing a bit would be good for me. That was all I was trying to say!!

Also, in my last post, I was describing what I did AFTER I started this thread, not before. Maybe that's why you misunderstood? Before I started this thread, I never sung at all and rarely even talked.

Of course I was being serious. The emoticons are a sign of my age group and, ahem, possible immaturity. You do realise that if I don't use emoticons in other forums (less serious ones, more frequented by my peers), I would get labelled "overly formal and stuffy"!

Yes, I was trying to diagnose myself. You're spot on.

British Chinese boy,

Your written English is great. How old were you when you started to learn English? You see, once people get to a certain age, their vocal chords become less flexible and without elocution lessons it can be very difficult to lose an accent.

With the possibility of irking some of the regular users of this site, I would suggest that in conversational Englsih, it is not 100% important to speak in a perfect manner, more so that the person you are talking to fully understands your meaning.

Try seeing a Doctor about your breathing and remember that under law, he is not at will to discuss your issues sp s@eak to him about any insecurities you may have.

(After teaching English in Brazil for a year, I'm sufficient in Portuguese but there is no way that I could be described as fluent. However, I can understand 90% of what is said to me and converse about pretty much any day to day subject. When I spend time trying to make sure I get perfect grammar and pronunciation, I am not as well understood as when I say things incorrectly but in a confident manner!!!)