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How can you spell when you read hard spelling I thought even if native Americans they can encounter to hard spelling to say. so I want to know how to find the right pronounciation.
Nov 29, 2015 12:22 PM
Answers · 7
4
Honestly, with some English words, you either know them or you don't. Even as a native English speaker (living in Australia) I still look at some words and struggle to pronounce them. Try looking at the different sounds that letters, when put together, sound like. But mostly, most of it will just come with getting words wrong and correcting yourself. Learning a language is a journey - I wish you good luck with your English. Sara x
November 29, 2015
3
One point to begin with - 'native Americans' are people like the Navajo, the Cherokee and the Sioux. They're the original inhabitants of the North American continent. Think feathered headdresses and 'cowboy and Indian' stories. I presume that isn't what you mean! So, if you specifically want to talk about US English, you could say 'native speakers of American English'. But in most cases, a question about the language will be relevant to English in general, so the best phrase to use is 'native English speakers'. As for your question, I presume you're asking about how to say a word that has a difficult spelling. The answer is simple - look in a dictionary. Any good English dictionary will have a phonetic transcription of all words. Or, better still, go to an online dictionary and click on the audio icon. There's usually a choice of British and American English, and you'll get a nice clear recording of a native speaker pronouncing the word.
November 29, 2015
1
I do what other U.S. native speakers do. I use a dictionary. Before computers, any educated U.S. speaker would keep a desk dictionary within easy reach. A lot of people still do. I use a dictionary to check pronunciations probably once a month. I should do it more often. I sometimes--rarely, but sometimes--make embarrassing mistakes in pronunciation. When I was a grad student, some of my work involved a species of animal whose scientific name is Tripneustes. For years, I thought the name was Tripnuestes and pronounced it "TRIP-new-ESS-tees." During my thesis defense I pronounced it that way, and a professor coughed and said, "I think that is 'try-NOOSE-tees.'" I passed the defense, but ever since then I've been more careful. Of course, often, I will just guess. After six decades of using English, I am a good guesser, and--what's more important--fairly good a judging _whether it is safe to guess._ For example, if I see that a part of an airplane is an "empennage," without even thinking about it I recognize it as one of those French-derived aviation words and know that "-age" should be "-azh," as in "fuselage" or "garage;" not "-idge" as in "message" or "cribbage," and not like the word "age" as in "stage" or "rampage." If I were reading, I'd just guess at the pronunciation of "empennage" and go on reading. But if I knew I would need to say it aloud in front of people, I would check a dictionary. English speakers need dictionaries to check pronunciations. That's just the way it is.
November 29, 2015
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