Haisait,

How are you doing? Here is this week’s material! Feel free to talk to us about it!

Gutbai,

Lack of knowledge is one of the Dirty Dozen human error precursors that can lead to mistakes in the workplace. In particular, mispronunciation due to a poor understanding of English pronunciation can be a common source of errors.

Therefore, effective  communication and a good grasp of pronunciation are essential for preventing mistakes and ensuring a safe and productive work environment.

In this issue, we will focus on the problem of long vowels in pronunciation, which can be particularly challenging for A2-level English learners.

Here are some examples of words with long vowels in English:

“meet” (pronounced /miːt/)

“feed” (pronounced /fiːd/)

“boat” (pronounced /boʊt/)

Incorrect pronunciation, especially of long vowels, can lead to misunderstandings. Correctly pronouncing long vowels can also help with distinguishing between homophones:

“meet“: /miːt/ vs “met”: /mɛt/

“beat“: /biːt/ vs “bet”: /bɛt/

“read“: /riːd/ (past tense of “read”)  vs “red”: /rɛd/

“ship“: /ʃɪp/ vs “sheep”: /ʃiːp/

To listen to the examples in this e-mail and improve pronunciation, students can use text-to-speech tools such as Google Translate, Natural Reader or Forvo.com.

Refrain from mispronunciation leading to mistakes in the workplace. Practice reading long vowels correctly and be mindful of homophones. Use text-to-speech tools or dictionaries online. Effective communication is vital to avoid errors, so keep practising!

This week’s TIPS was made by: 2S BCT MIGNONI