Learning a proper English accent can be rewarding for people of all nationalities, Ethiopians included. English serves as a global language that bridges communication gaps between people from multiple nationalities. Hence, proper pronunciation enhances confidence, improved perception, professional advancement, and stronger social relationships worldwide.
Amharic, being one of the many languages in Ethiopia, is particularly different from the English language. This language has unique cultures, sounds, and phonemes, making English pronunciation for Amharic speakers quite challenging.
For example, Amharic is a pitch-accent language, while English is not. With distinguishing factors like this, articulating English pronunciation for Ethiopian speakers becomes trickier.
In this comprehensive guide, we dissect the main challenges Amharic speakers encounter when pronouncing English words. We also give detailed instructions and tips to help you maneuver challenging sounds.
Challenging English Consonants for Amharic Speakers Compared to English, which has 24 consonants, Amharic has 30 consonant sounds. Still, English includes consonant sounds that do not exist in Amharic, making English pronunciation for Amharic speakers difficult. Also, English words may contain consonant clusters, such as "spl" in "splendid" or "sk" in "tasks," which are not common in Amharic.
"Th" Sounds One of the most common pronunciation challenges for Amharic speakers when learning English is the difficulty in pronouncing the "Th" sounds. English has two unique "Th" sounds—voiceless "th" or /θ/ as in "think" and voiced "TH" or /ð/ as in "this." In Amharic these sounds are absent, making it a challenge to correctly pronounce them when speaking English.
To pronounce the voiceless “th” sound, position your tongue between your upper and lower front teeth. Allow the tip of your tongue to lightly touch your upper front teeth and keep your lips relaxed. Also, exhale while forcing the air through the small gap between your tongue and your upper front teeth. Remember to make a continuous, frictional sound as the air passes through the gap. Now, practice with words like "thin," "math," and "both" to get the hang of "th."
The position of your tongue for the voiced "TH" is the same as for the voiceless "th," between your upper and lower front teeth. However, "TH" is voiced, which means your vocal cords vibrate during pronunciation. Exhale and let your vocal cords vibrate while you produce the frictional sound between your tongue and upper front teeth. You may practice words like "this," "mother," and "bathe" to get accustomed to "TH."
"P," "T," and "K" Sounds Stops are a type of consonant sound in phonetics. We characterize these sounds as a complete closure or stoppage of the airflow in the vocal tract. The sound that follows is a sudden release that is brief and explosive. Although Amharic has more phonemes than the English language, the language lacks these specific stops. Here’s how to achieve the "P," T," and "K" stops in English pronunciation for Amharic speakers.
"P" or /p/ as in “pen," "pat," and "map" Begin with your lips pressed together. Next, build up some air pressure behind your closed lips. Now, suddenly release the air by opening your lips, producing a short burst of sound.
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"T" or /t/ as in "top," "tip," and "cat" Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth. Again, build up some air pressure behind your tongue. Finally, quickly release the air by pulling your tongue away from the ridge, creating a brief, sharp sound.
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"K" or /k/ as In "king," "cat," and "back" First, lift the back of your tongue to the soft part of your mouth's roof. Also, build up air pressure behind your tongue. Release the air by lowering your tongue suddenly, producing a sharp, short sound.
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"R" Sound The Amharic "R" has a throaty quality compared to that in English dialects like General American English .
To achieve the American "R,” relax your tongue without letting it touch anything. Gently raise the back of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth, without making contact. Now you can produce a sound that is smooth and continuous, like a light buzzing sound.
"T" and "D" Sounds Ethiopians are accustomed to dental consonants due to the phonological characteristics of their language. This makes them incorrectly replace the "T" and "D" sounds with dental sounds like the voiceless "th" and voiced "TH" sounds, respectively. For example;
"Bat" becomes "bath" "Dare" becomes "there" "Tin" becomes "thin" To correct this error, you must identify and recognize all the sounds individually, then learn to say them uniquely. In other words, practice the pronunciation of the "th," "TH," "T," and "D" sounds separately.
"V" and "W" Sounds In English pronunciation for Amharic speakers, we hear Ethiopians interchange the "v" and "w" sounds. Both the "v" and "w" represent distinct phonemes, as seen in words like "very" and "wary." Let’s pronounce both of these sounds to properly understand their differences.
"V" or /v/ as in "very," "voice," and "even" Place your upper teeth gently against your lower lip. Create a continuous, frictional sound by forcing air between your upper teeth and lower lip. Make sure your vocal cords vibrate while producing this sound.
"W" or /w/ as in “water,” “swim,” and “window” Round your lips into a tight circle and keep your tongue relaxed near the back of your mouth. Allow a small amount of air to flow through the rounded opening between your lips. Now, voice the “w” sound.
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Difficult English Vowels for Native Amharic Speakers Unlike the consonant sounds, English has 20 different vowels compared to the 7 vowels in Amharic. English vowels also come in variants comprising diphthongs and short and long vowels. This makes it easy to differentiate words like "bit" and "beet" that have identical sounds. In contrast, Amharic does not make this distinction.
The "AA" Sound Amharic lacks the low front vowel "AA" or /æ/, commonly found in English words like "cat" and "man." Hence, it is normal to encounter difficulties pronouncing this sound correctly in English pronunciation for Amharic speakers. You can pronounce this sound by opening your mouth slightly and relaxing your tongue without letting it touch anything. Also, keep your lips unrounded and relaxed.
The "IH" Sound Amharic generally lacks the short /ɪ/ or "IH" sound, which is present in English words like "bit" or "sit." To make this sound, separate your lips and keep your tongue resting on your lower teeth. Then release sound while both sides of your tongue hit your top back teeth.
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Common Problems with Stress, Rhythm, and Intonation Stress in Amharic typically falls on the final syllable of a word. This means that in English pronunciation for Amharic speakers, final syllables receive greater emphasis and are higher in pitch. This is contrary to the flexible stress pattern of the English language, which changes to adapt to word intent.
More often than not, it is challenging to mask English pronunciation problems for Ethiopians. This means that the subtle mispronunciation of random words like "cat" and "mother" determine your overall accent. Your accent, in turn, becomes a part of your identity. An Ethiopian speaking in English with an Amharic accent will typically sound like the speaker in this video below:
Review this video on intonation to understand the patterns American English speakers might use instead, when making statements.
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How to Speak Fluently Like an English Native Speaker We can correct many English pronunciation problems for Ethiopians or Amharic speakers by learning the mechanism behind each sound. However, you must commit to the course, putting in a deliberate effort to train your accent and achieve results. A fluent English speaker in the General American accent should sound like this:
Contrast the accents in the two videos above and notice the differences in consonant pronunciations, vowel sounds, and intonation patterns as noted earlier in this article. Recognizing these differences is a crucial first step in overcoming these pronunciation challenges and sounding like a native English speaker.
It is important to surround yourself with the English language. You can do this by watching movies, reading materials, and talking to native speakers. The goal is to listen to and consume as much English content as possible.
Furthermore, consider regularly engaging in English conversations with language partners or professional speech coaches . This is helpful if you cannot practice often on your own or if you simply need a community to hasten your growth. As you do this, request feedback to help you measure your progress and make amends.
Finally, learn new words and phrases on a daily basis and use them in your conversations. You can do this by mimicking the pronunciation and speech patterns of native speakers on the news or in movies.
Final Thoughts on English Pronunciation for Amharic Speakers
English pronunciation for Amharic speakers exceeds proper grammar and sentence structure. It is, in fact, a matter of proper speech flow that tends to affect communication and can impact your career opportunities .
We understand that learning a new language, especially one significantly different from your mother tongue, isn’t easy. Sometimes, your native accent may slip in when you converse with people. Notwithstanding, with time and unwavering consistency, you’re well on your way to articulating the English language.
Trust Boldvoice to help you get started on your mission to articulate the English language. They assess your speech problems and provide real-life solutions that suit your accent needs.
