Paolo asked the following question:
I bought a copy of your dvds.. you mentioned that sometimes the "th sound" is silent, in words such as: "months" or "clothes" so that months sounds like mons am i right? and clothes should sound like close.. but there are also other words you haven't mentioned... like deaths,, truths, smiths.. so my question is: how should i pronounce these other words? and also is there a steady rule for the silent th?
thanks
Paolo
Hi Paolo,
Good speakers of English always pronounce the "th" followed by an "s" as in words like "strengths" and "Smiths." This is a very difficult combination of sounds to create. You have to practice moving your tongue quickly and smoothly from the tip of the tongue for the "th" (with a vibration of air) to the position slightly behind your upper teeth (the gum ridge) for the "s."
However, in today's speech it has become pretty standard to not do this with the words "months" and "clothes." Most people drop the "th" and just say "mons" and "close." Those are the only two words that I can think of where it's standard and acceptable to take short cuts in pronouncing both of these consonants. Otherwise, standard, educated speech requires that you not take those short cuts.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
10 Tips for Public Speaking
Make a New Year's resolution to improve your speaking skills. I recommend that you join Toastmasters.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Find one in your area.
The organization has nearly 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience.
Here is an article from Toastmasters to help you gain confidence speaking in front of people:- Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
- Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
- Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
- Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids. Read the rest of the article here: http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp
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