When I asked those in attendance what they wanted me to specifically talk about, the unanimous response was to explain why English words are pronounced the way they are.

Little has changed. In recent seminars throughout Southeast Asia, the majority of queries in the Q & A sessions have related to English pronunciation.

While mastering functional grammar skills is seen as a vital educational requirement, especially for those for whom accuracy in written English is an occupational necessity, pronunciation is the issue of concern for the vast majority of adult ESL learners. It is for this reason that The 4S Approach To Literacy And Language Accelerated English Program (4S-AEP) provides intensive course modules that impart practical Keys To Understanding Pronunciation - many of which will be canvassed in this column and in the weeks to come.

While there are historically-based reasons for why words are spelt the way they are - and while there are traditional grammatical rules - the pronunciation of words can be very individualistic and can vary significantly from local community to local community, from one provincial region to the next and from one English-speaking nation to another.

There are three main factors that influence the way a word is pronounced. Firstly - the way the vowels are pronounced. Secondly - the way the word is broken into syllables. Thirdly - which syllables are stressed in the word.

When one compares how English is spoken in the USA and American-influenced countries with the more traditional "British" nations, there are two main pronunciation differences - the sound of vowels and the syllabic structure of words that also can affect how vowels are pronounced.

Consider the words ze/bra and zeb/ra; ce/ment and cem/ent; pre/ma/ture and prem/a/ture; de/pot and dep/ot; sem/i/cir/cle (long "i" sound) and sem/i/cir/cle (long "e" sound); clerk ("er" saying "er.." as in "her") and clerk ("er" is saying "ar.." as in "car"); command ("an.." as in "band") and command ("an" as in "barn").

Add to these, the different way the vowels are pronounced in era - Mercedes - data - dynasty - penalize - tomato - patent - vagrant - charade - just to cite a few examples, and the validity of the importance of vowels and the syllabic structure in pronunciation is clear.

In English, "Vowels Are Vital". A 4S Key to Understanding Spelling teaches that "Every word and syllable must have at least one regular vowel or the semi-vowel ‘y’ ", e.g. car; car/pet; car/pen/ters; car/pen/try. While no consonant can be a syllable on its own and must have a vowel, e.g. P/ter (Peter); x/am/ine (ex/am/ine), a single vowel can form a stand-alone syllable, e.g. u/ni/form; in/form/a/tion.

Accurate pronunciation depends on the third factor, i.e. which syllables are stressed in words. Stressing the wrong syllable, when pronouncing, a word can quickly send a signal to a listener that a speaker’s English skills need repairing or refining and can cause embarrassment in some important communication environments.

On the other hand, having superior speaking skills can open up new occupational and promotional pathways.

Pronunciation keys

To be competent at pronouncing single-syllabic words, one simply needs to be able to target the core symbol combinations and know what sound is made, e.g. here and there - where the symbol combination "ere" is making two different sounds -- horse and worm where "or" also is making two different sounds.

Knowing the different sounds that core symbol combinations make is also a prerequisite to correctly pronouncing words with more than one syllable, e.g. moun/tain and re/frain; com/plex and com/fort; ad/vice and of/fice and pol/ice; ad/vo/cate and des/per/ate.

The other vital requirement is to know the "stress" rules that apply to pronouncing words especially when they are being used as different parts of speech, i.e. as nouns, verbs and adjectives.

An important 4S Key to Understanding Pronunciation teaches that Multi-syllabic nouns usually stress the first syllable, e.g. gar/den; den/tist; light/ning; ban/quet; pas/sage; wis/dom; mes/sen/ger; sig/na/ture; hel/i/cop/ter; doc/u/ment/ar/y.

The application of this Key is also seen when the first syllable ends in a "long" vowel or semi-vowel: na/tion; pre/view; pi/lot; glo/bal; du/gong; cy/clone.

The Key applies also to frontal, stand-alone vowels, e.g. a/gent; e/ven; i/tem; o/pen/er; u/nit.

A characteristic of English pronunciation is that when a word is used as a verb, the stress often shifts to a "later" syllable, e.g. The university conducted a survey on English standards. (Noun) - My research task is to survey attitudes to learning English. (Verb Form).

Just as "N" comes before "V" in the Alphabet, the syllabic stress in a noun comes before the syllabic stress in a verb, e.g. ad/dress(N) - ad/dress (V); rec/ord (N) - re/cord (V); pro/test (N)- pro/test (V).

If one is unsure, it is always safe to stress both syllables in a bi-syllabic word, e.g. ad/dress - pro/test.

The exception to the above multi-syllabic noun rule is seen in some words that are derived from a Latin, Greek or French root.

In such words, the stress is on its root wherever it is in the word, which still may be the first syllable.

The 4S Key To Understanding Pronunciation teaches: "In a multi-syllabic "noun" word, the stress also can be on the ‘root’ or ‘base’ from which it has been built." e.g. ex/pend/i/ture; e/val/u/a/tion; re/sour/ces; in/fla/tion; e/vac/u/a/tion; in/tro/spec/tive; vis/i/ble; mar/in/er.

While a prefix is sometimes stressed in a word, e.g. re/turn; pre/pare, trans/port, a suffix is never, never stressed in English, e.g. quick/ly; re/port/er.

Next week, attention will be given to common pronunciation problems and errors that need to be addressed if one’s personal objective is to be a superior speaker of the English language.