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ESL learners have difficulty with English pronunciation for several reasons. Regional accents are a contributor, but the bigger problem lies in having never learned to make the sounds used in the English language.

The acquisition of skills in any language depends upon audio recall, and practicing making the sounds needed to pronounce the wide variety of words. My familiarity lies in the area of Spanish/English learners, and it is interesting to study the difficulties encountered by those trying to learn either language with the other as their native tongue.

The average English speaking person has great difficulty rolling the r's such as needed to say the word rico (rich). By the same token, Spanish speaking folks find it difficult to say thirteen, it usually comes out sounding like tort-teen. The difficulty lies in the needed tongue configuration, and shape of the mouth to properly make certain sounds.

Most words in Spanish can be pronounced with very little movement of the jaw, and they seem to speak through their teeth. Many English words require considerable jaw movement, and specific tongue positioning for proper pronunciation. Most adept teachers of linguistics require their students to practice making sounds that sound like the babbling of infants in order to develop the mechanics required for making the proper sounds required for that specific language.

While regional accents do present some problems for ESL students, they are minor compared to the lack of needed motor speaking skills. Secondly, some students have less ability with languages than others. Regardless, the intellectual learning process of a language can be mastered by anyone with determination. Pronunciation may be an issue, but if communication is the objective, success will be encountered by all who seek to expand their language horizons.

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