Is pronunciation really important?

siemprecuriosa
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:36:13 +0000

It depends on which sounds in which languages you’re talking about. In some cases, different pronunciations might just make it obvious that you’re not a native speaker, but won’t interfere with understanding. Other cases might be more problematic. For example, native speakers of some Asian languages have trouble pronouncing “r” and “l” differently, and that can cause problems in English, because for some words (like “road” and “load,” for example) the different pronunciations cause differences in meaning. However, even in cases like this, people can sometimes tell what you’re saying based on context, so they still might be able to understand you.

Overall, it’s a good idea to try to pronounce things correctly. If you have a really thick accent it can be difficult for people to understand you.