One of the most frustrating things in learning a language is feeling that people do not understand you, or that you do not understand them. Many feel that bad grammar is the problem, when it is really not that at all.

As an adult student of English, you may always have a slight accent. This in itself is not bad, since most people find an accent rather charming, even sexy. It makes you memorable and makes you stand out from the crowd. However, bad pronunciation (and not pronounciation) creates confusion, which isn't sexy.

Every language has its own set of pronunciation rules regarding vowels, consonants and stress. Some languages, like Mandarin Chinese, also use tonals, which are like singing.

We call our first language our mother tongue since we typically learn it from our mother. We don't study the language, but only parrot single words at first and then simple sentences, increasing our ability through listening and imitating. We eventually learn the "rules" and tend to think that this is the only and "right" way of speaking. What a surprise to learn that there are other systems, which must be learned. It is as if we are deaf to certain sounds and have a particularly hard time mastering them. This is normal.

What is not normal, however, is to continue using the rules of our first language. Imagine you know how to play baseball and want to learn golf. If you throw the golf ball in the air and try to hit it with your driver, you'll find that things are harder and people will laugh at you. Learning a second language is similar. French is a "game" and English is another "game" with different rules and techniques. To "play" well, you must learn the rules and techniques.

Proper pronunciation depends on mastery of consonant and vowel sounds, the liaisons between them and the proper stress on individual syllables (“tonic accent”) and words in a sentence.

English pronunciation is different from French in that there are three different sounds which do not exist in French. The letter h  is a consonant and is usually pronounced. Th is a sound which must be learned and often causes problems. Another often misunderstood sound is that of the short u  sound which is often pronounced as a short o. All of these differences can cumulatively create quite an accent and create much confusion. Taking the time to pronounce properly will give a much more professional impression.

Confusion Isn't Sexy

Some of the funniest things said in English are a result of bad pronunciation. Remember, English is a game and you must LEARN THE RULES. Children exposed to a language at an early age learn to speak fluently without an accent. If you have young children, please realize that this is the ideal time for them to learn another language. It will be much easier and less expensive for them now than it will be later on in life.

However, things won’t be quite so easy for you. As an adult learning English, it is possible that you may always have a small accent. That in itself is not bad, since most people consider an accent to be charming and a sign of sophistication. Many people even consider an accent to be sexy. Over the years, many French sex symbols (Brigitte Bardot, Charles Aznavour) have had fairly strong accents in English.

What is bad is creating confusion, because confusion is not sexy. Here is an example to illustrate the embarrassment bad pronunciation can cause:

It is reported that toward the end of his political career, Charles De Gaulle paid a state visit to Great Britain and was received by the Prime Minister of the time, Harold MacMillan. Since De Gaulle had enjoyed such an illustrious career, MacMillan wondered aloud if he and his wife would find retirement boring. Consequently, he asked Mrs. De Gaulle what she was looking forward to after her husband’s retirement. “A penis” is what she answered, or at least what MacMillan understood.

Being the diplomat that he was, MacMillan held his tongue and avoided an incident. However, he spent the next few minutes racking his brain trying to think of what she could possibly have meant. Then finally it dawned on him that she meant “happiness.”

You probably don’t want to make mistakes like that. Actually she made two of the most common mistakes for francophones: she didn’t aspirate the H  and she put the tonic accent on the wrong syllable. These are two of the pronunciation factors discussed in the following pages. Most people can “interpret” one mistake in pronunciation, but two is much harder, especially when the resulting word means something completely different.

Remember that being able to laugh at yourself is a great stress reliever, but try not to make too many mistakes. It’s one thing to have a good sense of humour, but quite another to pass for a buffoon.

Not Everyone Speaks Well

Since you surely know that not all francophones speak their own language well, it shouldn't surprise you to discover that not all anglophones or allophones speak English well either.

To a learner, certain people speak perfectly, until they study the language and learn to hear the mistakes these people make. Just as with grammar, pronunciation tends to degenerate as people relax. Relaxed pronunciation can be full of errors and it's important to understand that everything is said in a certain context.

Before you imitate a certain person's speech, pay attention to the context. Who is this person? Is he a local native anglophone or someone who learned it as a second language? Is the person well educated? Does he appear to be professional and competent? Do you trust him? If you're not sure, don't imitate him unless you are convinced that he is worthy of imitation.

Some of the more common things you will hear natives saying when they are relaxed are:
     'im meaning him
     'er meaning her
     'em meaning them
     Gimme meaning give me

If you choose to speak this way, you will sound less classy and consequently less professional.

As a student of the language, people will expect you to learn it well. We have a double standard in this regard, as we will usually excuse a native for the same mistake.