Recently, I’ve had a great experience coaching bright students in English pronunciation. I’ve had a whale of a time, and the results have been excellent.
This is something I’ve learnt: when it comes to pronunciation coaching, it’s like training an athlete. A huge part of it involves muscle memory — you don’t think, you just do it. And that muscle memory is what makes it possible.
Research seems to support the insight I’ve gained through experience: pronunciation, much like any physical skill, relies heavily on motor learning and muscle memory. When speaking, numerous small muscles in the tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal tract must coordinate with precision. This coordination is not just cognitive—it is neuromotor in nature, involving procedural memory systems that automate movement patterns over time (Messum & Young, 2021).
If a speaker consciously attempts to control each articulatory movement—such as positioning the tongue or shaping the lips—the result is often slow, unnatural speech. This phenomenon is well-documented in motor skill acquisition literature, which shows that automaticity arises from repeated practice rather than conscious control (Newell, 1991).
Recent neuroscience research has even revealed that brain cells use muscle-like signaling mechanisms to strengthen learning and memory, suggesting a deeper biological parallel between physical and cognitive skill acquisition (Lippincott-Schwartz et al., 2025). These findings reinforce the idea that pronunciation is not merely about knowing sounds intellectually, but about training the body to produce them instinctively.
Therefore, effective pronunciation coaching emphasizes repetition, imitation, and feedback—methods that mirror athletic training. Learners benefit most when they repeatedly hear and mimic native-like speech, gradually internalizing the rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of the target language (Böttger & Höppner, 2024). Techniques such as shadowing, drilling, and embodied learning (e.g., rhythmic movement with speech) have shown measurable improvements in pronunciation accuracy and fluency (Zhang, Baills, & Prieto, 2024).
Lastly, I’d like to share an achievement one of my students has made. When she first started, she struggled to read even the most basic texts. But look how far she’s come! She’s made great progress, and this is only the beginning for her. I’m proud to have been part of her journey.
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