English pronunciation lesson in Shinjuku Tokyo

On April 4th, I attended the English pronunciation class held in Shinjuku Tokyo.

One of the elements which prevents Japanese from improving English is the difference between Japanese and English pronunciation. It is said that Japanese feels challenging in distinguishing R and L sound. However, Kiyoshi Matsuzawa, the leader of the class, says S sound is the most difficult to pronounce properly for Japanese. In general, S sound of Japanese is too weak, so we Japanese should be more conscious of stronger and clearer S sound in speaking English.

The goal of the class is getting natural pronunciation which doesn’t make natives feel stress. Mr.Matsuzawa says English learning is like a sport. We should care about the position of tongue and the way we breathe, at first, so that we can master the natural English sounds. Practice makes perfect. That reminds me of the saying by Tommy Lasorda ” Practice, practice and practice”