英国新闻听力 17（在线收听）

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Hi, this is ‘6 minute English’ and I’m Yvonne Archer.

I’m Callum Robertson, hello.

Hello, Callum. In this week’s program, English words that are often mispronounced. Callum, can you explain mispronounced for us?

Certainly, if you mispronounce, if you mispronounce a word, you don’t say it correctly, you get some of the sounds wrong in that word.

Very good. And is there a word that you often mispronounce, Callum.

Umm, no, not really.

I didn’t think so. So I’ve got three difficult ones here for you. But before you read them out, any thoughts?

Well, looking at these words on paper, I think there’s a good chance that some people would, would mispronounce them, yeah.

And that’s why you’re saying them instead of me. So, off you go.

Okay, the words are “regularly”, “ethnicity” and “anaesthetist”, whew.

You said them slowly, Callum. Yeah, that’s was tough. But there are three thousand other Brits who also agree that those words are difficult to say.

They were recently questioned by a company called Spinvox and the research showed that “regularly”, “ethnicity” and “anaesthetist”--- wow, I said it--- are some of the most mispronounced words in the English language. Now before we hear more about the research. I’ve a question for you, Callum. How many sounds do experts say we need to be able to pronounce. So that we can speak English clearly. Is it: a, 44; b, 104 or 400?

Well, I’m fairly confident on this as I’ve just made a series about pronunciation. In British English, there’s generally about forty-four sounds that are needed to pronounce English words. So, about forty-four--- that is maybe a few more--- but forty-four, that’s my answer.

Well, I’m not telling you. You have to wait until the end of the program. Now as we hear an extract from the BBC’s Today program on the most mispronounced words in English, try to find, whew, I can’t pronounce try, try to find out which word was the most mispronounced.

If you find “statistics” and “ethnicity” difficult to pronounce, it appears you are not alone. The Daily Mail says they’re among the top ten most troublesome words in the English language. Researchers who questioned three thousand people found that the most mispronounced word was “phenomenon” followed by “anaesthetist” and “remuneration”.

Callum, which word was the most troublesome, the most difficult to pronounce?

Well, that was phenomenon, phenomenon.

Phenomenon, phenomenon, yep, I have to say I have to take that one really slowly. And just looking at it on paper makes me nervous. So why do you think so many of us get it wrong, Callum?

What cause, when we get nervous, we generally make more mistakes. But here, it’s the mixture of the particular sounds that are in words, that’s what causes the problem. So having the “m” and “n” sounds, the “mmm” and “nnn” in “phenomenon”, having, having so many of them so close together, that makes it a difficult word to pronounce.

And what about anaesthetist?

Well “anaesthetist”, it contains an odd mixture of “t” and “th” sounds, there’s also an “s” in there as well before that group of consonants and that also makes things difficult to pronounce.

Dear, it certainly is.

BBClearningenglish.com

Now the newspaper that published those research results describes such words as “tongue twister”. But I wouldn’t call them tongue twisters really, would you, Callum?

Umm, not really, no. Because tongue twisters are generally a sentence or an expression that is very difficult to say quickly and repeat again and again and again.

Well, I’m feeling really mean today, Callum. Go on, give us an example, and don’t say it slowly.

Okay, try this one and a very famous one is: Peter piper // peck pepper”.

Cool, that was pretty good. Of course, but we don’t have to say tongue twisters in life. (No) but we usually do have to use words like, what, statistics and February. I can’t say it myself.

February.

February.

Yes, it is difficult to get through life without saying words like “February”.

But the research shows that many of us try to do just that. We don’t want to feel embarrassed when we mispronounce those words so we just avoid them. And that’s a really bad example for learners, isn’t it?

Well, I don’t / about that. It’s something natural that native speakers do. You know, if you’re not sure how to pronounce a word, choose another word, or, and I do the same writing in spelling. If there’s a word I’m not sure how to spell, my spelling isn’t, you know, perfect. Sometimes I will rewrite to avoid that word. So, as in anything, pronunciation does only get better with practice so don’t worry about it.

Just go for it. Okay, now for the answer to our question: how many sounds do experts say we need to be able to pronounce. So that we can speak English clearly? Is it: a, 44; b, 104; or c, 400？

Well, as I said, forty-four. I’m fairly confident that it’s forty-four or there about.

You know it all the time, Callum. Well, that’s all we’ve got time for today. Join us again for more 6 minute English.