The importance of diction in learning the English language
Everyone is familiar with the normal steps to learning English as a second language: vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and pronunciation. This is the normal set of skills used in the learning of any new language, but all languages are learned by their native speakers through hearing the words spoken and noting the tone, pacing, and sound of the words when they are strung together to form sentences, in other words, diction.
People learn another language first as to be able to speak it fluently, and later to be able to read and write it. Unfortunately the English language is a very difficult language to master through spelling and sentence structure because it is an amalgamation of many different languages (both living and dead). While the one common thread to all spoken English is its sentence structure, it is how the words are said that indicates a true mastering of the language.
Every language has its own unique flow of words which is determined by sentence construction, accent, and pronunciation. English diction is easy to master once the learner understands that only in rare instances (such as the use of homonyms) the accent of a sentence will change the meaning of the sentence. Thus the simple sentence: ‘I want to go home.’ is pronounced the same way as: ‘I want to go to the house.’ Yet the tendency of many ESL students is to accent the two sentences differently which often confuses the listener.
A great part of being fluent in English is becoming familiar with the rhythm of the language’s words and sentences. This rhythm cannot be viewed or written it must be heard. After awhile this rhythm becomes easy to isolate and then imitate but it does take practice. Audio tapes that mimic the rhythm of spoken English are a must if diction is to become a natural part of the spoken language.
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