This is a brief intro to problems Danes have when pronouncing English.

There are many challenges facing Danes when learning how to pronounce English.

I will focus on three tricky areas:

1) ‘th’ /θ/ versus /t/ sounds

2) ‘t’ /t/ versus /d/ sounds

3)  ‘p’ /p/ versus /b/ sounds

1) ‘th’ /θ/ versus /t/ sounds

Danes have problems with ‘th’ /θ/.

To show how vital it can be to pronounce /θ/ properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmOTpIVxji8

So how best to teach our pupils? Simple – get them to stick their tongues out at the teacher!

As they stick their tongues out, get them to say those tricky words, such as ‘think’, ‘Thursday’, ‘thing’.

2) ‘t’ /t/ versus /d/ sounds

There is a tendency for pupils to pronounce /t/ as /d/.

 This can be a problem when pronouncing the word ‘little’ as in ‘My son is a little boy’.

 

(Is my son sponsored by Lidl?)

So how best to teach our pupils? Simple – get them to spit (but not for real!) at the teacher!

The /t/ sound produced will help them remember the difference – hopefully.

3)  ‘p’ /p/ versus /b/ sounds

This example can lead to incredibly amusing pronunciations, such as hailing a ‘cap’ in London; I’ve had my dog Rover since he was a ‘pub’, and my personal favourite, as seen on a sign: