Build Muscle Memory to Improve Your Pronunciation
建立肌肉记忆来改善发音
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle?
你对骑自行车的第一印象是什么？
Was it easy, difficult, or somewhere in between?
是易？是难？还是介于二者之间？
In the beginning, you may have wondered if you would ever be able to ride a bicycle at all. Then suddenly one day, you could ride without help from anyone.
刚开始的时候，你可能会想，你到底会不会骑自行车。突然有一天，你可以在没有任何人帮助的情况下骑车了。
Doing a physical activity easily, without thinking, uses an ability we call 'muscle memory.'
不需要思考就能轻松地进行一项身体活动，这种能力我们称之为“肌肉记忆”。
When you repeat a physical action many times, your brain develops permanent memory for how to do it.
当你多次重复一个动作时，你的大脑会形成永久的记忆。
There are many examples, such as walking, swimming, dancing, driving a car, playing a musical instrument and speaking your native language.
有很多这样的例子，比如走路、游泳、跳舞、开车、演奏乐器和说母语。
Elizabeth Marner-Brooks says your muscles can help you remember how to pronouncewords.
伊丽莎白·玛纳-布鲁克斯说，肌肉有助于记住如何发音。
For nearly 30 years, she has taught English language classes at The New School and other universities in New York City. Pronunciation is one of her areas of expertise.
近30年来，她一直在纽约的新学院和其他大学教授w88中文课程。发音是她的专长之一。
At the start of her pronunciation courses, Marner-Brooks asks her students how often they practice their pronunciation skills. The usual answer is 'once or twice a week.' Then, she asks how long they think it would take a baby to learn to walk if they only tried that often. She hopes this discussion helps them see the connection between speaking and the memory we build into our muscles.
刚上语音课时，玛纳-布鲁克斯问她的学生多久练习一次发音。学生们通常的回答是“一周一到两次”。然后，她问如果去频繁地尝试，他们认为婴儿学会走路需要多长时间。她希望这个讨论能帮助学生们看到说话和我们建立的肌肉记忆之间的联系。
Marner-Brooks recently spoke to VOA Learning English on Skype.
玛纳-布鲁克斯最近通过Skype接受了美国之音w88中文学习节目的采访。
It's using the muscles. You have to give yourself permission because human nature dictates that we're going to be spurred on to doing things once we find results. But, we get the results by doing it. And, you can get results very quickly - very quickly - if you just do it.'
“它在使用肌肉。你必须允许自己去这么做，因为人的本性告诉我们，一旦发现卓有成效的结果，我们就能振奋精神持续下去。但是，只有去做才能产生效果。而且，如果你去做，你可以很快收到成效。”
Right now, the muscles in your mouth, lips and tongue may feel strange as they try to make the shapes to produce the sounds of English words. This can require a lot of effort.
现在，你嘴巴、嘴唇和舌头上的肌肉可能会感到奇怪，因为它们试图做出这些形状来拼读w88中文单词。这需要很大的努力。
But, Marner-Brooks notes that the muscles will soon remember how to produce the correct sounds with little or no effort.
但是，玛纳-布鲁克斯指出，肌肉很快就会记住如何不费力气地正确发音。
She works with her students to make consonantand vowelsounds. She also teaches them the use of stressand pitch, two other important elements of English pronunciation.
她和学生一起读辅音和元音。她还教他们使用w88中文发音的另外两个重要元素，即重音和音高。
Many English learners have told Marner-Brooks that other teachers only asked them to repeat English words. They did not teach how to produce the sounds.
许多w88中文学习者告诉玛纳-布鲁克斯，其他老师只要求他们重复拼读w88中文单词，而没有教如何发音。
One person said, 'Well, nobody ever showed me that my tongue goes up for a dand presses. Nobody ever showed me that. They would just do it and I had to copy it.''
’有人说，‘嗯，从来没有人告诉过我，我的舌头会翘起来压东西。没人给我看过。他们只会照办，而我不得不照办。”
Unlike many languages, English has 16 different vowel sounds. So building memory for the correct tongue position is especially important, she notes.
她指出，与许多语言不同的是，w88中文有16个不同的元音。因此，建立正确的舌头位置的记忆是特别重要的。
For vowels, she explains that the sounds have a natural progression, from the highest position of the tongue to the flattest position.
对于元音，她解释说发音有一个自然的过程，从舌头的最高位置到最平的位置。
So, for example, for a long 'e' sound, the tongue is high up in the mouth 'like a camel's back,' she says. For a shorter vowel sound, the tongue is in the middle of the mouth. And, for the shortest, the tongue is flat.
例如，当发一个长“e”音时，舌头会高高翘起，“就像骆驼的背一样”。发短元音时，舌头在嘴的中间。而且，对于最短音来说，舌头是平的。
Try the sounds that Marner-Brooks pronounces to feel it for yourself.
试试玛纳-布鲁克斯的发音，自己去感受一下。
So, /hi/ as in he, she, we and /hI/ as in him, women and /hɛ/ as in help, bread, head'.'
“所以，/hi/ 适用于he, she, we，/hI/ 适用于him, women，而/hɛ/ 则运用于help, bread, head'.'
She adds that speaking is a creativeaction – we are creating sounds as we speak. A common misunderstanding people have about learning language is that it is only an intellectual action.
她补充说，说话是一种创造性的行为——我们在说话的同时也在发出声音。人们将语言学习普遍误解为仅仅是一种智力活动。
And when we're dealing with speech – with making the sounds – we're dealing with the creative side of the brain, not the intelligent, thinking side.'
“当我们处理语言时，我们处理的是声音，我们处理的是大脑中有创造力的那一面，而不是聪明的、会思考的那一面。”
To help build your muscle memory, Marner-Brooks says you can use pronunciation videos on the Internet. She suggests English learners avoid using the Internet to simply repeat words they hear.
玛纳-布鲁克斯表示，为了帮助建立肌肉记忆，可以使用互联网上的发音视频。她建议w88中文学习者避免使用互联网来简单地重复他们听到的单词。
Instead, find short American English pronunciation guides on web sites like YouTube. Specifically, look for videos that demonstrate things like vowel and consonant muscle training.
相反，你可以在YouTube等网站上找到简短的美式w88中文发音指南。具体来说，去找一些演示元音和辅音肌肉训练的视频。
Marner-Brooks suggests students do vowel and consonant pronunciation exercises for 3-5 minutes four times each day. And, use a mirror to observe yourself as you practice the sounds.
玛纳-布鲁克斯建议学生每天做四次3-5分钟的元音和辅音发音练习。练习时，用一面镜子来观察自己。
If these exercises feel foolish or strange, she has these final thoughts:
如果你感觉这些练习愚蠢或奇怪，玛纳-布鲁克斯会最后对你说:
What I suggest is for you to be comfortable, take the risks, and enjoy speaking the language. That's the goal.'
“我给的建议是为了让你感觉舒服，大胆去试，享受说这种语言。这才是我们的目标。”
I'm Alice Bryant.
我是爱丽丝·布莱恩特。