Difference Between Enunciation and Pronunciation

Main Difference – Enunciation and Pronunciation

Enunciation and Pronunciation are two very important components in any language. These two elements deal with clarity and accuracy in the spoken language. It is not possible to master a language without proper enunciation and pronunciation, however excellent your grammatical or vocabulary skills may be. Paying attention to enunciation and pronunciation also helps you to communicate better. The main difference between enunciation and pronunciation is that enunciation is the act of saying a word clearly and concisely while pronunciation is the act of saying a word correctly.

What is Enunciation

Enunciation is the act of saying a word clearly or concisely. The word, enunciate is derived from the Latin enuntiat meaning ‘announced clearly’ Enunciation is a very important element in communication. It includes properly saying words and syllables, opening one’s mouth appropriately (as opposed to mumbling) when speaking and monitoring the speed of speaking

If you don’t enunciate the words properly, it confuses your listeners. If you don’t speak words clearly, and concisely, if the words are muffled and indistinct others will face difficulties in understanding what you are saying. It is important to remember that clear enunciation helps your audience to understand your speech and your thoughts better.

What is Pronunciation

Pronunciation is the act of properly saying each group of letters to make the correct sounds. Pronunciation is what you hear when someone says the word. Each word in a language has a standard way of being spoken or sounded. Pronunciation correctly means saying words in this standard method. Pronunciation, especially in foreign languages, can be learned by listening to natives speak or using dictionaries, that indicate the correct pronunciation.

Pronunciation is one of the most important aspects of a language. When you are speaking a foreign language with a native speaker, the first thing that person will notice is your pronunciation, not your advanced grammar, or vocabulary. So pronouncing a word properly is a very important aspect in language learning. A person with good pronunciation, articulates words properly. He or she pays attention to features like pitch, tone, and volume.

However, keep in mind that sometimes a word can have more than one pronunciation. For example, you can notice some words are pronounced differently in American English and British English. Some examples include,

Vitamin

In British English, this is pronounced as vit-a- min /ˈvɪtəmɪn/

In American English, this is pronounced as vite-a-min /ˈvʌɪtəmɪn/

Vase

In British English, this is pronounced as /vɑːz/ (as in cars)

In American English, this is pronounced as/veɪs/ (as in face)

Leisure

In British English, this is pronounced as /ˈleʒ.ər/ (as in pleasure)

In American English, this is pronounced as/ˈliː.ʒɚ/ ( leesure -lee as in she)