I speak 12 languages including 4 Asian ones. I do not think it is useful to
focus too much on the specific differences in breathing or phonemic exposure
of different language groups. I have found that dealing with pronunciation
as an integral part of the imitation and emulation of the language behaviour
of the target language group is more helpful than isolating pronunciation as
a problem.

Learners often acquire a preoccupation with accent or pronunciation, when
more often it is unnatural usage that causes communication problems.It is
not helpful, in my experience, to cater to that preoccupation.

Massive listening exposure to, at first, a limited range of content via an
MP3 player, then followed by more extensive listening to content of
interest, will usually lead to an acceptable level of pronunciation in time.
The listening, if combined with a program of reading and vocabulary study
based on the reading, and then writing and speaking, will improve all
language skills at the same time, including pronunciation.





-- 
Steve Kaufmann
www.lingq.com
1-604-922-8514
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