How important is pronunciation in overall English language learning and teaching?

Before studying phonology I used to believe that pronunciation did not play an important role in speaking, I believed that other skills such as: writing, grammar, reading and listening were more important to focus on. However I have changed my mind. Why do teachers teach their students the importance of saying the word properly? Because teaching pronunciation can be the trickiest subject to teach or to learn and knowing how to pronounce the words well is a must in speaking.

Firstly, teachers should be a facilitator to their students in order to teach them the most commom types of accents and their different pronunciation and teach how to avoid errors. Moreover, the more you pronounce the words correctly the more fluently you will sound and may avoid being intangible by other speakers. Because the first thing native speakers notice during a conversation is the pronunciation.

Secondly, not only should we have good pronunciation but also we need to be understood, because sometimes pronunciation can interfere with the ideas a person is trying to get across. The main goal is that an easily be understood by native speakers or others English speaking people. Moreover, native – speakers are more concerned about the errors in pronunciations than grammar errors foreigners make.

To sum up, knowing grammar and vocabulary are important as well, but it is essential that a person must have a good pronunciation in order to be understood by other people. Although, teachers work on their students’ pronunciation and tell them their current errors, do activities which can help students increase their understanding about being tangible and give tips like; for example, practice as much as you can and do not be afraid to speak or to make mistakes.