Training in enunciation begins when a child is born, as he will mimic the pronunciation he hears in his home. Parents concerned with including Oratory in the grammar stage of their children's education should themselves practice and develop the habit of correct pronunciation. The habit of enunciation in children is further developed in the school years during phonics instruction. Children should be encouraged to pronounce the letters, diphthongs and digraphs they are learning clearly and with accuracy during phonics drill. Insisting on proper enunciation consistently from ourselves and our children is the best way to teach it.
Proper enunciation does more than just portray the appearance of education in our children.
It is important to the success of spelling, as well. In modern English, many vowel sounds in certain syllables in our words are slurred. The first syllable, because it is accented, is pronounced the way we expect it to be. Enunciation seeks to make a child aware of how he is saying what he is saying, and to encourage him to enunciate properly when he speaks. Correct enunciation is vital if a child is to learn how to spell by syllables.