The newest blog I’d add to my list of sites to recommend to students is the Saundz blog.

It’s true that Saundz is actually a piece of (paid) pronunciation software, but they have a separate blog on their website which focuses on issues of pronunciation and speaking.

What I like about it is the posts are written in an accessible and engaging tone that is aimed toward learners, but the posts are grounded in both the realities of the learner experience, as well as some degree of linguistic and pedagogical theory.

Posts such as 5 Mistakes You Are Probably Making in English Pronunciation or 5 Habits You Should Probably Get Rid of If you Want to Speak English Fluently give describe and give practical advice to overcome common learner errors. You Had Me At Hello: Pronunciation Patterns of Famous Movie Quotes and similar posts encourage students to make the connection between aspects of pronunciation and the English-language popular culture that surrounds them. Overcoming the Difficulties in Understanding People with Strong Accent identifies common L1 interference errors in Chinese and Hindi-speaking learners of English, and gives practical tips for learners that encounter these accents. Nothing revolutionary, but lots of solid advice and food for thought.

Because of its tone, and the fact that its posts encourage noticing, practical strategies, and engagement with language to foster improvement, I would recommend students looking to improve their speaking and pronunciation add this site to their blog roll.