Answer :
Pronunciation variations are influenced by phonetic inventories, native language phonemes, dialects, and individual proficiency in a second language. Speech therapists may use the SODA method for improving articulation. Adults and children have different capabilities in language sound production and perception, affecting accent and pronunciation.
Differences in the pronunciation of words across individuals can be attributed to several factors such as exposure to different phonetic inventories and phonetic distinctions in language, personal or community dialects, and the influence of one's native language and its phonemic structure on the learning of a second language. Children are naturally equipped with the ability to discern and produce an extensive range of sounds, a capacity that gets streamlined to the sounds prevalent in their environment. As adults learn a new language, they may bring along the influence of their first language's phonemes, leading to a foreign accent. Moreover, adults can exhibit a range of proficiency in the pronunciation of a second language, with various accents emerging due to differences in factors such as articulation or suprasegmental differences in intonation. Speech therapists can address articulation issues using the SODA approach—addressing substitutions, omissions, distortions, and additions—to move towards a more standard pronunciation.
