InfantryDEL wrote:

QUOTE:
Yeah, pronunciation is something that concerns me. I don't mind having an accent, but I don't want to be flat out wrong. I am getting pretty okay.

Japanese pronunciation is very straightforward. The key to getting it right is to know the vowels. Forget how the vowels sound in English and relearn the vowels in Japanese. There's only 5, so it's really not that hard.

Afterwards, make sure that you pronounce the vowels consistently and distinctly(By distinctly, I mean that you should always emphasize the vowel, not the consonant). For example, I often hear American people pronounce "Tanaka-san" like this:

TUH-NAH-KUH SAN

When the correct pronounciation should really be this:

TAH-NAH-KAH SAHN

Notice how the vowel A is always pronounced consistently as AH. Also, a lot of people have trouble pronouncing -san or -chan. Remember, when the vowel is surrounded by consonants, emphasize the vowel (Simply soften the consonants, and make the vowel sound more distinct).

SAHN and CHAHN

A lot of people don't do this and it comes out to:

SAWN and CHON

So yeah, just make sure you get the vowels down and make sure it's emphasized more than the consonant. Do those 2 and you will have no problems with pronunciation, guaranteed.