Why pronunciation accuracy still separates fluent speech from clear communication

The Speak Up London piece on Korean speakers' common errors draws attention to the frequent replacement of the dental fricatives with alveolar stops or fricatives. Standard descriptions of English phonology require the tongue tip to contact the upper teeth for both /θ/ and /ð/, a placement absent from Korean inventories and therefore demanding deliberate practice. In contexts such as recorded presentations or legal correspondence, the resulting minimal pairs alter reference without any signal to the listener that clarification is needed. The practical emphasis on immediate output can defer this adjustment indefinitely, yet the distinction remains rule-governed once the articulatory position is mastered.