Working with a speech therapist can significantly improve English pronunciation by providing personalized guidance and targeted techniques to address specific issues. Speech therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists, use various methods to identify and correct pronunciation issues. Some common techniques include:

1. Articulation exercises: Speech therapists may focus on improving the coordination of speech muscles to produce sounds correctly. They work on specific phonemes or sounds that are challenging for the individual.

2. Phonetic transcription: Therapists may use phonetic symbols or transcription to visually represent sounds and help individuals understand and produce them accurately.

3. Minimal pairs and contrastive drills: By working on minimal pairs (words that differ by only one sound) and contrastive drills, speech therapists help individuals differentiate between similar sounds and correct pronunciation errors.

4. Intelligibility exercises: Speech therapists may focus on enhancing overall clarity and intelligibility of speech by addressing rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns in English.

5. Feedback and modeling: Therapists provide feedback on pronunciation errors and model correct pronunciation to help individuals learn and imitate the correct sounds.

6. Technology-assisted learning: Speech therapists may leverage technology tools and apps to facilitate practice outside of sessions and reinforce correct pronunciation.

The personalized guidance from a speech therapist can indeed accelerate progress in mastering difficult English sounds and enhance communication clarity. By targeting specific pronunciation issues and providing structured practice, individuals can make significant improvements in their English pronunciation with the help of a speech therapist.