You should try to avoid what is known as "list intonation". Each word should be pronounced as if it were the only word that you have ever recorded, as if someone has asked you "How do you pronounce X?", and not as if you were reading a long list of words and this is just the next one on the list.
Listen to the following, which is "1 2 3" with (slightly exagerated) list intonation. This is NOT how you should record your words!
Listen to the following, which is "1 2 3 4" with (slightly exagerated) list intonation. This is NOT how you should record your words!
Listen to the following, which is "1 2 3 4 5" with (slightly exagerated) list intonation. This is NOT how you should record your words!
List intonation occurs (in English at least, but also, I think, in other languages like French and Dutch), when you are saying a list of items.
How to avoid list intonation?
It is quite tricky to avoid (at least in English, and other languages where it occurs), because we naturally do it without thinking. Here are some tips which may help.
1) Think
Firstly simply think about the way you are saying individual words. Ask yourself whether you are reading them as in a list, or are you making an effort to read them as individual words?
2) Pause between words
When you pause longer between saying individual words in a list you will more easily say them without list intonation
3) Say "(How do you write...) X?"
If the word you want to pronouce "one, two, three" without list intonation, you can say "How do you write...one? How do you write...two? How do you write...three?". You can leave a pause between the "How do you write..." and the word, and then you can chop out the rubbish during editing. More simply you can say the redundant part in your head, "[How do you write..."] one [How do you write...] two [How do you write...] three?"
4) Imagine someone asking you to pronounce the word written down
Imagine someone showing you "one" written down, and asking you "How do you pronounce this word?". You can make this a conversation which you record just the relevant bits:
- [How do you pronounce this word?]
- one
- [How do you pronounce this word?]
- two
- [How do you pronounce this word?]
- three
5) Listen carefully to the recordings
When listening to the individual recordings of words, ask yourself whether you can hear list intonation. The rising tone can often be quite strong.