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haʊ tɘ ti:ʧ prɘˌnᴧnsıʹjeıʃɘn
Why it seems to be so hard to teach
And so hard to learn
Something to think about
While the teacher is explaining
the student isn’t learning
What is the goal of teaching?
Sounding like a native speaker?Being intelligible – native
speakers can understand?Something else?
WHY DON’T ADULTS?
If all children learn how to pronounce their native language without instruction
Mental Restructuring
LEARNING means
Keeping and losing distinctions Distinguishing what matters
from what doesn’t Gaining some abilities by losing
others
Three levels
Fluency
Intonation and stress
Sounds
Level 1: Sounds
Teach contrasts, not absolute sounds
Functional load Essential role of consonants Teach as part of an overall
communicative programme
The phoneme principle
/T/As in
tops stop pots
post water post-test
Learning new distinctions
Learner listens to develop the ability to distinguish the sounds
Teacher explains how the mouth is used to produce the sounds
Repeat as needed.
Minimal pairs
Sounds are often taught using “minimal pairs”. These are pairs like pin/bin which have only one difference – the one you are teaching. They can be used for listening and speaking practice.
An example
CHIMERAMonster / fabulous beast / unrealistic
notion
An example from Chinese
书 shū (book)
需 xǖ (to want)
Sound systems
Each language has RULES about where sounds can appear.English allows consonant clusters such as str, and pr at the start of words and nk or lp at the end. Other languages may not allow these, or allow others (such as dv or zdr.
Clashing systems
English: Maori initial /ŋ/Somali: /p/ - /b/, sikis, two-ellifChinese: /r/ - /ʒ/Spanish: I estudy at eschoolKorean: I learn EnglishiEast Asian: Limited range of final
consonant sounds allowed
Finally (on sounds)
Sounds don’t exist in isolation.In everyday speech, sounds are not
pronounced as they are in the dictionary.
Level 2: Intonation and Stress
Word stressIntonationContrastive intonation
Unstress
Word Stress
A key feature of English Must be taught along with all
new vocab Can use minimal pairs of stress
in communicative activities (e.g. REcord / reCORD).
Intonation
Teach typical sentence patternsThen use them in normal
conversation (slightly slowed down)
Teach the difference between normal statements, questions and orders.
Teach the emphasis on new v old information.
Contrastive intonation
For example, Are you going to AUSTRALIA in May?I’m going in JUNE.Just YOU?No, we’re ALL going.Also:JAMES isn’t going to Australia.
Teaching Intonation
Use DIAgrams or PICtures to illustrate the intoNAtion pattern of an English SENtence.
Bang the pattern on the table.Ask the learner to imitate
intonation from a recording.
Level 3: Fluency
LinkingPausing, hesitancyVariationSmoothness
Fluency: Linking
Connected speech is not made of separate words. They are linked, and syllables and sounds are lost or added. It’s useful to shock students out of complacency by writing
Wodga want?Zat you?
From “Let Stalk Strine”
Hello! Dint note was ute first. Dint U U Steffer beard? I thaw chetterlong beard.
Essa Dibbet me wife sediwer skettin twold twearer beard. Shiss edit mimey look lichen Noel office boy.
Fluency: Pausing and hesitation
English speakers “chunk” words into groups and pause between chunks. Correct pausing is important.
However, long unnecessary pauses make the speaker seem less competent or confident.
Fluency: Variation
Native speakers don’t like boring voices, which can happen when the learner has few intonation patterns to draw on. They need to HEAR lots of language and USE it often.
Fluency: Smoothness
Speakers of some languages, especially East Asian, have a “choppy” sound to their speech, which is not attractive to native speakers of English. Practising linking helps to overcome this.
Voice Quality
Voice Quality identifies our basic accent and way of speaking.
Draw attention to speakers and ways of speaking on the news, films, etc. Discuss how mouth position show personality, status and emotion.
Three levels again
Which levels are important?Which are necessary for
acceptability by native speakers?Which should you be teaching?
So what is the goal of teaching?
Native speaker level – Impossible for most adults.
Intelligibility – Yes, but not enough.
Acceptability – Native speakers make judgements about ways of speaking, even if they understand.
A process for correction
1. List the mistakes which the learner is making.
It is best to listen to a recording, as we often ignore mistakes when listening.
A process for correction
2. Select the highest priority mistakes, based on:
◦Time available◦Likelihood of success◦Learner’s wishes◦Functional load◦Acceptability
A process for correction
3. Find out why the learner is making that mistake.
◦What are they doing with their mouth?
◦Is it a new sound, a new distinction, or a rule of their pronunciation system?
◦Can they hear when native speakers use it?
◦Are they aware they are making a mistake?
A process for correction
4. Look for ways to explain in session/class
◦Record and listen◦Listen to native speakers◦Explain/show what is done with the
mouth◦Does the learners know the
principles behind the error?◦Accuracy exercises – teacher
corrects.
A process for correction
5. Discuss what the learner will do outside of class
◦What opportunities will they have to speak?
◦If they have no-one to speak with, they can make recordings every day.
◦At first they must consciously self-correct.
◦After some time it will become habitual.
While the teacher is explaining
the student isn’t learning