Teaching Phonology

Teaching PhonologyDidctica Especfica I

Teaching Phonology The process of learning Phonology constists of: Sounds (basic units)Word StressSentence StressIntonationConnective Speech

Through REPETITIONSounds In order to work with phonemes, teachers can:Integrate phonemic work into all the teaching of grammar and lexis.Observation of mechanicsEar-trainingTongue twister TransliterationTrain learners to use dictionaries

Keep a phonemic chart in the classroom.

Word StressMispronunciation of word stress can make our message to be misunderstood.

ProminenceSentence stress can also make substantial differences to meaning.Connected SpeechWhen we speak or read fluently the following things tend to happen:Unstressed syllables tend to have weak sounds.Sounds get dropped.Sounds get changed.Sounds are added.

IntonationThe music of language.We use it as a kind of oral equivalent of written punctuation.It has a definite effect on meaning and also gives us information about the speaker`s attitude.

Some IdeasGet students to mark intonation patterns on dialogues.Get students to say the same single word with different intonation to convey different meanings.Hum/whistle/sing the sentence without words before you say it.Indicate intonation with your hands, gestures, waves, etc.How Can We Teach Phonology?Model new words in context.Modelling intonation.Recognise the feeling.Use dialogues.Chants.Shadow reading.Voice setting.To Take into Account Students need to learn pronunciation that will allow them to be understood where they need to use the language. It is appropriate to teach the pronunciation you speak, to draw attention to local variations, to highlight differences in accent that appears in course material.International InteligibilityBryan Jenner attempted to determine what all native speakers of all varieties of English have in common which enables them to communicate effectively with native speakers of varieties other than their own. It was called The Common Core, a list of features of English pronunciation he considered essential for intelligibilty anywhere in the world.International InteligibiltyJennifer Jenkins modified it and created the Lingua Franca Core (LFC) which identifies seven areas in which it is essential to eliminate error in our students pronunciation.The seven categories are:Vowel LengthConsonant conflationsPhonemic realisations

International InteligibiltyConsonant cluster simplificationProminence and weak formsNuclear/contrastive stress

InterestingStudents can approach English sounds through comparing such sounds to those of their mother tongue. Non-native teachers of English are in advantage when teaching because (unlike native speakers) they know both the students mother tongue and the foreign language.