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