             

Think about what ‘Phonology’ studies?

Segmentals Supra-Segmentals Word stress Vowel phonemes Prominence Consonant phonemes Rhythm Connected speech Intonation

What practical ideas can I use to get started?

Pronunciation Ideas (not requiring technical background) Model new words in context Modeling intonation Recognize the feeling Use dialogues Chants Shadow reading Voice settings

Which Pronunciation? What country? US, UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa… Standard or Non-standard? Received Pronunciation (RP) General American English (GA) What style? Casual, Academic?

What are realistic pronunciation goals we should aim at?

Think about what is possible in your context Native or Native-like (traditional) English as an International language (EIL) Intelligibility (current)

Starting Points for Pronunciation It may be very hard to teach an accent that is not one you can naturally use yourself Students need to learn pronunciation that will allow them to be understood in the contexts where they are most likely to need to use the language It is often appropriate and honest to: (a) teach the pronunciation you speak yourself (b) draw attention to local variations you are aware of (c) highlight differences in accent that appear in course material

What do I need to know?

Some important concepts about sounds Phonetic symbols are used to represent sounds as conventional letters are not be enough to represent sounds E.g: Caught  How many letters are there? How many sounds are represented in symbols? Phonemes are the sounds in a language that distinguish meaning. If mispronounced, they can change meaning. E.g: How can the (sum/sun) be so large? Phonemes are divided into two major groups: Vowel phonemes and consonant phonemes. These may vary from language to language. Variations in pronunciation of phonemes are called “allophones.” Allophones do not affect meaning

How can I help learners with phonemes (segmentals)?          

(Received Pronunciation) Phonemes in English Standard British (Received Pronunciation) Standard American (General American) Are the phonemes in your language the same or different?

About phonemic symbols.. For teaching purposes, phonemic charts help to organize sounds in a concrete visual manner Becoming familiar with sound transcriptions is an important step towards autonomous learning (E.g: looking up pronunciation in dictionaries) The use of phonemic symbols will be useful for learners as long as they know which sounds they refer to

The Speech Organs (articulators) Charts showing speech organs are an important tool for learners to become better aware of sound articulation However, it is wise to remember that these charts do not necessarily translate into automatic “good pronunciation”

Pronunciation Games to familiarize Ss with phonemic symbols Category words Phoneme Bingo Anagrams

General Ideas for working with Phonemes   General Ideas for working with Phonemes Integrate phonemic work into all your teaching of grammar and lexis You can encourage your Ss to make a record of the phonemic transcription as well as the spelling of new items Observation of mechanics: let students watch how you produce sounds Ear-training: get Ss to distinguish sounds in words Tongue twisters: to work on particular sounds or to contrast them Transliteration: get Ss to write out word(s) or sentence in phonemic script Train learners in using a dictionary to find pronunciation as well as spelling Keep a phonemic chart on the wall of your classroom Tap out words on the chart and ask Ss to say the words Use the chart for pointing out correct sounds when students pronounce something wrong Try a phonemic crossword

Phonemic Crossword Down Across “_____your time!” No movement; still. Past of 1 Down Some teachers do this too much! 5. Soldiers work for this organization 6. Past of 7 Across 7. ‘______ here! Down “_____your time!” No movement; still. A clock makes this noise. You use this to make your hair tidy.

    How can I help learners with word stress, prominence, rhythm, intonation (supra-segmentals)?

Word Stress Word stress is basically the emphasized syllable in a word. E.g: Teacher  Getting the stress wrong can seriously damage your chances of being understood Words have their own stress pattern. They are fixed with very few exceptions. A stressed syllable in a word is usually noticeable by being slightly louder, longer and higher in pitch (tone levels) than the syllables next to it If you check a dictionary, you will usually find at least two types of word stress; namely, primary and secondary. Check your book/dictionaries and look at the different ways word stress is marked

Prominence (sentence stress) Prominence refers to the main syllables emphasized in a tone group Stress is also an important feature of sentences, when it is known as prominence or, less accurately sentence stress Prominence is show in terms of tone units (sections of speech with one main stress). The main stress is known as the tonic syllable (or nucleus); there may also be one or more secondary stresses. Changes in prominence make substantial differences to meaning E.g: Did you buy the green car? (not something else) Did you buy the green car? (not another color) Did you buy the green car? (not sell) Did you buy the green car? (you, not somebody else)

1.       Connected Speech: Fluent speech in which words are not pronounced separately. A number of recognizable pronunciation changes occur, including weak forms and elision What are you going to do? 1.       2.  What differences do you notice? Elision (elimination), assimilation (change), intrusive sounds (insertion)?

[] The Schwa The most common weak form (unstressed) vowel sound in English It is the only sound to be given its own name Ss will take a lot of convincing that words are really pronounced with schwa weak forms in natural English; instead, they may feel that using “full vowel sounds must be ‘correct’ English Because the schwa is a short and unassertive sound, there is a danger that in focusing on it in classroom sentences, it might lose its natural weak character

Awareness-raising and practice ideas [] Awareness-raising and practice ideas De-schwaed texts Stress and unstress Learn a limerick Count the words

Intonation Try saying common phrases such as hello or thank you (even in your language) with different intonation patterns. Think about how you feel

Intonation Sometimes referred to as the ‘music’ of language We use it as a kind of equivalent of written punctuation It is closely connected with prominence, for the main movement of intonation begins at the tonic syllable The movement can be upwards (a rise), downwards (a fall), a rise with a fall (a rise-fall), a fall with a rise (a fall-rise) or flat. The movement is usually marked with arrows. Intonation has a definite effect on meaning and also gives us information about the speaker’s attitude Using unintended intonation may cause misunderstandings. If wrong intonation is used, a learner may sound bored or even offensive

Practical ideas for working on ‘intonation’ Work with a function grid Get students to mark intonation patterns on dialogues Get students to say the same single word with different intonation to convey completely different meanings Use these differences to prepare and practice some one-word conversations Hum, whistle, sing the sentence without words before you say it Indicate intonation with hand gestures, waves, etc. Exaggerate intonation (this can be funny) Exaggerate lack of intonation Encourage students to ‘feel’ the emotion as they speak. Emotions of anger, interest, surprise, boredom, etc. can naturally power the intonation

Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology V by J Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology V by J. Gonzales Office of Academic Research - ICPNA