5 th VTTN Hanoi January 2009 Tackling Common Pronunciation Errors of the Vietnamese English Learners. Tran Thi Lan, Ph.D Hanoi University

Background Previous talk Previous talk on Essential pronunciation to the Vietnamese – list of problems Experts from the field: TESL-L voices on pronunciation, BBC English learning website. Feedback by teachers from English Dept. HCM University of Pedagogy.

Briefing on feedback Useful, helpful, interesting Time-consuming, consistent, needing more effort and patience Challenging, difficult to put into practice (rules re. voiced/unvoiced; long-short vowels, consonant clusters etc., regional accent, end of words etc.) but Important, early treatment (needing more writings with focus on languages distinction)

Major objective To tackle common problems of the Vietnamese

How to go? Defining errors: How? How long to define them (if any)? How long to correct errors? Defining your own attitude toward errors. Correction

How to identify students problems? Interviews, talks (e.g. records): teacher- students, students-students, students reveal their own problems Quick, easy, friendly and most importantly: learner- focused class) [E.g. from a tape. ] Listen – define students problems

Common Errors Dyslexic: Northern dialect: /l/ and /n/, /S/ and /s/ Central Dialect: /r/ and /d 3 / Southern dialect: /q/ and /g/ All regions: /ð/ and /t/ and /õ/- unvoiced and /f/ Intonation Stress

YOU How do you want your students to sound in English? Perfect? Native like? Which native? US? UK? Or else? Standard? RP? TV, Radio? Clear to understand and be understood? Regardless of accents, registers? How do you want to correct your students mistakes? always? Every mistake? Directly? TPR? Or else?

Rod Bolitho Some questions for teachers:questions Is your own pronunciation perfect? Does it need to be? If you are a non-native speaker, how do you like the way you sound in English? What do you do to help your learners tune into English? How do you respond when a learner mispronounces a word?

Main ways to deal with common errors (demonstration with tapes, exercises) Place of articulation Drilling, imitation, backward vocalizing Analogue with Vietnamese or whatever language the learners know Other…

Place of articulation /l/ and /n/ (tape) /b/ and /p/ /õ/ and /ð/ /q/, /g/, /w/, and /v/ /t/, /p/ /k/

Backward vocalizing With long words: Establish Disestablish Disestablishment Anti-disestablishment Antidisestablishmentarian Antidisestablishmentarianism

Drilling (tape) La la la la la / na na na na na Tha tha tha tha tha Tho tho tho tho tho Thy thy thy thy thy Ra ra ra ra ra ro ro ro ro ro Sha sha sha sha sha sho sho sho sho sho Ta ta ta ta ta to to to to to Ba ba ba ba ba po po po po po etc. Sta sto sto stu, stra stro stru stry etc.

Analogue with Vietnamese and other foreign languages /s/ and Vietnamese /x/ /z/ and Vietnamese /d/ /S/ and Vietnamese /s/ or French /ch/ /g/ and /d 3 /: a, o, u and i, e, y like the case of g –gh; ng- ngh (Vietnamese) c as /k/, /s/, and / S/ Ch as /k/, /S/ and /t s / (separated sheets)

Classifying errors Permanent errors: ends of words Recognizable errors by speakers Unrecognizable errors by speakers Can be tackled easily Cant be tackled immediately

Conclusion: clarifying some concepts Purpose of teaching English pronunciation: To make sounds clear to the listeners, not native- like (disadvantage of lack of accent – TESL-L experiences) To be able to understand others. Select one variety but make learners aware of other varieties. Being consistent – key point for teachers

Phonemic chart with sounds onunciation/phonemic-chart

Thank you for your attention!