1. What are suprasegmentals?
What is syllable stress?
What is rhythm (=sentential stress)?
What is intonation?
What communication problems do errors in syllable stress, rhythm and intonation create?
What similarities are there between task-based teaching and communicative teaching?
How do you try to integrate the teaching of stress, rhythm and intonation into your class?

2. What is syllable stress?
At least three levels of syllable stress in English
Primary stress – syllable is loudest, longest + highest pitch
Secondary stress – syllable is 2nd-loudest, 2nd- longest and 2nd highest pitch
Unstressed – least amount of stress
Example – ,trans.por.’ta.tion
Wrong stress – a) listener may not understand
Wrong stress – b) listener may need effort to figure out the intended word

3. How can syllable stress be taught?
Both CLT and TBLT share some things.
Focus on meaningful communication
Focus on real-life tasks
Explicit instruction in the introduction of new words
Use of suffixes to predict which syllable is stressed
e.g. – “-ic” – stress on syllable before suffix; e.ner.’ge.tic

4. How can syllable stress be taught?
Questionnaires are useful
Based on your task/topic, see which words with suffixes are related to this
E.g. – topic: personal description (e.g. – energetic, optimistic, pessimistic)
How ________ are you?
E.g. – task: describe yourself for a job interview (e.g. – educational background, personality)

5. What is rhythm (sentential stress)?
Not all words are equally stressed.
Stressed syllables in content words louder than other syllables in a sentence.
Content words – nouns, main verbs, negative helping verbs, adjectives, adverbs, question words etc.
Function words – prepositions, conjunctions, articles, pronouns, positive helping verbs
Poor rhythm – listener needs to listen carefully to the speaker

6. How can rhythm be taught?
Teach sentence focus.
Sentence focus – most important part of a sentence.
e.g. – How much experience do you have?
Get students to identify the focus of questions in a questionnaire (e.g. – job interview questions)
Students ask and answer the questions.
Get students to do self-introductions.

7. rhythm + chunking Teach chunking Chunking – “chunks” of sentences
e.g. – (How much experience) [do you have]?
Intonational contours – rising, level and falling pitch
Sentential stress – stressed words within sentences
Underline the stressed words and draw the intonational contours in questions on board. Model the chunking of the questions.
Students practice the questions in pairs/groups.

8. rhythm + task-based classes
For a task-based class, make the questions and answers correspond to a real-life activity.
Listening task (a customer ordering food in a restaurant); waiter takes notes on customer’s order; dictation
Customer – “I’ll have the spaghetti and a cup of coffee.”
Point out the reduced forms of the function words.
Point out the linking (cup of -> cu. pa)

9. Linking
Consonant-vowel linking: last consonant in the first word becomes the first sound in the second word with a vowel.
E.g. – did it? -> di dit? cup of-> cu pa
Make up listening and speaking exercises based on a task or topic
e.g. – (listening) locations of places – The coffee shop’s across from the pharmacy; It’s in the mall.
e.g. – (speaking) ask about the p.m. – Where was he born? Is he bilingual? Have you ever met him?

10. can vs. can’t “can” – unstressed + reduced vowel in context
e.g. – I can work overtime.
“can’t” – stressed + full vowel
e.g. – I can’t work overtime.
Listening exercises – circle “can” vs. “can’t”
Relevant for many job-related tasks; e.g. – I can work weekends; I can’t work weekends.
Questions based on ability (e.g. – Can you work nights? Can you speak another language?)
Note reduction of “you”

11. do you vs. did you
ESL students often have trouble hearing the difference between “do you” and “did you”
Topic/task – regular action : What time do you normally go to bed?
Topic/task – past action: What time did you get up today?
Reduced vowels – “do you”
Reduced vowels and <j> assimilation – “did you”
Listening exercises to hear the difference
Speaking activities – e.g. – your daily routine; past actions (e.g. – your past education, last vacation) etc.

12. What is intonation? Pitch patterns used in utterances
e.g.1– He’s coming. (rising-falling intonation)
e.g.2 – He’s coming. (falling intonation)
e.g.3 – He’s coming. (rising intonation)
What communication problems can poor ESL speaker intonation create?
The listener can have problems understanding the attitude/feelings of the ESL speaker.
ESL listeners may have problems understanding the attitudes/feelings of English speakers.

13. Intonation and feelings/attitudes
default intonation vs. intonation with a higher pitch
higher intonation used to sound professional and polite
listening task: label an employee’s intonation as being “default” or “polite and professional”
speaking task: students role-play a workplace service encounter (e.g. – a restaurant server, bank employee)
Similar listening discrimination tasks for different feelings

14. Intonation and feelings/attitude
Default intonation vs. flat intonation (interpretation – bored / tired / indifferent)
Default intonation vs. falling intonation (interpretation – miffed / angry / in a hurry)
Rising and falling intonation, louder than normal (interpretation - excited)
Intonation associated with surprise – rising intonation on what is surprising; what is surprising is louder
e.g. – You’re friends with Justin Trudeau? (rising)
Activity – student A: says something very surprising; student B: sounds surprised (e.g. – really?)

15. Intonation and questions
different types of intonation – different types of sentence structures
Information questions – typically rising-falling intonation at the end
e.g. – How much is the rent?
example task – looking for an apartment
Falling intonation – sound brusque
Yes-no questions – rising-falling or rising (polite)
“Would you like more coffee?” (use rising intonation to sound more polite if working as a restaurant server); role-play activities

16. Intonation and statements
statements: typically rising-falling at the end
e.g. – “I’d like to apply for the accounting position.” (rising-falling)
possible problem: students use falling intonation; sound abrupt
activities: self-introductions; answers to job interview questions
other structures: choice questions
e.g. – Would you like coffee (rising) or tea (rising- falling)?
Practice activities: work-related scenarios
(e.g. – bank employee / salesperson / server)