Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker Trinity Trainer, Spain
1. Basic techniques
2. Discrimination
3. Production
• key considerations
• other IDEAS
Pronunciation Basics
1) Providing a model for imitation
a) By what means – the CD or your own voice?
b) How often + how fast?
c) Individual or choral responses?
d) Point or use names?
e) Model utterance every time?
f) What order?
g) Your position?
Pronunciation Basics 1. Basic techniques
2. Some students want to know the meaning of some of the vocabulary in a pronunciation exercise.
3. Your students want their books open while practising pronunciation. Is that OK?
4. What should you do about mistakes? Should you correct them every time and immediately?
5. What would you do with a student who fails to pronounce something correctly even after various attempts?
Pronunciation Basics 1. Basic techniques
Pronunciation Basics 1. Basic techniques
nose
top teeth top lip
bottom lip bottom teeth back
alveolar ridge hard palate soft palate
throat
jaw
blade tip
• O • I • L
• Often • Integrated • Little
Pronunciation Basics 1. Basic techniques
• O • I • L
vocabulary
pronunciation
speaking
Pronunciation Basics 1. Basic techniques
INTEGRATED
• sounds in contrast • same-different / odd man-out • classify • initial / medial / final • words / sentences • teacher / pairs-groups
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
Sounds in contrast
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
Stress in contrast
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
imPORtant
IMpotent
I can SWIM
I CAN’T SWIM
Bowler & Cunningham Headway Pronunciation
OUP
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
Mark Hancock Pronunciation Games, CUP.
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
Sounds in contrast:
classifying sounds
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
Oxenden & Latham-Koenig
English File, OUP
Maurer Smolder Be Understood, CUP.
Pronunciation Basics 2. Discrimination
– Imitate – Demonstrate – Explain – Associate – Stimulate
I D E A S
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
D – Demonstrate – consonants
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
p b m f v θ ð w
t d tʃ dʒ s z ʃ ʒ r
k g j h r
Easy
OK
Hard
D – Demonstrate – consonants
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
E – Explain
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
Press your tonsils against the underside of your larynx.
Then with the convex part of the septum curved upwards so as almost but not quite to reach the uvula, try with the tip of your tongue to reach your thyroid.
Take a deep breath and compress your glottis. Now, without opening your lips, say
Garoo!
A – Associate (images)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
green
red
purple
grey
brown
A – Associate (colours)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
A – Associate (emotions)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
ɜː
A – Associate (emotions)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
/ɪ/ vs /iː/ shit sheet
A – Associate (humour)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
A – Associate (weird)
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
• minimal pairs (words / sentences) • tongue twisters • spotlighted sounds • games • communication activities • songs (ETp 43; egc web) • recordings
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
Mark Hancock Pronunciation Games, CUP.
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
Maurer Smolder Be Understood, CUP.
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
Mark Hancock Pronunciation Games, CUP.
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics 3. Production
Pronunciation Basics 4. Resources
Pronunciation Basics 4. Resources
Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker [email protected] www.englishglobalcom.com
Listening is important – from awareness and
reception to production
Not just ‘slots’ but integrated into all you do Offer realistic language samples
to your students, i.e. as if in the middle of a conversation rather than trying to speak ‘properly’ or in too distorted a way. Talk about it (in L1)
to share and discuss pronunciation expectations &
priorities, reactions and ‘rejections’ with your children, etc.
Include aspects of pronunciation in your evaluation? If you don’t, it’s hard for you, your children, or anybody to take it seriously. Think about including from 10-20% continuous
evaluation marks for children’s pronunciation performance?
pearls from Paul�
Model new words in context in a short phrase or typical sentence with natural stress rather than
isolation, e.g. give nouns + article, i.e. ‘a doll’, ‘an ice lolly’,
not just ‘doll’ or ‘ice lolly’
Teaching words in pairs – shoes and socks, lions and tigers, jelly and ice-cream – rather than in isolation, so
they get used to stressing and reducing.
Keep your pronunciation antennae alert at all times! Be on the look out for words with similar sounds or which rhyme/have similar stress patterns. Try to keep
pictures and/or written words in groups in different collection containers around the room, e.g. bags, boxes, envelopes pinned to a board. Pull them out from time to time to practise them. For example, a child pulls three items from a bag, box or envelope
for the class, a partner or the child him/herself to say.
pearls from Paul�
Do the same for any words / phrases which children regularly
have pronunciation problems with.
Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker [email protected] www.englishglobalcom.com