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 robin@englishglobalcom.com 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 robin@englishglobalcom.com www.englishglobalcom.com