The Ethics of Pronunciation Teaching

1. The Ethics of Pronunciation Teaching TESL OntARIO 39thAnnual Conference, Toronto Research Symposium “Pronunciation in the ESL Classroom” Donna M. Brinton Senior Lecturer University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA

2. Abstract Is pronunciation teaching ethical? This issue is examined in light of claims regarding the global ownership of English and discussions on the need for a lingua franca core in the teaching of pronunciation. The specific catalyst occasioning this research involved a complaint lodged against a TESOL faculty member who offered an English as a second language (ESL) pronunciation course at the university level. The complaint, filed with the university Ethics Committee by a faculty member from another discipline, alleged that the term “accent” was discriminatory. Although not explicitly stated, the underlying position of the complainant appeared to be that offering ESL pronunciation support courses constituted an unethical practice. The presenter will share a synthesis of the responses to this case from members of an international pronunciation listserv defending the practice of offering English language pronunciation support courses to non-native speakers of English.

3. Is pronunciation teaching ethical?

4. Impetus for the study Initial contact Email from a university faculty member whose pronunciation course was under investigation by the university Ethics Committee following a complaint lodged by a member of another faculty at the university Appeal by this faculty member to provide assistance in her case to the Ethics Committee

5. . . . I have been teaching a course in pronunciation support for the ESL department of our university using your book, Teaching Pronunciation, as a guide.  This week, I was asked to appear before our university's ethics chair to defend this course as there was a complaint from another professor, who specializes in multiculturalism, racism, and identity issues.  The complaint is that promoting a course in pronunciation awareness or modification is unethical.  I am asking for your advice on how to respond to this complaint. Original email received

6. Pronunciation is an integral part of language. I see pronunciation support as a tool for students. I am not asking them to change their identity.  I am helping them be aware of different patterns of stress, rhythm, and intonation as well as show that pronunciation can be seen, felt, and heard. Students set their own goals and the class is an elective, so only those interested in pronunciation issues register. I would really appreciate your advice or any articles that I could use to support my position. Email received, continued

7. Background on the setting • The case occurred at a community-focused university of about 14,000 students. • Situated in an ethnically diverse region of the country, the university is committed to accessibility, teaching excellence, and lifelong learning. • It enrolls approximately 700 international students each semester from over 70 different countries as well as many local immigrants. • The courses offered by the university’s ESL department were created to respond to the unique needs of this diverse group. • Many of its courses (including the pronunciation support course in question here) are electives, so only students interested in improving their language skills register.

8. The complaint The complaint, filed with the university Ethics Committee by a faculty member from another discipline, alleged that the term “accent” was discriminatory. Although not explicitly stated,the underlying position of thecomplainant appeared to be thatoffering ESL pronunciation supportcourses constituted an unethicalpractice.

9. Response Action Query to members of an international pronunciation listserv Request for assistance

10. “Etcetera” “Etcetera” is a moderated international listserv. It . . . • is a closed forum (membership is by invitation only) • is informal in nature (“a Kaffeeklatsch”) • is comprised of international pronunciation specialists • has a current membership of ~150 specialists • addresses a wide range of discussion strands, e.g. • how to best teach certain features of English pronuncation • differences in dialects in the English-speakingworld • research into prosodic phenomena • etc.

11. Spread of English as an international language (EIL) • Resulting proliferation of “international Englishes” • Goal in pronunciation instruction of the NNS NS interlocutor being replaced by NNSNNS interlocutor model • “Whose English is it anyway?” • Jenner’s (1989) notion of the “common” or lingua franca core (LFC) Issues to consider

12. Map of the English-speaking world

13. English as an international language Crystal as cited in Walker (2009)

14. Related issues Is there a trend away from Received Pronunciation (RP) or General American (GA) Toward English as a lingua franca (ELF) as a model for pronunciation instruction? What pronunciation standards are appropriate given the global spread of English as a lingua franca? What constitutes intelligibility in English?

15. Author’s previous research RP and GA as the standard • Analysis of listserv postings by pronunciation specialists on aforementioned topics • Consensus among the specialists • RP and GA remain the two major NS target models. • In the past, these target norms reflected the reality that English was used by NNSs predominantly to communicate with NSs. • Although this may no longer be the case, many learners do still aspire to NS models. Brinton & Goodwin with Celce-Murcia (2006)

16. Author’s previous research, continued • Consensus among the specialists, continued • Learners should be exposed to a variety of English regional accents. • They should be allowed to determine their own target accent. • A clear definition of how much deviation from the NS norm is acceptable under common core standards is needed. Brinton & Goodwin with Celce-Murcia (2006)

17. What constitutes intelligibility? Definitions cited • A “comfortably intelligibile” pronunciation, in which the listener need not strain to understand (Abercrombie, 1963) • “Minimum general intelligibility,” in which the message can be communicated efficiently to a native listener familiar with both the context and the given speaker’s pronunciation (Gimson, 1980)

18. Morley’s six-level rating scale for describing speech and evaluating its impact on communication Intelligibility/communicability index Morley (1984)

19. Pronunciation’s role in intelligibility Jenkins (2000)

20. Etcetera responses summarized… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

21. Quotable quotes [This issue] has absolutely nothing to do with washing away someone's cultural identity, and everything to do with empowering immigrants to have a fighting chance in this tough economic climate.. .. Speaking clearly and being understood without a struggle from the listener is a major concern of every immigrant student that I come in contact with. Surely the most successful learners (especially in areas like pronunciation and listening) are those who are integratively motivated to associate themselves with the L2 community. It's simplistic to suggest that this necessarily entails renouncing their L1 culture or allegiances. I argue that rather than being improper or unethical to teach and correct pronunciation, it is a means of empowerment.

22. More quotable quotes English is the most widely used lingua franca in the world. Speakers from all language groups who use ELF need to be able to make communicate with a high degree of intelligibility. This is also true for those NNSs who are using English in an English-medium environment. We have lots of evidence that intelligibility is a major factor in employment and rising up the corporate "ladder" once hired into a corporate (or academic, or other) environment. I find that those who vehemently argue against pronunciation instruction usually have no idea what it actually entails, and are ignorant of what really happens in the classroom. It has absolutely nothing to do with washing away someone's cultural identity, and everything to do with empowering immigrants to have a fighting chance in this tough economic climate. Learners' views cannot be ignored; they must be taken into consideration when designing language courses .

23. Sources of research support

24. Research support, continued

25. Research support, continued

26. Some conclusions NNESs encounter pronunciation challenges in their daily lives. They may not be aware of or able to articulate these challenges despite their awareness that they exist. They strongly desire a level of intelligibility that enables them to function effectively in work, community, and academic settings. They do not want to struggle to be understood. It’s our responsibility as ELT professionals to respect and respond to these concerns. “Pronunciation is the primary medium through which we bring our use of language to the attention of other people” (Stevick, 1978, p. 146).

27. Conclusions, continued • Students want pronunciation support for a variety of reasons. • Many believe that their interlocutors may feel negative attitudes toward the way they speak, which in turn makes them feel less confident. • Yet others feel negative attitudes and aren’t clear of the source. • Some individuals don’t feel confident when speaking English in professional situations. • Some individuals have had gaps in their learning opportunities and want to change this. Specifically, they may feel that they need more pronunciation support than they have already had. • Some individuals pursue pronunciation support purely for the pleasure of learning. 

28. Questions or comments? Donna M. Brinton Senior Lecturer Rossier School of Education University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA dbrinton@usc.edu

29. References Abercrombie, D. (1963). Problems and principles in language study (2nd ed).London, UK: Longman. Brinton, D. M., Goodwin, J., with Celce-Murcia, M.. (2006, December). World English, intelligibility, and pronunciation standards: What pronunciation specialists think. Speak Out!, 36,26-32. Brown, A. (1989). Some thoughts on intelligibility. The English Teacher, 18. Retrieved from http://www.melta.org.my/ET/1989/main4.html?PHPSESSID=b94b3abfb9cdaf2ce5490d2636d39722 Couper, G. (2000). The role of ESOL courses in migrant settlement: A tracer study to analyse learner needs retrospectively. (Master’s thesis, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia). Cenoz, J., & Lecumberri, L. G. (1999). The acquisition of English pronunciation: Learners’ views. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(1), 3-17.

30. References Derwing, T. M. (2003). What do ESL students say about their accents? Canadian Modern Language Review, 59, 545-564. Fraser, H. (2000) Coordinating improvements in pronunciation teaching for adult learners of English as a second language. Canberra, Australia: Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs. Gimson, A. C. (1980). An introduction to the pronunciation of English. London, UK:Edward Arnold. Jacobson, R. (1990). Codeswitching as a worldwide phenomenon. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Jenner, B. (1989). Teaching pronunciation: The common core. Speak Out!4, 2-4. Jenkins, J. (1996). Changing pronunciation priorities for successful communication in international contexts. Speak Out!17, 15-22. Jenkins, J. (2000). The phonology of English as an international language. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

31. References, continued Kanellou, V. (2001). A survey on the teaching of English to Greek students inThessaloniki, Greece: Pronunciation status, standards, errors and teaching. (Master’s thesis, Cardiff University, Wales, UK). Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an accent: Standard language ideology and language attitudes--Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States. New York, NY: Routledge. McKay, S. (2002). Teaching English as an international language: Rethinking goals and approaches. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Morley, J. (1994). A multi-dimensional curriculum design for speech-pronunciation instruction. In J. Morley (Ed.), Pronunciation pedagogy and theory (pp. 64-91). Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Peacock, M. (1999). Beliefs about language learning and their relationship to proficiency. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(2), 247-265 . Stevick, E. (1978). Toward a practical philosophy of pronunciation. TESOL Quarterly, 12, 145-150.

32. References, continued Walker, R. (2010). Teaching the pronunciation of English as a lingua franca. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Waniek-Klimczak, E., & Klimczak, K. (2005). Target in speech development: Learners’ views. In K. Dziubalska-Kolaczyk & J. Przedlacka (Eds.), Englishpronunciation models: A changing scene (pp. 229-250). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.