Teaching Pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation Group: 18 Members: 林美瑜張雅淳彭郁葳潘婉蓉

Controlled practice • If the teachers highlight only the more tangible elements, such as vocabulary and grammar (or even the individual pronunciation of sounds and words), they neglect an important aspect of communicating meaning: the stress and intonation patterns of each phrase. In fact, prominence and intonation are key element used by native speakers to comprehend an utterance or conversation. Look at an example that might occur in a beginning text:

Nancy: Hi! My name is Nancy. • Bob: HI, Nancy. I’m Bob. • Nancy: Where are you from, Bob? • Bob: I’m from Madison. What about you? • Nancy: I’m from New York.

Both prominence and intonation should be visually high-lighted for the learner. This can be done by superimposing intonation contours over the written text.

The intonation of tag questions is sometimes puzzling students because two different possible exist. To help clarify this for students, begin by practicing dialogues with tag questions in which ambiguity is removed by the context:

Focused review of intonation patterns can be achieved using simple teacher-written dialogues.

An important function of wh-questions is to ask for repetition or clarification. When teaching this function, you can have students practice sequences such as the following while pointing out that the wh-word rises in pitch and the repeated element assumes prominence and is usually accompanied by stronger stress:

There is another controlled practice technique. To begin, learners read over the written text of a speech sample several times making sure that they understand it well. Then learners listen to the tape more than once. Using a two-track tape system, learners record their voice while reading along with the speaker trying to maintain the same speed, rhythm, stress, and intonation. Finally, learners can play back the two simultaneous recordings and compare them.

Guided Practice • Does the road wind uphill all the way? • Yes, to the very end. • Will the day’s journey take the whole long day? • From morn to night, my friend. • But is there for the night a resting-place? • A roof for when the slow dark hours being. • May not the darkness hide it form my face? • You cannot miss that inn.

Communicative practice (p.200) Is it a kitchen?

Is it a living room?

Is there a sofa in the living room?

Is there a pillow on the sofa?

Thank you for listening.

Teaching Pronunciation