Teaching Pronunciation from Native / Non-native Teachers’ Point of View Mila Angelova AVO-Bell School of English, Sofia, Bulgaria

Aims of the session: To become aware of the difficulties teachers experience when teaching pronunciationTo become aware of the difficulties teachers experience when teaching pronunciation To reflect on the reasons why teachers avoid teaching pronunciationTo reflect on the reasons why teachers avoid teaching pronunciation To realise that teaching pronunciation is not only native speakers’ domainTo realise that teaching pronunciation is not only native speakers’ domain To become more aware of our own attitudes to teaching pronunciationTo become more aware of our own attitudes to teaching pronunciation

Opinions differ Mark each of these statements before and after the session. Mark each statement: V if you agree X if you disagree ? if you are undecided V if you agree X if you disagree ? if you are undecided 1.Teachers should always speak at a natural speed. 1.Teachers should always speak at a natural speed. 2.Choral pronunciation is useful for all classes. 2.Choral pronunciation is useful for all classes. 3.Students need to know phonetics. 3.Students need to know phonetics. 4.“I never say ‘Good’ about a student’s pronunciation unless it is good.” 4.“I never say ‘Good’ about a student’s pronunciation unless it is good.” 5.Students should learn RP pronunciation. 5.Students should learn RP pronunciation. 6.Consistency is as important as accuracy for students’ pronunciation. 6.Consistency is as important as accuracy for students’ pronunciation. 7.Stress and intonation are not important in beginners’ courses. 7.Stress and intonation are not important in beginners’ courses. 8.Stress, pitch and intonation are best shown with your hands. 8.Stress, pitch and intonation are best shown with your hands. 9.Stress is sometimes as important as grammar. 10.Bad intonation can lead to important misunderstandings. 10.Bad intonation can lead to important misunderstandings. From ‘Practical Techniques for Language Teaching’, M. Lewis and J. Hill, LTP

WHY TEACH PRONUNCIATION  Neglected area – CBs, teachers and even syllabuses seem to omit it  Some common misconceptions about teaching pronunciation 1. It’s not important 2. It should come naturally at a later stage of language learning 3. We should bother about conveying the message not about pronunciation 4. Non-native speakers can’t teach correct pronunciation 5. Pronunciation is not taught, it’s picked up. 6. It should be dealt with a higher, more advanced level  Both native and non-native teachers experience problems when having to teach it

How to make your tongue twister She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter. What time does the wrist-watch-strap shop shut? Are our oars oak? Write a person’s nameWrite a person’s name What did s/he do?What did s/he do? Where?Where? When?When? Why?Why? e.g. Bob bought a bike in Bali on his birthday because he was bored.

Troubleshooting 1 Problems experienced by non-native speakers  Lack of confidence to teach pronunciation  Lack of confidence to teach pronunciation  “Poor” / unauthentic model of the target language  “Poor” / unauthentic model of the target language  Mother-tongue (L1) interference  Mother-tongue (L1) interference  Underestimating the importance of teaching pronunciation  Underestimating the importance of teaching pronunciation  Pronunciation seen as a peripheral skill acquired at a later/ more advanced stage  Pronunciation seen as a peripheral skill acquired at a later/ more advanced stage  Limited range of techniques and activities to teach pronunciation  Limited range of techniques and activities to teach pronunciation  Course books do not provide enough activities and opportunities for pronunciation practice

Troubleshooting 2 Problems experienced by native speakers Problems experienced by native speakers  Phonemic script is unfamiliar to them  Unaware of the difficulties their learners experience with L2 pronunciation  Occasionally have no background in the theory of phonetics – scared to teach pronunciation as a result  Have a limited range of techniques / activities for teaching pronunciation  Focus on getting the meaning across rather than on correct pronunciation

Practicalities 1 At what levels are pronunciation problems likely to arise? at sound levelat sound level at word levelat word level at connected speech levelat connected speech level

Hidden Names

Phonetic Code

Syllable Soup

Cluster Busters

Dictation Computer

And finally….. Thank you for your participation! Thank you for your participation!