Pronunciation: Incorporating it into your lesson TEAM Workshop Teaching ESL for excellence 2 April 2011

Fluency: Linking of Consonant & Vowel Sounds one evening  o neevening a serious accident  a seriou saccident the exact opposite  the exac topposite

Fluency: Linking between consonant sounds a warm breeze I’ve seen it starting tomorrow stop now heard tell make bread /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/ + /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/ OR /m/, /n/ No air is released  smooth change to the second sound No break between the sounds

Fluency: Same consonant sounds some milk glorious sunshine it’s half full One lengthened consonant sound is made

Fluency: Vowel Sound + Vowel Sound who is it? go away can you see it? it’s completely empty /w/ /j/ /u:/, /a ℧ /, / Ə ℧ /  /w/ /i:/, /ei/, /ai/, / Ɔ i/  /j/

Fluency: Contracted forms had, would  ‘d (It’d be wonderful.) Is, had  ‘s (She’s left.) Have  ‘ve (I could’ve gone.) Are  ‘re (We’re winning.)

Fluency: Ellipsis & ‘Near Ellipsis’ I’m not sure.  Not sure. / ‘m not sure. It’s really hot.  Really hot / ‘s really hot. Is that Ken?  That Ken? / ‘s that Ken? Have you seen my keys?  Seen my keys? / v’y seen my keys?

Fluency: Leaving Out Consonant Sounds an old car I changed clothes Can you find Mark? ask him. Did you meet her? almost already a bottle of water a waste of time

Fluency: Words that lose a syllable average happening considerable history carefully family national personal government vegetable

So… How can you incorporate and teach these aspects of pronunciation into your class?

In class… Choose one aspect of pronunciation (fluency, stress, intonation, weak forms, phrasing, etc) Highlight as you teach dialogues/conversations Students read a text/conversation and highlight themselves

Highlight aspects of pronunciation related to fluency in this short dialogue A:What sort of car are you planning to buy? B: I was thinking of a buying second-hand car from this car yard. But because I don’t know anything about cars, I paid for the RACQ to inspect it. And they found all kinds of things wrong, so, of course, I did not buy it.

Highlight aspects of pronunciation related to fluency in this short dialogue A:What_sort of car are you planning_to buy? B: I was_thinking of buying a second-hand car from_this_car yard. But because I don’t know anything about cars, I paid_for the RACQ to inspect it. And they found all kinds of things_wrong, so, of course, I didn’t buy it. /j/

Examples taken from: English Pronunciation in Use: Advanced Martin Hewings Cambridge University Press, 2007.