Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

pictures, or simple explanations, then there’s no need for
technical language.

If the students are adults, though, the situation is a little
di"erent. Some adults, especially those who enjoy analytical
thinking or perhaps have a scienti!c or medical background,
appreciate knowing the “o#cial” names of things. Others
!nd technical language confusing or burdensome—just one
more obstacle that’s preventing them from reaching their
language-learning goals. If you get to know your adult
students and their backgrounds and preferences, you’ll have a
better idea of how much technical language to use.

For students of any age, it’s more important for them to feel
and understand what’s happening inside their mouths when
they pronounce a sound than to remember technical terms.
Knowledge about the articulatory system and categories of
sounds is a tool to help students reach their pronunciation
goals, not a goal in itself.

It’s often helpful to introduce and practice some classroom
English expressions that you and your students can use in
talking about pronunciation. For example:

• How do you pronounce ——?


• How many syllables does —— have?
  
  
  • Which syllable has the stress? Which syllable is stressed?
    Where is the stress?
  
  
  • Does the intonation go up or down?
    If you take the time to introduce and practice these
    expressions, students will have an easier time talking about
    pronunciation during class.
  
  
  
  

Should you use phonemic symbols in

teaching?

A related question is whether you should use a phonemic

alphabet in teaching pronunciation. Again, it depends on

your students. For some students it’s valuable, but for others

it’s confusing and scary. You’ll need to think about your

students—their age, expectations, and learning styles—before

making this decision. Here are some things to think about:

Age: Young children who are just learning to read and write

in their own language will probably just be confused if we

ask them to learn not only the regular English alphabet, but

also a set of phonemic symbols. For children, it’s better to use

other ways of reminding them of sounds, such as gestures,

key words for each sound, colors, or pictures of animals or

objects that contain the sounds.

Teenagers and adults, on the other hand, are mentally more

mature and better able to handle a new system of abstract

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