Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

Learn to listen. Of course you might say, “I already know
how to listen. I do it all the time.” But to improve your
pronunciation, you need to take listening to a whole new
level—to hear all the details of the individual sounds and the
whole music of pronunciation without the “!lter” of your
own language. When you listen to a sound, don’t just think,
“Oh, that’s an /l/ sound.” Ask yourself what kind of /l/ it is.
Is your tongue up close to your teeth, or farther back? Is your
tongue tip $at against the roof of your mouth, or more
upright with just the tip touching? There are in!nite

variations of sounds, and after a while, you’ll start to hear

things that you’ve never noticed before.

Listen intensively. Choose a scene from a favorite movie

or TV program on DVD or a short video clip from YouTube.

Start with a recording that’s slow and clear, like those on the

VOA Special English (http://learningenglish.voanews.com/).

It helps if you can also !nd or create a transcript for the clip.

Listen to the clip once or twice, following along with the

transcript. Underline words that contain the sounds you want

to practice. Mark pauses, intonation, and linking. Listen again

many times, paying special attention to the words or other

things you’ve marked.

Listen to the clip again and again. This will help the sounds

of the language become ingrained in your mind. Try to say

the dialog along with the characters. Repeat the words

exactly the way the speakers said them. Sometimes this might

give you a funny feeling, as if you’re mocking or making fun

of the speakers, but for your purpose, that’s OK. The speakers

can’t hear you anyway.

As you practice, the sounds and melodies of English should

start to sound and feel clearer and more distinguishable.

They’ll gradually work their way into your consciousness so

that you can hear and say them more accurately. You’ll start

203

This is an excerpt from a panel discussion held at UCI Extension in

July, 2010. The speaker is Sa/neh Tahmassebi, a long-time ESL

and TEFL instructor at UCI Extension. Her native language is Farsi.

VIDEO CLIP: DON’T WAIT FOR A MIRACLE.