CHAPTER 7
Teaching Consonants and
Vowels
In this chapter
In this chapter we’re going to look at some ways to introduce
and practice consonant and vowel sounds—alone, in words,
in sentences, and in speaking. Examples of some of the
activities are at the end of this chapter. Ways of practicing
other pronunciation skills, emphasizing suprasegmental
features such as intonation, stress, and rhythm, are in
Chapter 13, “Teaching the Musical Aspects of Pronunciation.”
Planning a lesson
In many traditional classrooms, learning pronunciation has
meant mainly repeating words and sentences after the
teacher or a recording. But “repeat after me” is not enough to
help students achieve clear pronunciation. Students need help
in learning to notice how the sounds are pronounced and to
understand them when they hear them. They also need to
practice using new sounds in context and eventually use them
in communicative activities too. As a teacher, you’ll need to
plan a sequence of activities to lead students through the
whole process of mastering a new sound, beginning with
hearing and trying it out for the !rst time and continuing
through practicing it in several ways, from simple to more
complex.When you’re planning a practice sequence, you need to think
about more than just what you are going to do as the teacher.
You should also think about it from the students’ point of
view: How will they notice and begin to understand the new
sounds? What will they be doing to help them master the
sounds? How will they experience and practice using them?
Will they understand your presentation easily? Will they feel
interested and engaged?Steps in practicing a new sound
Celce-Murcia et al. (2010) recommend using a communicative
framework for teaching pronunciation, with a series of steps
building toward using the new sounds in realistic
communication. They suggest these steps in introducing and
practicing a new sound or sound contrast:
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