How do teachers teach pronunciation of English in class?

041087 Appy Yamamoto

Introduction

When we learn a language, pronunciation is one of the most obvious differences between the target language and our own one. It’s also important to teach vocabulary, grammar, and practice conversation, but if the pronunciation is not correct to some extent, the listener cannot understand what the speaker said. As you know, especially, there is a big difference between English and Japanese pronunciation. So, how should be English pronunciation taught? I’d like to talk about teaching pronunciation in a class.

Research Question

1  It is said that Katakana English is bad. Why not?

2  What should teachers do to switch katakana pronunciation to correct pronunciation?

Why is Katakana pronunciation bad?

・Katakana English is not English, but Japanese.

・If we adjust katakana pronunciation, it may become difficult to listen and understand real pronunciation.

・If there are furigana written in Katakana on the alphabet, our eyes will be focused on it, so it delays the adaptation to real pronunciation.

In learning English, important things

Intonation

The way the voice goes up and down in pitch when we are speaking. Intonation gives us clues about the attitude of the speaker, or how feels about what she is saying. By intonation, we can get a good idea, for example; as to whether someone is interested, bored, being kind, being honest or lying, and so on.

Linking

In the course of study, three kinds linking are introduced. These are liaison, elision, and assimilation.

Liaison---two words are connecting

e.g. There is an apple on the table.

Take it easy.

Elision---the disappearance of a sound when two words are connecting.

e.g. What time is it now?

I don’t know.

Assimilation---how sounds modify each other when they meet, usually across word boundaries, but within words too, two words are connecting.

e.g. Would you tell me the way to the library?

He is a very good boy.

Stress

An extra force used when pronouncing a particular word or syllable. Each stressed syllable, in a word in isolation, also has a change in the pitch, or the level of the speaker’s voice, and the vowel sound in that syllable is lengthened. Stress can fall on the first, middle or last syllables of words, as is shown here:

Table1

ooo / ooo / ooo
SYLlabus
SUBstitute
TECHnical / enGAGEment
baNAna
phoNEtic / enginEER
kangaROO
underSTAND

(The syllables indicated in capitals are the stressed syllables.)

How do we teach them?

Intonation

Intonation patterns vary but certain general patterns prevail. General rules about intonation patterns are not meant to deny the regional and individual variation of authentic speech. Certainly, it is crucial to provide continued exposure to real speech for listening analysis so that students can be aware of the contextual meaning of intonation choices.

The example of intonation;

TED: Are you READy yet?

LEE: No, I need to call DAVE first.

TED: Why’s THAT?

LEE: Because HE’S the one who’s giving us a LIFT!

Linking

There are two sides to how teachable. On the one hand there is the likelihood of students being able to perceive the sound contrasts highlighted and put into practice the teaching they receive, and on the other there is the question of how confident the teacher is about being able to explain the issue being learnt.

Stress

Stress is the biggest difference between Japanese and English pronunciation. Each word in English has at least 1 stress, but in Japanese, there is not always stress. Teachers need to focus on the stress of each word and pronounce English words carefully and deliberately. While students may still need to look up the stress of an unfamiliar word in the dictionary, some basic rules like table 1 will aid them in understanding how the system of word stress can function in English.

Conclusion

While I study English, I can find many differences between Japanese and English. Especially, it’s not easy to be able to use the pronunciation system. Because of the existence of Katakana English, Japanese students tend to speak English in Katakana pronunciation, but it’s not real English pronunciation. Intonation, linking and stress are important things for students who study English, and if they notice the importance of these features, they can get out of the wrong sounds. To expose students to authentic pronunciation, teachers have to understand appropriate rules and teach them confidently.