Understanding pronunciation variations facing esl students. Teaching pronunciation should still be a part of a teachers approach. Youll be able to recognize the most common issues students have with pronunciation and how to target and fix these issues early. Common pitfalls encountered when teaching pronunciation. Esl pronunciation activities to help with teaching pronunciation. Teaching english pronunciation is a challenging task with different objectives at each level. This guide on how to teach pronunciation provides a short overview of the main issues to be addressed at each level, as well as pointing to resources on the site, such as lesson plans and activities, that you can use in class to help your students improve their english pronunciation skills. Others may stumble but not you or hiccough, thorough laugh and through. Pronunciation worksheets esl worksheets englishclub.
The study in order to examine the significance of teaching english pronunciation to iranian students, a 38item questionnaire. It makes learning the phonetic alphabet, which is so important for esl students, more enjoyable. Learning the basics of pronunciation through phonics, students will not only learn to speak comfortably, but also will improve their listening comprehension. Is it because we dont need to teach pronunciation or because it cannot be taught. Teaching pronunciation to adult english language learners. The significance of pronunciation in english language teaching. In this lesson, we will provide activity ideas to teach pronunciation to students of.
Six readytogo sets of pdf worksheets that help preintermediate learners recognize syllables and understand their role in english pronunciation. It comes with three sets of cards at three levels of difficulty, so it can be played with students of any level from elementary to advanced. Some sounds rarely occur in other languages, so clearly explain how students should use their lips and tongues to form unfamiliar sounds. When esl teachers defend the poor pronunciation skills of their students, their arguments could either. Mar 09, 2017 teaching pronunciation to adults march 9, 2017 leave a comment one of the most important things for your students to get right, and one of the primary reasons that tefl nomads exist, is pronunciation. An action research study of pronunciation training, language. An action research study of pronunciation training, language learning strategies and. Full color flashcards for grammarvocabulary teaching.
Word stress worksheets games and other activities to help students. Kirsten schaetzel, georgetown law center, washington, dc. With that in mind, lets take a look at some fun activities you can use to better teach pronunciation to your students. Nov 22, 2015 pronunciation game ed this is a game designed for students to identify and practise the pronunciation of ed in the past simplepast participle forms of regular verbs. Action research study of pronunciation training, language learning strategies and speaking confidence, is no more than 60,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, references and footnotes. Some people advocate the use of the international phonetic alphabet ipa, but a problem with that system is that very few students know it and you can spend an inordinate amount of time teaching it to them. English esl ed pronunciation worksheets most downloaded.
This form of pronunciation teaching happens in an extemporaneous. This article speaks about the importance of teaching pronunciation, or accent reduction, to all esl students, and includes ideas for lesson plans. English pronunciation can be tricky, especially for esl english as a sec ond language learners. No matter what level your students are, what theme you want to use in your lesson, or what kinds of pronunciation exercises you want to organize, weve got worksheets to fit the bill. Both teachers and students recognize this, but pronunciation is often not taught. The authors cover how recent research has changed ideas about pronunciation and its importance in the role of nonnative speakers of english, primarily that teachers need to learn guiding principles of pronunciation and teach them in the classroom.
Not surprisingly, pronunciation instruction plays a significant role in the teaching of english as a sec ond language esl jahan, 2011. Our goal in teaching pronunciation is not to rid learners of their own accents and distinctive ways of speaking. Therefore, in my opinion, teaching adult esl students english pronunciation from the beginning should be treated equally with speaking, listening, reading and writing. While there are many textbooks and instruction manuals available, as well as books on the theories and methodologies of language teaching there is comparatively little on learning pronunciation. The 2nd pronunciation in second language learning and teaching conference was held at iowa state university on september 1011, 2010 with the goal of exploring some of these questions. Thats okayesl students with a great grasp on english pronunciation are hard. English esl ed pronunciation worksheets most downloaded 34. The importance of phonetics and phonology in the teaching. Pronunciation is a really important part of teaching esl. It deemphasized pronunciation in favor of grammar and vocabulary because 1 nativelike pronunciation was an unrealistic objective and could not be achieved scovel, 1969. Whatever your approach, has 230 pronunciation worksheets to back you up. This study is a threecycled action research aimed at enhancing efl students pronunciation by using the explicit teaching. Teach english abroad with international tefl academy.
Pdf the significance of pronunciation in english language. To begin with, teachers often find that they do not have enough time in class to give proper attention to this aspect of english instruction. Eslefl, including the area of pronunciation teaching. This was a particular problem when i was teaching in the uk, where some of my students were reluctant to speak to people in the streets when we did tasks such as. But if students need or want to speak english understandably, pronunciation is. English language instruction in china is often teacher centered, with the instructor lecturing and students taking notes. Be prepared with tips from busyteachers experts, esl professionals who have taught learners at every level all over the world.
This resource combines research on, rationale for teaching, and teaching activities for pronunciation in a clear and straightforward manner. Ultimately, the goal is for your students to speak so they can be understood by native english speakers. In my own experience as a university student i studied the rules for stressing words and i practiced stressing the most common words then i verified them in my dictionary. In sudan, there is a large number of intere sted groups in the subject. Teaching pronunciation skills in the esl classroom. As english has become more and more internationalized many have stepped away from pronunciation with an attitude of taking whatever the student says and trying to decipher it. Chinese, korean, or khmer students have some consistent pronunciation problems, but they can make themselves understood. In many english language classrooms, teaching pronunciation is granted the least attention. Teaching efl pronunciation how to teach efl pronunciation. Here are some top tips for teaching pronunciation to esl students. English pronunciation pronunciation for esl learners guides to word and sentence stress, linking, pronunciation of ed and the, and other topics.
A handbook for teachers and trainers three frameworks for an integrated. This paper looks at the ways in which vocabulary is taught and in particular what the important learning points esl students should know in order to understand new vocabulary words. Teaching pronunciation tesol international association. Pdf tasks for teaching pronunciation to beginners researchgate. Pronunciation comes under the heading of three of the four areas of language teaching. Teaching vocabulary to esl students by robert mcbain. English may be one of the most difficult languages in the world to pronounce. And now you wish perhaps to learn of these familiar traps. And while the number of syllables in a word is usually obvious to a native speaker of english. Ee ling low, national institute of education, nanyang technological university, singapore. English pronunciation teaching strategies or techniques are available to teachers in the classroom. Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Some techniques for teaching pronunciation david f. Many english as a second language esl or english as a foreign language efl teachers can understand their students speech when people in the wider world.
Brief teaching pronunciation to adult english language. Brief teaching pronunciation to adult english language learners. Pdf on dec 1, 2011, heyad al tuhafi and others published teaching english pronunciation to nonenglish. Many teachers begin english pronunciation practice as they introduce vocabulary. In other words, during the course of teaching, it becomes apparent that the students need help with pronunciation and the teacher provides assistance. Tips from the experts on teaching perfect pronunciation to every student. This site does not pretend to teach teachers how and when to work on pronunciation in the class. Practical pronunciation worksheets for the esl teacher.
Esl teachers walk a fine line when addressing pronunciation issues of english. Teaching english pronunciation is an area of language teaching that many english teachers avoid. A collection of english esl worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about ed, pronunciation, ed pronunc. Pdf icon syllables worksheets activities that help learners recognize syllables and. In english, we do not accentuate every syllable in a word, we accentuate only one syllable. Many teachers say theres just not enough time to teach pronunciation. However, there are many barriers that hinder them to speak with good english pronunciation. Pronunciation is one of the most difficult areas of teaching esl. Center for applied linguistics 4646 40th street nw. Unfortunately, for students with a mother tongue that bears no resemblance to english, this actually makes comprehension more difficult. Some of them find english pronunciation to be very challenging.
Many english as a sec ond language esl or english as a foreign language efl teachers can understand their students speech when people in the wider world cant. A syllable is most simply explained as something with a vowel sound at its center. Pronunciation often gets pushed to the bottom of the list. So, esl pronunciation worksheets are only as useful as the activities you provide your students to complete along with the worksheet. Baker and murphy 2011 found that eslefl training programs. This contention was justified by gilakjani 2011, who conducted a study about the importance of pronunciation in english language teaching and discussed the greenhorns with good english. Research was presented that concerned not only english pronunciation, but also spanish, french. Learning and understanding english language pronunciation is essential for esl students. The guidebook is meant to be a tool for the teachers of chinese speaking esl students. Introduction pronunciation is the most important skill of spoken english as cited in gilakjani, 2011. The importance of phonetics and phonology in the teaching of pronunciation. When studying and teaching pronunciation, you will need to learn to use a respelling system to help students get the feel of the language. However, clarity in communication is the most important goal and learners accents can sometimes be an obstacle to comprehension. But if students need or want to speak english understandably, pronunciation is important.
Teaching pronunciation skills in the esl classroom youtube. The hows and whys of teaching pronunciation teaching. Syllables worksheets activities that help learners recognize syllables and understand their role in pronunciation. It is often the focus of speaking or listening exercises but you can even include pronunciati. It also discusses various ideas of how teachers could teach. Some techniques for teaching pronunciation detailed instructions for two pronunciation activities. Pronunciation instruction in perspective 1 the history and scope of pronunciation teaching 2 what research reveals about pronunciation ii.
There are many aspects of pronunciation that an esl teacher needs to consider. Teachers often do not feel qualified to teach pronunciation due to insufficient training in this area. Apr 25, 2019 english pronunciation can be tricky, especially for esl english as a sec ond language learners. Pronunciation teaching exercises and ideas for english language. Pronunciation activities practical activities to help. Oct 21, 2010 pronunciation is always a problem for asian students, but in my experience, having taught in a number of asian countries, the thais and vietnamese seem to have the most problems with pronunciation.
Top 10 tips for teaching pronunciation in esl classes. Teaching good pronunciation skills in english is not the same thing as eradicating a first language influenced accent. Proper pronunciation is an essential skill for esl students to develop so they can communicate effectively. Teaching pronunciation involves a variety of challenges. How to teach pronunciation 5 tips for esl teachers. Pdf icon syllables worksheets activities that help learners. Rhyming pair game kate joyce, british council this activity is a pronunciation and memory game. Pronunciation is often a forgotten skill in the esl classroom. Pronunciation exercises sound, stress, intonation hints on pronunciation for foreigners i take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough. Pdf teaching english pronunciation to nonenglish speakers 2011.
For example, pronunciation could no longer be taught merely as a set of rules but instead as part of an overall system of communication. Derwing, munro and wiebe 1997 conducted a study that thirteen adult students of english as a sec ond language esl enrolled in a speaking improvement. Introduction the teaching of pronunciation has witnessed remarkable changes. How to teach pronunciation to esl students is not its main focus, but it does offer some materials for teachers to use when they decide some pronunciation work is necessary. I have regularly taught advanced students who are extremely competent speakers, have a very wide vocabulary and a good knowledge of grammatical structures, but who have trouble understanding when native speakers produce fast speech. Esl pronunciation activities should be fun and have natural components of excitement for your students such as games, challenges, brainteaser riddles, tongue twisters, interactive tutorials and more. Teaching english pronunciation to vietnamese students.
In addition, their own language learning background, teaching experience and work with other teachers influence their approach to pronunciation. It works best if you split the class into small groups. This is, however, only true if the teacher knows the fundamentals of teaching pronunciation to their students. When they do find the time to address pronunciation, the instruction often amounts to the presentation and practice of a. Start by introducing how to pronounce english vowels and consonants. Esl pronunciation activities should be fun and have natural components of excitement for your studentssuch as games, challenges, brainteaser riddles, tongue twisters, interactive tutorials and more. How to teach english pronunciation with pictures wikihow. Attempting to give rules or principles to help students understand the structure of english pronunciation. Review of teaching pronunciation theory for ells butlerpascoe and wiburg, 2003 eslefl pedagogical theory applies for pronunciation instruction.
This can be done with students working alone or in groups or even as part of a class pronunciation practice game. Students look at an image of a phoneme and then try to find the same phoneme in one of the following words. Esl students and challenges with pronunciation educational. This is the way many textbooks advise to teach pronunciation. An overview 3 the consonant system 4 the vowel system 5 stress, rhythm, and connected speech 6 prominence and intonation iii. Word stress worksheets games and other activities to help students with word stress. Practical activities to help students with english pronunciation. Some sounds rarely occur in other languages, so clearly explain how. Notes on teaching english pronunciation to efl learners. Teaching esl pronunciation is always an important aspect of esl courses.
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that. There are lots of games and activities you can use to teach this topic. Dalton some techniques for teaching pronunciation tesltefl. English books in libraries, and some othe r teaching devices, such as videoplayers, computers, dvd players, and the like seem to be of great use and help in teaching english, especially in early intermediate classes. Having a teacher who has mastered english pronunciation, whether because they are a native speaker or have been studying english that long, in the classroom is a great tool for students. Materials to aid esl teachers teach pronunciation and. Specific american english pronunciation challenges for ells.
As english teaching has moved to language functions and. But every esl teacher should make pronunciation instruction a part of their class. Esl english as a sec ond language l2 second language efl english as a foreign language. Pronunciation activities practical activities to help students with. Students often think it isnt that importantafter all, it wont be tested on their college entrance exams. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken english, not to mention the way we often slur words and phrases together in casual speech. Pronunciation activities practical activities to help students with english pronunciation. The importance of teaching pronunciation lincs community. Teaching pronunciation to adults tefl teaching tefl tales. Oral production will begin when students feel safe and confident enough to.
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