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FP005 – TEACHING PRONUNCIATION
ASSIGNMENT
General information
This assignment must be done in groups and has to fulfil the following conditions: ● Length: between 6 to 8 pages (without including cover, index or appendices –if there are any-). ● Font type: Arial or Times New Roman. ● Font size: 11. ● Spacing: 1.. ● Alignment: Justified. The assignment has to be written in this Word document and has to follow the instructions on quotes and references detailed in the Study Guide. Also, the assignment has to be submitted following the procedure specified in the document: “ Subject Evaluation ”. Sending it to the tutor’s e-mail is not allowed. It is strongly recommended to read the assessment criteria , which can be found in the document “ Subject Evaluation ”.
ASSIGNMENT Choose two problems of transfer which you consider to be obstacles to efficient communication. Those problems need to be specific to Spanish and English (that is, specific to Spanish speakers who are English learners). The problems can either be segmental or suprasegmental. FIRST, describe, as precisely as you can, the causes of the problems in phonetic or phonological terms. SECOND, explain and illustrate how these problems could be addressed within the usual framework of a language course - the level, age and type of student presumably being determined by the type of problem you have chosen. Nonetheless, you should consider the problems in terms of the three ’E’ variables, and with reference to Brinton’s five variables, mentioned in Chapter 9. Important: you have to write your personal details and the subject name on the next page (the cover). The assignment that does not fulfil these conditions will not be corrected. You have to include the assignment index below the cover.
Contents
- Introduction.........................................................................................................................
- Brinton’s five variables........................................................................................................
- Problems of Transfer..........................................................................................................
- Problem 1: “v” and “b”.........................................................................................................
- Exposure, Exercise and Explanation...............................................................................
- Brinton`s Variables..........................................................................................................
- Problem 2: Short and long vowel sounds...........................................................................
- Exposure, Exercise and Explanation.............................................................................
- Brinton`s Variables........................................................................................................
- Conclusion........................................................................................................................
- Bibliography......................................................................................................................
Introduction Effective English pronunciation is crucial for non-native English speakers as it facilitates clear communication, provides self-confidence, and enhances their language skills. However, many ESL students encounter phonetic problems that hinder their ability to articulate sounds accurately. Understanding the causes of these issues is essential in order to address them effectively in the process of teaching English pronunciation. It is a very important part of the English class, but it is still a complex topic for most English teachers as they lack confidence and training in the topic. Even the course books talk about it in a very superficial way. They usually focus on repetition of sentences (drills) and the presentation of some phonemes, but they give little attention to its connection to lexis which is essential for the learner to succeed in pronouncing words and sentences correctly and to be able to apply them into meaningful sentences. Correct pronunciation is crucial for accurate and effective communication. The way a person pronounces a word in a specific sentence conveys meaning and it also helps the listener to understand the message. When a speaker mispronounces a word or uses the incorrect stress it can easily produce misunderstandings and misinterpretation of the intended message. In order to reduce pronunciation problems in the classroom it is a good idea to state that there are two kinds of approaches concerning the teaching of pronunciation: segmental and suprasegmental. The former has to do with the practice of phoneme sounds in the words while the latter refers to stress and intonation. It is correct to say that the second one complements the first because speaking a language requires the speaker some conscious rhythm or as it is often called by linguists “speech melody”. Using the correct intonation is essential for good communication in any language. In this task, we will explore the three ‘E’ variables and refer to Brinton’s five variables, providing insights into the underlying factors that contribute to phonetic difficulties and offering potential strategies for improvement. By considering these variables, teachers can adopt a holistic approach to teach English pronunciation, integrating these factors into their instructional strategies and materials. Referring to native Spanish speakers learning English, one of the main problems that they encounter is pronunciation in terms of phonetics and phonology, since in both languages there are many differences and some sounds do not exist in Spanish, as well as the use of different position of the articulatory elements when producing these sounds. Another factor that affects the acquisition of native-like pronunciation is the lack of teaching sentence intonation when teaching grammar structures, thus, creating a wide
activities can have a great impact on a learner's engagement, comprehension, and ability to communicate in the real world. Problems of Transfer When it comes to teaching English pronunciation to Spanish-speaking students, at first glance one could say that it is not so difficult since both languages share a similar alphabet, with some exceptions such as the "ch", and the "ñ", some grammatical structures are similar, and some words are written the same way. However, it can be difficult regardless of the similarities as the sounds are very different and the stress of words is also very different. This makes the pronunciation of words complex even if the word is written in the same way in both languages. There are many differences or problems when it comes to this issue, but we have considered two that we believe are common to Spanish speakers and that have important influence in the communication skills of the speaker. Problem 1: “v” and “b” One of the problems that can be identified, and which is visible, is the difference between the "v" and the "b" sound. In Spanish this difference in terms of phonetics is not visible and does not affect understanding of the message. However, in English, not pronouncing these letters correctly affects understanding and meaning of the intended message, as not pronouncing them correctly could confuse the listener because of the different meaning they have. The letter "v" and the letter "b" are known as voiced stops which are directly related to the voiced fricatives [β, ð, ɣ], these two groups of sounds are parallel related since the places of articulation of the stops match exactly those of the fricatives. The following table illustrates this: Table 1 Voiced stops and fricatives in Spanish Stop Fricative
Bilabial [b] [β]
Dental [d] [ð]
Velar [g] [ɣ]
(https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/i.e.mackenzie/allophonr.htm) As can be seen in the table, there is no difference between voiced stops and its corresponding voiced fricative. A voiced stop and its corresponding fricative can be regarded as contextual variants or allophones of the same phoneme. In other words [b] and [β] are allophones of a single phoneme (conventionally represented as /b/). Spanish has one sound that corresponds to /v/ and /b/. There is no difference in the pronunciation of these consonants. This makes it very difficult for Spanish speakers to understand and even to perceive the difference between these two sounds. Another difficulty they encounter is the articulation of these sounds. The /v/ requires the upper teeth and the lower lip to create a frictionless airflow, it is a voiced labiodental fricative. On the other hand, the articulation of the /b/ requires the use of the upper and lower lips to create a complete closure and build up pressure behind the lips followed by a sudden release to produce the sound.
Exposure, Exercise and Explanation
Exposure to the language is of vital importance so that students can practice and improve the mistake or error mentioned above. Many students are only exposed to English during classes as they are in an EFL environment. This lack of exposure affects the student’s accent, pronunciation, listening comprehension, vocabulary development and fluency. Increasing their exposure to the language and providing them with adequate input will improve their oral skills in L2. Another aspect that can interfere with developing the correct pronunciation is the regional accent, a bottom-up approach is recommended so that students in small groups can work on pronunciation and pronunciation transcripts in a safe environment and without feeling overwhelmed with the symbols. Bottom-up strategies play an important role when it comes to teaching pronunciation. As said before, the difficulties in pronunciation are also related to articulatory factors. English pronunciation requires different tongue and lip positions which are unfamiliar or difficult to Spanish speakers. A possible solution for this would be to have students look at themselves in a mirror or their mobile phone. Have them exaggerate the difference in articulation between /b/, which requires you to close your lips, and /v/, where you put your upper teeth on your lower lip. Then students are asked to write dialogues using a minimum number of words containing /v/ and read them aloud to the class. Another idea is to have students dictate sentences containing /v/ to each other. If students feel
Lastly, considering the Methodological variables, it is important to implement a variety of methods and techniques. Including authentic listening materials (videos, recordings) will expose students to correct pronunciation. Problem 2: Short and long vowel sounds A segmental problem that Spanish learners of English encounter when studying English is learning and understanding the vowel system. Spanish has five vowel sounds, and the pronunciation is clear and consistent. There could be some variations due to different Spanish accents but in general the sounds are clear. On the other hand, English is considered to have 20 vowel sounds (FUNIBER, 2022, p8) and even this number could vary depending on regional accents and dialects. To make this difficulty even more demanding for Spanish learners of English, the pronunciation of English vowels can be modified depending on the stress and even surrounding consonants. When Spanish speakers start to learn the language, they tend to substitute the vowel sounds with the equivalent sounds in Spanish. This makes it a transfer problem. There is also an articulatory factor involved, as the physical movements that the articulatory organs have to make are different in both languages making it even more difficult for students to identify and recognize the different sounds of the vowels. In phonetic terms we can say that the students have difficulties recognizing and using individual units of words (sounds and phonemes). If we consider this problem from a phonological point of view, we can say that students present problems in productive contexts as they do not recognize the variations in length that the vowels can have and the change in meaning that it produces. Some examples to illustrate this difficulty and how the meaning will change accordingly to the pronunciation are: · bit (a small piece of something) vs. beat (to hit) · hat (a head covering) vs. hate (to dislike) · cot (a type of bed) vs. caught (to capture) · bitten (past tense of "bite") vs. beaten (past tense of "beat") · hit (to strike) vs. heat (high temperature) · mud (wet dirt) vs. mood (emotional state)
An effective way of addressing this problem and finding effective solutions for the students is following the three “E” variables. We need to consider that students in an EFL environment have limited exposure to the target language.
Exposure, Exercise and Explanation
Regarding Exposure, students need to be constantly exposed to examples of short and long vowel sounds. In a classroom environment this can be done by using authentic material, listening to songs, watching movies or programs in English. Give students enough opportunities to practice (Exercise) the different sounds, use listening exercises with minimal pairs, contrasting words, imitate the sounds, drills, repetition exercises, tongue twisters, pronunciation games and others. The Explanation stage will depend on the age of the students. For young students to use modelling, ask them to imitate the movements the teacher is doing with the mouth, lips, and tongue. Older students can benefit from explicit instruction and explanation of the articulatory features including tongue placement and airflow. To find viable solutions to this problem we need to consider several variables that affect the students.
Brinton`s Variables
Learner variables, we have reached to the conclusion that this problem is more related to the time the student has been receiving instruction in the language, as it is common at beginner level. It is predictable that Spanish speakers will present difficulties in recognizing short and long vowel sounds as they do not exist in Spanish. Age is certainly an important factor to consider when looking for solutions to the problem. The teacher will choose different activities depending on the age of the students. When working with very young and young learners the activities have to focus more on practice, repetition and exposure to the language. As the students’ age increases the explanation can be more formal and the teacher could consider using the International Phonetic Alphabet Chart to explain the difference between the vowel and consonant sounds. Other factors such as learning style and attitude towards English are also very important to consider when using the three “E” variables for pronunciation teaching. Setting variables will have a great impact on the learning process. Most students learning under EFL conditions will receive a specific number of English classes and these could easily be the only exposure they have to the target language. Other aspects to consider are classroom setting, number of students per class and language and cultural background. The teacher has to consider them in order to implement activities that can help students develop their language skills. Each institution will implement their own set of Institutional variables as they have a curriculum to develop, a methodology to use in classes and an assessment procedure. They will also have a scope and sequence in which the different contents will be taught.
Brinton`s five variables will offer an integral framework that will help the pronunciation development of the students as well as their communication skills.
Bibliography Avery, Peter, and Susan Ehrlich (2012) Teaching American English Pronunciation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brinton, D. (August 1995). Speak Out in IATEFL SIG 16. IH World. (n.d.). Pronunciation for Spanish speakers. IH Journal, (48). Retrieved from https://ihworld.com/ih-journal/issues/issue-48/pronunciation-for-spanish-speakers/ Krashen, S & Terrel, R. (1983). The Natural Approach - Language Acquisition in the Classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Institute. 90- Lewis, M. (1996). Pedagogical implications of the lexical approach. In J. Coady & T. Huckin (Eds.), Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A Rationale for Pedagogy (Cambridge Applied Linguistics, pp. 255-270). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139524643. Mackenzie, I. E. (n.d.). The allophonic rules of Spanish. Retrieved from https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/i.e.mackenzie/allophonr.htm Swan, Michael, and Bernard Smith (2001) Learner English. 2nd ed., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Teaching Pronunciation (2022) Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana. FUNIBER.
