Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker
Trinity Trainer, Spain
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
2. Discrimination
3. Production
• key considerations
• other IDEAS
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
1) Providing a model for imitation
a) By what means – the CD or your own voice?
b) How often + how fast?
c) Individual or choral responses?
d) Point or use names?
e) Model utterance every time?
f) What order?
g) Your position?
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
2. Some students want to know the meaning of some of
the vocabulary in a pronunciation exercise.
3. Your students want their books open while practising
pronunciation. Is that OK?
4. What should you do about mistakes? Should you
correct them every time and immediately?
5. What would you do with a student who fails to
pronounce something correctly even after various
attempts?
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
nose
alveolar ridge
hard palate
top teeth
top lip soft palate
blade back
tip
bottom teeth
bottom lip
jaw
throat
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
• O
• I • Often
O
• L • Integrated
I
• Little
L
Pronunciation Basics
1. Basic techniques
vocabulary
INTEGRATED
pronunciation
speaking
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
• sounds in contrast
• same-different / odd man-out
• classify
• initial / medial / final
• words / sentences
• teacher / pairs-groups
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
Sounds
in contrast
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
imPORtant I can SWIM
Stress
in contrast
IMpotent I CAN’T SWIM
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
Bowler & Cunningham
Headway Pronunciation
OUP
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
Mark Hanc
Pronunciation Games, C
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
Sounds in
contrast:
classifying sounds
Oxenden &
Latham-Koenig
English File, OUP
Pronunciation Basics
2. Discrimination
Maurer Smolder
Be Understood, CUP.
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
I – Imitate
D – Demonstrate
E – Explain
A – Associate
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
D – Demonstrate – consonants
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
D – Demonstrate – consonants
Easy pb m fv θð w
OK td tʃ dʒ sz ʃʒ r
Hard kg j h r
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
E – Explain Press your tonsils against the underside o
your larynx.
Then with the convex part of the septum
curved upwards so as almost but not quit
to reach the uvula, try with the tip of your
tongue to reach your thyroid.
Take a deep breath and compress your
glottis. Now, without opening your lips, sa
Garoo!
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (images)
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (colours)
green
red
purple
grey
brown
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (emotions)
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (emotions)
ɜː
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (humour)
/ɪ/ vs /iː/
shit sheet
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
A – Associate (weird)
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
S – Stimulate
• minimal pairs (words / sentences)
• tongue twisters
• spotlighted sounds
• games
• communication activities
• songs (ETp 43; egc web)
• recordings
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
S – Stimulate Mark Hanc
Pronunciation Games, C
Pronunciation Basics
3. Production
S – Stimulate
Maurer Smolder
Be Understood, CUP.
ark Hancock Pronunciation Basics
onunciation Games, CUP.
3. Production
S – Stimulate
Pronunciation Basics
4. Resources
Pronunciation Basics
4. Resources
Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker
robin@englishglobalcom.com
www.englishglobalcom.com
pearls from Listening is important –
Paul from awareness and
reception to production
Not just ‘slots’ but
Offer realistic language samples
integrated into all you do to your students, i.e. as if in the
middle of a conversation rather
than trying to speak ‘properly’
Talk about it (in L1) or in too distorted a way.
to share and discuss
pronunciation
expectations &
priorities, reactions
and ‘rejections’ with Include aspects of pronunciation in your evaluation? If you
your children, etc. don’t, it’s hard for you, your children, or anybody to take it
seriously. Think about including from 10-20% continuous
evaluation marks for children’s pronunciation performance?
pearls from Teaching words in pairs – shoes and
socks, lions and tigers, jelly and ice-
Paul cream – rather than in isolation, so
they get used to stressing and
reducing.
Model new words in context in a
short phrase or typical sentence
with natural stress rather than Do the same for any words /
isolation, e.g. give nouns + phrases which children regularly
article, i.e. ‘a doll’, ‘an ice lolly’, have pronunciation problems with.
not just ‘doll’ or ‘ice lolly’
Keep your pronunciation antennae alert at all times! Be on the look out for words
with similar sounds or which rhyme/have similar stress patterns. Try to keep
pictures and/or written words in groups in different collection containers around the
room, e.g. bags, boxes, envelopes pinned to a board. Pull them out from time to time
to practise them. For example, a child pulls three items from a bag, box or envelope
for the class, a partner or the child him/herself to say.
Pronunciation Basics
Robin Walker
robin@englishglobalcom.com
www.englishglobalcom.com
