ESL PRONUNCIATION WORKSHOP
Winter 2014 Inservice
Bonnie Blakley
January 17, 2014
1. Differing opinions about teaching pronunciation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg0fmaCSDPg
(German Coast Guard)
2.
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Why should I teach it?
Gives students a choice
Increases student comprehensibility and confidence
Helps students understand each other
Increases students’ opportunities in the USA
Eases assimilation
Students request it
Increases their own understanding
Develops their audio discrimination
3. When should I teach it?
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Regularly as a topic
Embedded in other lessons
4. What I’ve learned after 30 years of doing this: The most important things are:
1. Becoming aware of what we do with our mouth and tongue when we speak: Discuss this with
students.
2. Muscle usage – or lack thereof – relax the mouth for English
3. Intonation: Jump up and step down
4. Dedicated practice: Explain the value and need for dedicated practice to students.
5. For the long e sound – move the jaw slightly!
5. Tools and Techniques
Vowel sound chart – to practice all vowel sounds
you see it
say yes
fat bird
bus stop
two books
show the boss
hi cowboy
Paragraph with all English sounds
Please call Stella. Ask her to bring these things with
her from the store: Six scoops of fresh snow peas, five
thick slabs of blue cheese, and maybe a snack for her
brother Bob. We also need small plastic spoons, a big
toy frog and a red rubber snake for the kids. She can put
these things into three bags, and we will go meet her Wednesday at the train station.
Present and practice schwa – relaxing the mouth (super important)
To pronounce the schwa sound:
mouth open a little
tongue low in the middle of the mouth
Repeat:
ә.....ә.....ә.....ә.....ә
about, ago
agent, the
easily, happily
connect, bottom
focus, faithful
television, patient
Websites – for reference (research) and the University of Iowa site for seeing the inside of the mouth:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/
especially good for d and g
tongue exercises while holding jaw steady– ah, eee
practice moving jaw while pronouncing vowels (long e, o, i, a)
Drawings – to show tongue position
Transparencies – to show tongue position and movement
Strips of paper – to “puff” the “p” or the “wh”
Straws – for tongue position for “l, r, n”
Mirrors and CDs – to show position of lips, tongue and teeth
and mouth movement
Silent repeating – to show position of lips and tongue
B
V
best
berry
beer
W
vest
very
veer
west
wary
we’re
The McGurk effect to demonstrate the importance of visual cues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-lN8vWm3m0
Rubber bands – to help students stretch sounds
Feel throat – to find out if a sound is voiced or unvoiced
(for teaching “ed” endings)
Feel under mouth – to feel if muscles are tense or relaxed (for teaching short sounds)
Feel lips/around mouth – to relax mouth for English intonation
Visual of “jump up, step down” intonation
My
I’m
name
is
Hi!
from
_____
_____.
_____
_____.
(not)
I’m
I’m
a
mar______
ried.
_______.
_____
I
have
children.
spare
In
like
time
my
to
I
_____.
Hand movements – to show pitch for intonation
Nonsense sentences – to improve intonation
podcast: musical language
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91512-musical-language/
Try The McGurk Effect! - Horizon: Is Seeing Believing? - BBC Two