Teaching Pronunciation China Teachers Workshop Lynn Henrichsen Pronunciation

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Teaching Pronunciation China Teachers Workshop Lynn Henrichsen

Teaching Pronunciation China Teachers Workshop Lynn Henrichsen

Pronunciation teaching in China • Unlikely that you will teach an entire course on

Pronunciation teaching in China • Unlikely that you will teach an entire course on pronunciation • HIGHLY likely (unavoidable) that you will teach pronunciation in one way or another – Unplanned (impromptu, spur of the moment) – Planned (prepared in advance)

Unplanned, impromptu, spur of the moment, teaching of pronunciation • Teacher… – Notices problem

Unplanned, impromptu, spur of the moment, teaching of pronunciation • Teacher… – Notices problem (real problem, not just different dialect) – Decides to focus on it, correct it. (a real problem, not dialect; note pattern of occurrence, frequency. Balance need to correct against possible reduction in confidence. ) (Alternative: Takes notes in order to focus on it later) – Models correct pronunciation in a word (or sentence) – Has students repeat (repetition drill) and students imitate. – Provides additional explanation if necessary. – Then goes back to whatever he/she was doing before.

Drawbacks to this approach: • Listen and repeat doesn’t always work • Students may

Drawbacks to this approach: • Listen and repeat doesn’t always work • Students may pronounce the difficult word correctly when focusing on it, but not later, when their attention turns to something else. (no “carryover”)

Reality: Pronunciation improvement takes time and sustained effort • One key=Listening discrimination – Important

Reality: Pronunciation improvement takes time and sustained effort • One key=Listening discrimination – Important to help students hear the difference in sounds so they can MONITOR THEMSELVES (both in and out of class) – Idea: PVC “telephone” for hearing self in noise room – China DVD Misc Class Clips: Pronunciation; Welty “Mouth Exercises” • Remind them of need to take responsibility for their own improvement and practice and selfmonitor out of class also.

What if students can’t even HEAR the difference between sounds/words? 1. Use another sensory

What if students can’t even HEAR the difference between sounds/words? 1. Use another sensory channel to increase students’ awareness of their pronunciation (Packet page 9. B. 1 -2) Freeze and inhale (front and back vowels: [i] vs. [u]) Tips of fingers on cheeks, lips (spread and rounded vowels: [i] vs. [u]) Small mirror (tongue and teeth, lip rounding: [θ] vs. [ð], [i] vs. [u] Finger in front of teeth Fingertips on throat or finger in ear (voiced/voiceless: [s] vs. [z]) Pen or pencil between teeth (l, n, r) Small strip of paper (or lighted match) in front of mouth (aspiration: [p] vs. [b]) – Clap hands or tap table (rhythm) – Stretch a rubber band (syllable lengthening – Hum or play a kazoo (intonation) – – – –

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 2. Use a phonetic, articulatory explanation BUT… Beware

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 2. Use a phonetic, articulatory explanation BUT… Beware of spurious phonological explanations Access resources at www. pronunciationmatters. com Phonological explanations Diagnostic tools etc.

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 3. Employ minimal pairs (words and sentences) and

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 3. Employ minimal pairs (words and sentences) and meaningful pronunciation practice – China DVD: Pronunciation, Welty “Tongue Twisters” (Really minimal pairs) – China DVD: Pronunciation, Hansen, “Pronunciation drills” – Printed minimal pair lists on packet pages 9. F. 1, 9. G. 1 • BEWARE of misleading rising-falling series intonation! • BEWARE of too much boring, meaningless, mechanical/imitative, word-level practice

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 4. Use lists of loaded, focused sentences •

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 4. Use lists of loaded, focused sentences • Packet p. 9. E. 1 – China DVD: Pronunciation, Welty “The “ch” sound” “Cochise was an Apache chief” Song: “Chatanooga Choo” • Even tongue twisters – China DVD: Pronunciation, Sue Giles “Tongue twisters” (Fuzzy Wuzzy wuz a bear) – Fun and challenging, but be careful with things that are hard for even native speakers.

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 5. Learn and use the International Phonetic Alphabet

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 5. Learn and use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) • Advantage: Every sound has one (and only one) distinct symbol (e. g. [θ] and [ð] for the two “th” sounds in English • Your students probably already know it.

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 5. Learn and use the International Phonetic Alphabet

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 5. Learn and use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) • You can learn about it online: http: //www. omniglot. com/writing/ipa. htm • http: //www. phonetics. ucla. edu/course/chapter 1. html • http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/International_Phon etic_Alphabet_chart_for_English_dialects

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 6. Learn and teach some basic phonological rules/processes

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 6. Learn and teach some basic phonological rules/processes • Three pronunciations of the –ed ending – China DVD: Rochelle Welty “-ed ending” and packet page 9. D. 1) • Stress alternation in noun and verb pairs – China DVD: Carol Kewish, “próduce vs. prodúce” • Vowel reduction to schwa in unstressed syllables (phótograph, photógrapher, photográphic) • Assimilation between adjoining sounds: d+y=dz as in educate and did you

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 7. Make it meaningful, communicative, memorable, and enjoyable

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 7. Make it meaningful, communicative, memorable, and enjoyable by using stories, props, actions, gestures, etc. • Demo with Pronunciation Matters story for HOT DOG

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 7. Make it meaningful, communicative, memorable, and enjoyable

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 7. Make it meaningful, communicative, memorable, and enjoyable by using stories, props, actions, gestures, etc. • See packet pages 9. A. 1 -2 for pen/pan example • Go to www. pronunciationmatters. com for more units • Provide feedback through meaningful gestures: pray and play.

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 8. Provide continuing attention and pressure on pronunciation

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 8. Provide continuing attention and pressure on pronunciation points you have explicitly taught (review) – Gloria Munns @ QU, roll call check on individuals, e. g. , Sentences on board to students to read when responding: “The novel covered the vacation of the Vance family” [v] vs [w] – China DVD: Pronunciation, Kewish #2 (finance vs. finance) Later in the same class period, same phonological rule, different words

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 9. Be aware of Chinese students’ common pronunciation

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 9. Be aware of Chinese students’ common pronunciation mistakes/errors – Packet pages B-9. A. 1 -7 and 9. C. 1, e. g. , v->w “uniwersity, ” “judgie, ” “sea lies” – China DVD: Pronunciation, Don Bird “Guide’s pronunciation” on Three Gorges, Yangtze River trip “Wisited” for “Visited, ” “Shooter” for “Shoulder, ” • Expect, hear, and analyze them • Make sure that you are correcting mistakes, Not just characteristics of a different dialect

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 10. Don’t forget about suprasegmentals! Stress (in multisyllabic

More pronunciation teaching procedures and techniques 10. Don’t forget about suprasegmentals! Stress (in multisyllabic words and word pairs) Rhythm (stress-timed, not syllable timed) Intonation (rising, falling, series, etc. ) Juncture (pausing) They are crucial to intelligibility!

For example • Private Property No Fishing Allowed • Private Property! No Fishing Allowed!

For example • Private Property No Fishing Allowed • Private Property! No Fishing Allowed! • Private Property? No! Fishing allowed!

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to listen to your students’

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to listen to your students’ speech, figure out what is wrong with their pronunciation, and then help them fix it. ” It’s difficult but NOT impossible. Have FUN!