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Integrating Pronunciation Activities into Diverse

Language Practice Environments

Liubovi BurlaMA, Lecturer at the Institute of

Continuing Education

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The first goal for a teacher is to help students in mastering suprasegmental pronunciation features including intonation, linking, reduction, stress, rhythm, and fluency. This area requires students to put effort in listening to and communicating with native English speakers, pay much more attention to how they utilize these features while speaking, and thereafter, try to keep practicing.

The second goal is to provide assistance for the students who are having difficulty in pronouncing particular sounds: vowels and consonants that are segmental pronunciation features. The particular sounds that students have trouble in pronouncing differ as their language backgrounds vary. The reason is that many errors in pronunciation result from the interference of the first language. For instance, there is no /θ/ sound in Russian and many other languages, which results in difficulty for Russian students to learn it.

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It would be better if there is sufficient time to balance the teaching of both segmental and suprasegmental pronunciation features. In case of a short term pronunciation course, it is recommended to focus on suprasegmentals as they have the greatest impact on the comprehensibility of learners’ English. If a person is not able to speak with correct intonation, then misunderstanding will probably happen.

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After highlighting the need for a balanced approach, it is recommended to integratepronunciation activities with the practice of other skills. Even in a short term course, integrating pronunciation activities with listening, reading, grammar points is highly encouraged.

Pronunciation Activities while: -Listening –even to songs (reduction, assimilation, linking r) - Public Speaking (loudness, quality of sounds)- Civilization (accents)

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“SMALL TAlkMORE JAZZ CHANTS ”

by Carolyn Graham- Save it, save it. Put it in the bank.- Save it, save it. Put it in the bank.- Spend it. Take it out of the bank.- Spend it. Take it out of the bank. - Save it.- Spend it.- Save it. - Spent it. - Save it. - Spend it. - Put it in the bank.

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Characteristics of Fluent Speech Reduction, Assimilation, LinkingThe most familiar case of linking or joining in English is the use of linking r.Many English speakers use linking r in a similar way to link words ending with a vowel even when there is no “justification” from the spelling, as in: formula A [fo:mjulərei], media event [mediərivent]. This has been called intrusive r; some English speakers and teachers still regard this as incorrect or sub-standard pronunciation, but it is undoubtedly widespread.

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1. Distinguish between linking and intrusive /r/ in these phrases:

better off Africa and Asia four or fivecare upon care a pair of sheets a villa in Italyhear it drama and music to err is human

2. Read and imitate the sample rhythmic group with different sentences.A) |____ .. _____|" B) |____ …. _____| ̣

Send him away. Show him up to his room. Give him a toy. Throw it into the fire.

Why have they left? Why did you run away?Show me the place. Tell her not to be late.

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1.Say the following phrases, reducing the function words: as good as gold ham and eggs ugly as sin pencil and paper as quiet as a mouse tea or coffee as fast as he can time and money for ever and ever for love nor money

2.Give the phonetic transcriptions of these phrases to show the assimilations that can

occur: ten girls that cat stand by

ten boys won’t you this year last year could you it was your duty

newspaper this shop don’t you

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made your decision major decision

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Purpose: Practicing weak forms/reductionsSkill area: Oral intelligibility/ segmental/ vowels and consonantsType: Group/ Pair ActivityActivity Procedures1. Choose a limerick or poem (example below) and provide a copy for each student in the class.2. Read it out loud (or play from a cassette) to show the rhythm or flow of stressed andunstressed syllables.3. Then let the class as a whole read the poem.4. Form different groups and have each group mark the schwa on their handout while you read.5. Do it two or three more times until they get the flow and then have one group read thepoem to the other groups.6. The group that reads best becomes the Group of the Week.Example:The IRISH PIG‘Twas an evening in NovemberAS I very well rememberI was strolling down the street in drunken pride.But my knees were all aflutterSo I landed in the gutter,And a pig came up and lay down by my side.Yes, I lay there in the gutter,Thinking thoughts I could not utter,When a lady passing by did softly say:‘You can tell a man who boozesBy the company he chooses’ --And the pig got up and slowly walked away!

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Exercises on sounds practicing: 1.Spell your names and surnames and pronounce them. Now, spell and pronounce your neighbor’s name and surname.

2.Transcribe your names and surnames.

3.Find words for sounds: e – ε:, Λ – æ, i: - u:, α: - au, ei – ai, etc.

4.Contrast these pairs of words (/n/ or /ŋ/):thin thing run rung sinner singer sung sun kin king win wing ban bang wing winged

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5. Link each capital city to the correct country:

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Write the phonetic symbol for each -ed verb ending: [d], [t] or [Id]:

1. landed 2. expected 3. asked 4. regarded 5.  decided 6. packed 7. locked 8. answered 9. stopped    10. requested

11. added 12. wished 13. liked 14. divided 15. played 16. multiplied 17. listened 18. listed19. permitted 20. explored

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Tongue twistersWhether the weather be fine,Or whether the weather be not,Whether the weather be coldOr whether the weather be hot,We'll weather the weatherWhatever the weather,Whether we like it or not.

She sells sea shells on the sea shore, but the sea shells she sells on the sea shore are not the real ones.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?             

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Here’s an easy Game to play.Here’s an easyThing to say …New socks.Two socks.Whose socks?Sue’s socks.Who sews whose socks?Sue sews Sue’s socks.Who sees who sewWhose new socks, sir?You see Sue sewSue’s new socks, sir.That’s not easy,Mr. Fox, sir.

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1. Put down the sentences and intone them:

1.First performance is at 7.30, second one 8.45.2.What about a Japanese bar next to the cinema.3.The number is 352001.4.It also involves being seen in shopping areas, zones of schools, noisy crossroads.5.I do really have a typical day.6.No, I prefer to hang on, it's very important.7.But still, what do you feel about this young man?8.We were just sitting in a café and just talking, when we suddenly saw them, walking along the street, hand in hand.9.Who doesn't love to have the nice white lily as part of the Easter gift?

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Syllable stress

Civil Civility Civilize CivilizationEqual Equality Equalize EqualizationFertile Fertility Fertilize FertilizationFinal Finality Finalize FinalizationGeneral Generality Generalize GeneralizationHospital Hospitality Hospitalize HospitalizationLegal Legality Legalize LegalizationMobile Mobility Mobilize MobilizationNational Nationality Nationalize NationalizationNeutral Neutrality Neutralize NeutralizationPersonal Personality Personalize Personalization

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Transcription for PronunciationTranscribe some quotes on the blackboard. Then ask your students to spell them. Finally, have the students think up their favorite quotes and transcribe them.

Give me a fruitful error any time, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. You can keepyour sterile truth for yourself. ~Vilfredo Pareto[gɪv mi ɘ frutfɘl ɛrɘr ɛni taim ful ɘv si:dz bɘ:stiŋ wɪɵ ɪtz oʊn kɘrɛkʃɘnz ju: kɘn ki:p jo: stɘrɘl truɵ fə jo:səlf]

(no capital letters, commas, dots, even space in the transcription)

brαιtfjutSərizinsto:fərimənizsΛn

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Practicing contraction and linkingI Don'no

Make the whole class practice both forms that are in their handout. Write some sentences using the phrases in both short form and actual form that are given in the handout and practice in the same way.Make variations such as giving half of the students sentence strips that have only short pronunciation and others longer one and asking them to find their partners. Examples:Gonna going toWanna want toHafta have toGimme give meHasta has toCan'tcha can't youWon'tcha won't youWatcha what are you/what do youDidja did youHadja had youWouldja would youWhydja where did youWheredja where did youHowdja how did you

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Here is some pronunciation

Here is some pronunciation:

Ration never rhymes with nation,Say prefer but preferable,

Comfortable and vegetable.B must not be heard in doubt,

Debt and dumb both leave it out.In the words psychology,Psychic and psychiatry,

You must never sound the P.Psychiatrist you call the man

Who cures the complex, if he can.In architect, Ch is K,

In arch it is the other way. 

Please remember to say ironSo that it’ll rhyme with lion.

Advertisers advertise,Advertisements will put you wise.

Time when work is done is leisure,Fill it up with useful pleasure.

Accidental, accident,Sound the G in ignorant.Relative, but a relation,

Then say creature but creation.Say the A in gas quite short,

Bought remember rhymes with thwart,Drought must always rhyme with bout,

In daughter leave the Gh out.

Wear a boot upon your foot,Root can never rhyme with soot.

In muscle, Sc is S,In muscular, it’s Sk, yes!

Choir must always rhyme with wire,That again will rhyme with liar.Then, remember it’s address,With an accent like possess.

G in sign must silent be,In signature pronounce the G.

 Please remember, say towardsJust as if it rhymed with boards.

Weight’s like wait, but not like height,Which should always rhyme with

might.Sew is just the same as so,

Tie a ribbon in a bow.When you meet the queen you bow,Which again must rhyme with how.

In perfect English make a start.Learn this little rhyme by heart.

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Read the following dialogue, mark the stress, mind the rhythmic groups.

A young man comes before the Customs agent. A: "State your citizenship." B:"American" (pronounced with a Spanish accent).

A: "Hold on there, buddy. Say that again." B: "I sed American." A: "I'm going to give you a test." B: "No, no senor, no need for test, I tell you I’m American." A: "Yeah, sure buddy. OK, let's see, ... I've got it. Make a sentence with the following colors: green, pink and yellow." B: "Oh senor, I tell you I'm American. But OK, let's see...I was at my bruder-in-laws house and the phone went 'green, green, I pinked it up and sed

yellow!"

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Resources:1. Kirillova E., Lazaryeva B., Petrushin S. Readings in Methods of teaching English as a foreign language. Vyshaya Schola, Moscow.- 19812. Rogerson P., Gilbert J. Speaking clearly. Teacher’s book, Cambridge University Press.- 20023 Roach P. English phonetics and phonology. A practical course. Cambridge University Press.- 19834. Cruttenden A. Intonation. Cambridge University Press.- 1986 5. Ladefoged P. A course of phonetics. Second Edition, New York.- 19826. “English Pronunciation Illustrated”J.Trim, CUP7. “English pronunciation in use” M.Hewings, CUP,20078. Roach P. English phonetics and phonology. A practical course, Cambridge University Press.- 20009. Dobos D. A handbook of English phonetics and phonology, Iasi.- 200110. M.Vaugham-Rees. Rhymes and Rhythm. Illustrations Macmillan Publishers Limited, Hong Kong.- 199411. Pronunciation Games, CUP12.Pronunciation Portfolio EDUC 647, University of Delaware Madhav Kafle Jinyu Xia Fran Durbin13.www.soundsofenglish.com.14.www.bbc.co.uk15. www.bbclearningenglish.com

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THANK YOU!

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