Beck 1

Sophia Beck
Ela Thurgood
ENGL 470
7 February 2020

Video Response
To teach second language learners the difference between /l/ and /r/, it is
helpful to use minimal pairs. We do this by introducing different words where /l/
and /r/ are minimal pairs. ‘Light’ and ‘Right’ are initial minimal pairs, where the
difference occurs with the beginning sound. ‘Lake’ and ‘Rake’ also fall under the
group of initial minimal pairs. There are also final minimal pairs, such as ‘Ball’
and ‘Bar’, where the difference in sound occurs as the final sound. Medial pairs,
such as ‘Play’ and ‘Pray’, are the hardest for second language learners because it
requires the mixing of sounds.
The first step when teaching the sounds /l/ and /r/ to Korean and Japanese
students is to check for listening. This is because if they start out not being able to
hear the difference between the two, they won’t be able to make the difference
between the two in pronunciation either. You can make sure they are listening by
using a minimal pair and ask them which one you are pronouncing. The second
step is to clarify articulation. You can use diagrams of the mouth to visually show
students where the tongue is in each sound. Ask them to point out differences in
the diagram. It is good to have the students practice saying the word while being
conscious of where their tongue is. Lastly, the third step is to have the students
practice.You can have them get into groups; one person will start off pronouncing
the a word in a minimal pair while the other guesses which word they are saying.
For a challenging practice, have the students who are saying the words in the
minimal pairs hide their mouth, or mouth the words to their partner silently.