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Approaches For Teaching English Pronunciation To Nonnative Speakers
Approaches For Teaching English Pronunciation To Nonnative Speakers
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ﻣﺠﻠﺔ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﺳﺒﻬﺎ ﻟﻠﻌﻠﻮﻡ ﺍﻹﻧﺴﺎﻧﻴﺔ :ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺪﺭ
Approaches For Teaching English pronunciation toﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ
ﺳﺒﻬﺎ Nonnative speakers :ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺷﺮ
ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻓﺮﺝ،ﺃﺑﻮ ﻃﻘﺔ
Mohamed Faraj Abutaga :ﺍﻟﻤؤﻟﻒ ﺍﻟﺮﺋﻴﺴﻲ
Faculty of Arts-University of Sebha
1 ﻉ,8ﻣﺞ :ﺍﻟﻌﺪﺩ/ﺍﻟﻤﺠﻠﺪ
ﻧﻌﻢ :ﻣﺤﻜﻤﺔ
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2009 :ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﺍﻟﻤﻴﻼﺩﻱ
Abstract
11 - 17 :ﺍﻟﺼﻔﺤﺎﺕ
The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse what some pronunciation
887510 teachers are currently
:MD ﺭﻗﻢ
doing in some English contexts and, in view of their contribution to the profession and their
results obtained, propose a state-of-the-art methodology ﻭﻣﻘﺎﻻﺕ ﺑﺤﻮﺙEnglish pronunciation
for teaching :ﻧﻮﻉ ﺍﻟﻤﺤﺘﻮﻯ
founded upon the combination of fluency- with accuracy-focused tasks.
HumanIndex :ﻗﻮﺍﻋﺪ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎﺕ
ﺍﻻﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ
For a long ،ﺍﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ
time, ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ
from the ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻢ،ﺍﻻﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ
literature, it wouldﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ
seem،ﺍﻟﺘﺪﺭﻳﺲ
that Nonﻃﺮﻕ ،ﺍﻟﺘﺪﺭﻳﺲ
Native :ﻣﻮﺍﺿﻴﻊ
English language teachers in
many Arabic contexts have been using what some ﺑﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﻃﻘﻴﻦ
would ﻟﻐﻴﺮ
epitomise as a conventional
methodology for teaching http://search.mandumah.com/Record/887510
English pronunciation rooted in drilling and automatic exercises. The:ﺭﺍﺑﻂ
outcome of this divulges that many Arabic learners maintain some critical unexpected
phonological forms which prove highly detrimental to successful communication in English.
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Introduction
A predicament of this type may engage a phenomenon, there has been a steady growth
need to effect a change in the methodology in the attention to the magnitude of
used whereby tasks function as a central pronunciation teaching, as the general goals
focus in a supportive and natural of teaching have primed the effective use of
environment for language study. Under this the spoken language to establish successful
new approach which combines meaning- communication. This fact, however, has
with form-focused tasks, learners are brought about a growing debate about the
expected to develop their communication models, goals and, particularly, the
skills and, in so doing, adapt those methodology used for pronunciation skill
unexpected phonological forms with the teaching. For some, such changes and the
intention of preserving phonological uncertainty of debate are perplexing, so a
intelligibility. study to resolve some aspects of the debate
is a valuable contribution to the English
In the last decades, and perhaps due to the language teaching profession.
effects of globalization as a universal
The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse what some pronunciation teachers are currently
doing in some English contexts and, in view of their contribution to the profession and their
results obtained, propose a state-of-the-art methodology for teaching English pronunciation
founded upon the combination of fluency- with accuracy-focused tasks.
For a long time, from the literature, it would seem that Non Native English language teachers in
many Arabic contexts have been using what some would epitomise as a conventional
methodology for teaching English pronunciation rooted in drilling and automatic exercises. The
outcome of this divulges that many Arabic learners maintain some critical unexpected
phonological forms which prove highly detrimental to successful communication in English.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
A predicament of this type may engage a phenomenon, there has been a steady growth
need to effect a change in the methodology in the attention to the magnitude of
used whereby tasks function as a central pronunciation teaching, as the general goals
focus in a supportive and natural of teaching have primed the effective use of
environment for language study. Under this the spoken language to establish successful
new approach which combines meaning- communication. This fact, however, has
with form-focused tasks, learners are brought about a growing debate about the
expected to develop their communication models, goals and, particularly, the
skills and, in so doing, adapt those methodology used for pronunciation skill
unexpected phonological forms with the teaching. For some, such changes and the
intention of preserving phonological uncertainty of debate are perplexing, so a
intelligibility. study to resolve some aspects of the debate
is a valuable contribution to the English
In the last decades, and perhaps due to the language teaching profession.
effects of globalization as a universal
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse what some pronunciation teachers are currently
doing in some English contexts and, in view of their contribution to the profession and their
results obtained, propose a state-of-the-art methodology for teaching English pronunciation
founded upon the combination of fluency- with accuracy-focused tasks.
For a long time, from the literature, it would seem that Non Native English language teachers in
many Arabic contexts have been using what some would epitomise as a conventional
methodology for teaching English pronunciation rooted in drilling and automatic exercises. The
outcome of this divulges that many Arabic learners maintain some critical unexpected
phonological forms which prove highly detrimental to successful communication in English.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
A predicament of this type may engage a phenomenon, there has been a steady growth
need to effect a change in the methodology in the attention to the magnitude of
used whereby tasks function as a central pronunciation teaching, as the general goals
focus in a supportive and natural of teaching have primed the effective use of
environment for language study. Under this the spoken language to establish successful
new approach which combines meaning- communication. This fact, however, has
with form-focused tasks, learners are brought about a growing debate about the
expected to develop their communication models, goals and, particularly, the
skills and, in so doing, adapt those methodology used for pronunciation skill
unexpected phonological forms with the teaching. For some, such changes and the
intention of preserving phonological uncertainty of debate are perplexing, so a
intelligibility. study to resolve some aspects of the debate
is a valuable contribution to the English
In the last decades, and perhaps due to the language teaching profession.
effects of globalization as a universal
11--------------------- Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) -------------------
Mohamed Faraj Abutaga------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the more distant past, conventional theorists and researchers point out, it is a
approaches to teaching pronunciation vital element of communicative competence
emphasised the study of phonemes and their and, as such, it should be given better
meaningful contrasts, along with some treatment (see, for example, Morley, 1991;
structurally based interest in stress, rhythm, Taylor, 1991; among others). At present, and
and intonation. From the pedagogic possibly as a result of this new trend, many
perspective, instruction mainly consisted in more people are again keen on
articulatory descriptions, imitation, and pronunciation, but the truth is, as was said
memorization of patterns through drills and above, that we are not completely convinced
set scripts, with overall attention to of which models, goals and methodology are
correction, all this, in the hope that learners more helpful for students and teachers alike.
would eventually pronounce the English
sounds like a British native speaker. This In accordance with the different approaches
concern for perfect pronunciation, derived to teaching pronunciation, the bottom-up
from native models, aimed at enabling approach, on the one hand, begins with the
learners to come as close as possible to the articulation of individual sounds and works
native-like performance of a single prestige up towards intonation, stress and rhythm. On
accent - Received Pronunciation (RP). the other hand, the top-down approach
begins with patterns of intonation and brings
Later, under the notional-functional separate sounds into sharper focus as and
approach, nevertheless, came the need to get when required. In the bottom-up approach,
learners to use the language freely for the central idea is that if you teach the
communicative purposes. Along these lines, segments first, the suprasegmental features
drillings and other types of mechanical will be subsequently acquired without the
exercises were considered outdated whereby need of formal instruction. In the top-down
the focus was placed mostly on meaning and approach, however, the assumption is that
not on form. In this context, pronunciation once the prosodic features are in place, the
teaching was downgraded pedagogically as a necessary segmental discriminations will
result of difficulties in aligning it with and follow accordingly (Dalton and Seidlhofer,
incorporating it into more communicative 1994).
approaches to language teaching since work
on phonology, it was believed, could impede Starting holistically from voice quality and
communicative practice and thus threaten then moving on to work on segmental
learners’ self-confidence (Jenner, 1996). features, according to Jenkins (2000),
implies that learners are pushed to adapt to
Nonetheless, in recent years, and with the and use L2 articulatory settings with their
renewed professional support to allow articulators still geared towards the
students to become effective and efficient production of L1 sounds:
speakers of English, there has been a
incessant progress to bring pronunciation …learners of a second language approach its
back on stage since, as many prominent pronunciation with their articulators still
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--------------------------------------- Approaches For Teaching English pronunciation to Nonnative speakers
13 ------------------ Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) ---------------------
Mohamed Faraj Abutaga------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at a more conscious level and is crucial for After exploring and critically analysing the
intelligibility. In her data, Jenkins (2000) different approaches to teaching
found out that most of the errors that caused pronunciation and what appears to be
unintelligibility were segmental, a teachable and learnable for classroom
substantial minority consisted of intonational settings, We will now refer to the type of
errors and, of these, almost all related to methodology that, according to some
misplaced nuclear stress, particularly influential pronunciation scholars and my
contrastive stress, either alone or combined own experience, appears to be more useful
with segmental errors. Yet again, this last for learners and teachers alike. As was
finding provides evidence to support the mentioned above, the formal instruction of
view that the furthermost phonological those common core features of English
obstacles to mutual intelligibility between pronunciation - vowel length, nuclear stress
NSs-NNSs and NNs-NNSs seem to be (especially, contrastive stress), and voice
unusual sounds in combination with setting- which seem to be vital for
misplaced and/or misproduced nuclear establishing intelligibility enable learners to
stress. take utmost advantage of both their receptive
and productive pronunciation skills.
On looking back at this discussion and
turning back to the concern about setting Concerning production skills, interactive or
realistic and possible goals for teaching “reciprocal” (Ellis, 2001, p.49) tasks with a
pronunciation, it could be sensible to think specific focus on form are crucial for the
that instead of pushing learners to struggle development of key phonological features
for perfect pronunciation, a focus on (Thornbury, 1993; Jones and Evans, 1995;
pedagogic attention on those items which are Jenkins, 2000; Swain and Lapkin, 2001;
teachable and learnable and also essential in among others). More controlled sessions, on
terms of intelligible pronunciation, appears the other hand, are important to classroom
to be a more reasonable goal. The main work in accommodation skills and where
pedagogic aim underlying the proposal is changes to L1 phonological habits are
that, upon the implementation of a new indispensable, as learners will not be able to
methodology for teaching pronunciation, converge with one another on more target-
which combines fluency- with accuracy- like pronunciations unless it is within their
focused tasks, students are expected to capacity to produce them successfully.
develop a highly acceptable phonological
competence to become fluent bilingual in fact, practice activities of specific target
speakers, a fact which will enable them to sounds - minimal pair exercises and drilling -
communicate in EFL (English as a Foreign as well as the rules of contrastive and
Language), ESL (English as a Second nuclear stress, for instance, will help learners
Language) and EIL (English as an to move from receptive to productive
International Language) contexts. competence in core problematic areas
(Jenkins, 2000). Nonetheless, it is very
doubtful that these types of tasks will
------------------ Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) ---------------------14
--------------------------------------- Approaches For Teaching English pronunciation to Nonnative speakers
15 ------------------ Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) ---------------------
Mohamed Faraj Abutaga------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The results obtained so far, coming from suggests that pronunciation teachers no
different instruments of data collection (see longer need to hesitate to introduce task-
Luchini, 2004.b), reveal that this proposal based instruction to their Arabic learners , or
for teaching English pronunciation is perhaps to any other group of students in
effective, at least at this stage in the study, different contexts somewhere else
for both students and teachers alike. This
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------------------ Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) ---------------------16
--------------------------------------- Approaches For Teaching English pronunciation to Nonnative speakers
17 ------------------ Journal of Sebha University - (Human Sciencess) - Vol. 8 No.1 (2009) ---------------------