HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

I. INTRODUCTION
1-The importance
Students’ poor pronunciation may
 lead to misunderstanding and failure to communicate
e.g.

 cause difficulty in listening practice

e.g.

2- The aspects
- Speech sounds – consonants, vowels
- Stress, intonation
 Good pronunciation = accurate reproduction of phonemes, correct stress and intonation

3- The aim of teaching pronunciation: intelligibility: be understandable & convey the meaning that is
intended.

4- Teacher's responsibility
knowing WHAT to teach and HOW to teach
The teacher needs to know
1 .................................about the features (articulation rules, occurrences in discourse, etc.)
2. Potential........................for students (often based on typical errors by lrs from particular language
background)

6- Some common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners?

Study these learner errors. Identify the area of pronunciation that each of them relates to and suggest the
correct versions.

Learner pronunciation Correct versions

a Our president is very IMportant.
b It is bad to heat children.
c It’s a nice day, isn’t it?
d Who are you waiting FOR?
e How many beeble live there?
f IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN!

Could you think of more pronunciation problems that Vietnamese learners often have?
vowels consonants stress intonation

Discuss the possible causes for these problems and possible solutions. (textbook)

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 1

HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

8-When taught?
 whole lesson (Pronunciation Pairs)
 discrete slot (Tieng Anh 10, 11, 12)
 integrated phase (Four Corners)
 opportunistic teaching

II. TEACHING A SOUND

English 10 – Unit 13
LANGUAGE FOCUS
Pronunciation:  - //
Listen and repeat.
 / v/
fan fiction van vote
first form vine Steve
photograph enough view leave

Practise these sentences.

-He feels happy enough
-I want a photograph for myself and my wife
-Would you prefer a full photograph or a profile?
-Stephen is driving a van full of vines
-We used to live in a village in the valley
-They arrived in the village on a van

STAGES OF A PRONUNCIATION LESSON (DISCRETE SLOT) (15 min.)

* Pron. is best taught by introducing ONE thing at a time. Also, avoid complications
of new stress and intonation patterns.

I. PRESENTATION (5’)
Method: DEMONSTRATION - IMITATION – EXPLANATION
I.1 Lead-in
Introduce the sound to focus ss’ attention on the teaching point.

 Lead into the lesson by using / /

to lead to the sound

 No at this stage

 Don’t on the at this stage

 Using games ***

I.2 Presenting
Imagine that you want to focus on a sound that your students are having difficulty with. Which of the following
steps are necessary? In what order would you teach and practice the sound? In the first column on the right,
tick the steps that you think are necessary. In the second column, write the order numbers.

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 2

HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

Get Ss to repeat the sound in chorus.

Explain how to make the sound
Contrast it with other sounds.
Write words on the blackboard.
Get individual Ss to repeat the sound.
Say the sound in a word.
Say the sound alone.
Now watch your teacher do the demonstration and check your answer.

Steps of presenting a sound (textbook)

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II. PRACTICE (10’)
Minimal pairs
e.g.:

II.1 Aural Practice (Sound Recognition)

Aim: to develop the ability to identify and distinguish between different sounds.
1) One/Two drill

2) Same/Different drill

3) One/Two/Three drill

4) Odd one out drill

II. 2 Oral practice (Sound Production)

Aim: Ss practise pronouncing (chorally & individually)

Techniques:

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 3

HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

 Repetition drill (imitation of teacher / tapes)

 Performing dialogs
 Learning by heart of sentences, rhymes (A kite is flying in the sky)
 Tongue twisters (She sells seashells on the seashore)
 Games

e.g.1
- say the sound alone: 
- say the sound alone in words (of different spelling):
sheep, leave, machine
- say the sound in phrases: an old sheep, going to leave, a new machine
- say the sound in sentences: It’s an old sheep.
She’s going to leave with her mother.
He’s bought a new machine.
e.g.2 Game: Find the way out - Final sounds of regular V, past tense

booked opened seemed rented used solved

laughed filmed planted learned flowered stored

stopped closed robbed fixed coped stressed

kissed hoped coughed shopped needed typed

lived played mouthed naked noted looked

III. PRODUCTION
Aim: to develop the ability to communicate in real life.
Techniques: Free practice in communicative utterances and dialogues/ conversations.
Communicative Practice
/ / & //
Class survey
a) Ask three classmates this Q:
How much do you enjoy the things below?
playing chess – watching TV – washing up –
cooking chips – lying in the sunshine – shopping
b) Now tell the rest of the class what you found:
e.g.: Nam doesn’t like watching TV much, Thu & Nga like shopping but they
don’t like washing up.

Remember:
 each activity should not

 ss should what they’re required to do.

 T should in modelling the drills:

- facing class &

- speak at

- use of NS

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 4

HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

III. TEACHING STRESS & INTONATION

III.1 Stress:

1. Word stress => Stressed syllables

Where does the main stress fall on the following words? Be careful, there are some tricky
ones included.
1. telephone
2. cassette
3. surprising
4. conduct
5. notebook
6. address
7. worked
8. examination
9. photograph
10. photographer

2. Sentence stress
How does the meaning of this sentence change when the words are stressed as follows?
1. I gave Gaston a book.
2. I gave Gaston a book.
3. I gave Gaston a book.
4. I gave Gaston a book.
5. I gave Gaston a book.

 Words that carry stressed syllables

• (Ns, main Vs, adjs, advs, numbers, Q words)
• Auxiliary verbs in sentences will also be stressed.

• Words at of the sentence

e.g.: Who are you writing to? - Are you writing to Mark?

 Words that are unstressed

• (preps, articles, demonstratives, prons) and
in affirmative and interrogative sentences)

 Techniques for teaching stress

• Use your voice (non-text stage)

• Use gestures: (non-text stage)

• Use BB (text stage)

Task: Show the stressed syllables in these sentences:

1. She was buying vegetables at the supermarket.

2. The film I saw on Saturday was about pirates.

3. How many e-mails did you receive from Carlos last week?

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 5

HCMC University of Education - Department of English ELT Methodology - Module 2

III.2 Intonation:
• Intonation = (the way our voice goes up & down as we speak.)
• Intonation = very important in expressing meaning.
e.g.
A: Would you please turn down the radio a little bit?
B: Sorry.  (…………..………………….)
B: Sorry.  (…………….………………..)

• Intonation patterns = quite complex

1. Two basic types of Into.

Rising

Falling

2. How to teach Into.

- using gestures
- using BB: arrows, lines up/down
- using back-chaining technique

How to conduct rep. using back-chaining technique:

- decide stressed syllables & key sounds
- divide sent. into sections
- decide the into. pattern, then mark with arrows
- conduct repetition from end towards beginning.

e.g.

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QUESTIONS
1- Identify possible pronunciation problems and point out their causes when these lexical items are
taught: relationship, block, improve.
2- Think of 4 minimal pairs for the class to contrast the sound // and // and state how you would
use them in practice.
3- What should you do to help the students pronounce the consonant cluster in the world ‘clap’
correctly?
4- Design a lesson to teach the confusing sounds /t/ and /d/.
5- How would you conduct repetition of the following sentences?
a. I’ve been learning English since I was six years old.
b. When she was 2 years old, she suffered from an illness.
c. After two days without sleep, a person finds that lengthy concentration becomes difficult.
d. Why do we tip waiters, hairdressers and taxi drivers but not nurses and shop assistants?

Lecturer:Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA) 6