URUTESOL PRESENTS

GERMÁN CANALE
In a three-session course on

“The Acquisition of Phonology in the EFL Classroom”

Phonology plays an essential role in the establishment of linguistic identities and in the construction
of stereotypes (such as “native”, “non native” and “foreign accent”, just to name a few). This has
been very well documented in sociolinguistics, both for mother tongue and foreign languages.
However, the acquisition of phonology has not always received enough attention in EFL theory and
practice. This course aims at analyzing how EFL students acquire the phonology of English and to
what extent it differs from the way the language is acquired by native communities. After a concise
revision of the specialized literature, the course will look into the diverse methodologies that have
been implemented in the teaching of phonology. Both theoretical and practical issues will be raised,
with special emphasis on TEFL in Uruguay. Throughout the course participants will have the
opportunity to analyze the adequacy of exercises and materials. All sessions will consist of a
theoretical presentation and an “application module”, in which participants will apply theoretical
concepts.
Description of the course.
MODULE 1: PHONOLOGY AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (Tuesday 11th May
– 18.30)
1.1. Phonetics and Phonology as scientific disciplines and as practice.
1.2. Socio-dialectal varieties of English. Attitudes towards native and non-native accents.
1.3. Inter-phonology: strategies in the phonological acquisition of English as a FL.
1.4. Productive and perceptive skills in the acquisition of EFL phonology.
1.5. Application: How to analyze EFL phonology errors and strategies in written tasks.
MODULE 2: ACQUIRING PHONOLOGY IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM (Tuesday 18th
May – 18.30)
2.1. Brief revision of theories and methods in EFL phonology.
2.2. Teaching phonology in the classroom. Phonology and orthography. Phonology and
correction.
2.3. Varieties of English in the classroom.
2.4. Material adequacy and material design.
2.5. Application: Creating and analyzing materials for everyday EFL phonology teaching.
MODULE 3: ACQUIRING EFL PHONOLOGY: THE CASE OF URUGUAY (Friday 28th May –
18.30)
3.1. Phonology and evaluation: what can be predicted/corrected.
3.2. Goals in the teaching of EFL phonology within the framework of the communicative
approach.
3.3. Accent acceptability and intelligibility.
3.4. Phonology and teacher education/instruction in Uruguay.
3.5. Final Round table: The place of phonology teaching in the EFL classroom: setting realistic
goals

Fees: Free for Members

Non-members: $ 150
Venue: Ateneo de Montevideo.
Please confirm attendance: urutesol@gmail.com
Biodata: Licenciado en Lingüística (UDELAR), Maestrando en Ciencias Humanas, opción Lenguaje,
Cultura y Sociedad (UDELAR), Asist. (Grado 2) Dpto. Psico- y Sociolingüística (Instituto de Lingüística,
UDELAR), encargado de los cursos “Fonética y Fonología” y “Taller Metodológico I” de la
Licenciatura en Lingüística (FHCE, UDELAR).