Pronunciation tips

Pronunciation – taught or caught?

It is not so much a question of whether good pronunciation is best ‘ taught or caught’: it

is rather a matter of making the catching process more effective and efficient – of
enabling learners to make the best use of such experience as comes their way (BRAZIL,
David).

A checklist of tips and ‘teachniques’

Use this checklist to see how much you already do and identify areas where you might do
more.
To get sts interested in pronunciation, we need not only to use occasional games, drills or
5-minute activities, but consistently expose them to help make the ‘catching process’ more
effective and efficient.
♦ Give yourself 1 point if you regularly do these things, or half a point if you sometimes do
them.
♦ When you finish, look back at anywhere you scored zero or half. Could you do more in
this area?

Do you...

1. explore what sts already know (usually more than we think), from songs, TV programmes
and their holidays? Ask them: What do British / other native English accents sound like?
What English names / phrases / lines from songs do you know? Can you say them with the
best English accent?
2. present natural pronunciation models as you speak and tell stories?
3. use natural sentence stress, linking, contractions and reductions to give your sts the best
model?
4. pause between short phrases and chunks rather than say one word at a time?
5. use lots of mime / visual aids and pausing / repetition, so you can speak more quickly and
more naturally? (Remember, pronunciation is learned mainly through the ear.)
6. use lots of gesture to attract sts’ attention and to correct their pronunciation?
7. model new words in context / a short phrase rather than in isolation? Give nouns + article,
e.g., a bird, an elephant, not just bird or elephant? Teach words in pairs: shoes and socks,
men and women, the sun and the moon, so they get used to stressing and reducing?
8. highlight pronunciation when presenting new language? Really exaggerate or lengthen
sounds and words to help sts hear / notice them (a BEEEYOOOOOOOtiful afterNOON!!)?
Drill specific problems?
9. use a pronunciation focus to introduce and practise other aspects, such as grammar (as in
the ‘2 for 1’ activity above) or vocabulary? Introduce / Elicit / Divide new lexical sets in
subgroups with common sounds? For instance: Find 3 [b] words or [g] words: blue, black,
brown or pig, goat, dog.
10. contrast similarities / differences between L1 and English to help sts to focus their efforts,
especially where these differences are significant?
11. teach patterns and suffixes that transfer easily from L1 to help to make ‘learning leaps’; e.g.,
-ly, -tion?
12. give consistent model words to memorise for each sound? The English pronunciation
chart has two rhyming picture words for each, so they mutually support each other.
13. exploit the ‘physicality’ of pronunciation: breathing, facial and body movements of sounds /
stress? Some sts appreciate ‘tongue / lip / teeth’ drawings as models to see what they
have to do.
14. give words a syllable at a time when eliciting, e.g. He’s A-MER-I-C…, for sts to supply the
rest as soon as they can?
15. use recognition and awareness-raising exercises? Do syllable-counting, prominence
spotting, imitation, tongue twisters, picking out different tones and moods?
16. use rhyme, rhythm, chant, poetry, rap and all kinds of music regularly and even a dance or
two? It rhymes with foot to teach / correct put, It sounds like tree to teach sea?
17. respond naturally to incorrect models (as if unfamiliar with L1 accent yourself) and
encourage repetition to say it better? Say Pardon? in response to overly L1 pronunciation
or very flat intonation?
18. consistently mark the stress on new words for sts to copy and include in their own word
lists? Mark with a circle or blob above the stressed syllable?
19. cross silent letters and encourage sts to keep lists of words with silent letters?
20. highlight linking (draw a line between words: an_orange) and pauses (/ = short pause, // =
longer pause)?
21. show sentence stress shift (eliciting different meanings according to which words are
stressed)?
22. work on transcripts, shadow read text and subvocalise to yourself, notice and underline
most stressed words / pauses / links? Turn any audio script into a proper listening /
pronunciation teaching vehicle?
23. build ‘sound banks’ (photo collages and lists of words with common sounds)? Work on
sound-spelling relationships, highlighting key patterns?
24. encourage sts to enjoy and play with words, to experiment, to create and to invent where
possible (combining a crocodile and an elephant to make a CROcophant)?
25. use moods and characters to practise intonation and ‘mood faces’ activities for drills? (See
SELIGSON, P., Helping Students to Speak, Richmond, 1997, for a photocopiable ‘moods’
chart.)
26. set ‘oral’ homework tasks and make sure your workbook / homework contains both
listening and pronunciation exercises?
27. use ‘listen to and memorise’ dialogs / rhymes, listen and read activities, and pronunciation
games?
28. include aspects of pronunciation in sts’ evaluations, e.g. spotting the odd one out (bed,
head, bear, pen), grouping words by common sounds, or simple stress marking?

Your score: / 28 (anything over 20 is a strong score)

Extra pronunciation tips: dos and don’ts

• Don’t transmit negative values about pronunciation by prioritising grammar or

vocabulary over it.
• Do enjoy the fun and excitement that exploring and learning about pronunciation
offers. Keep your ‘pronunciation antennae’ alert at all times!
• Don’t use insecurity about your own pronunciation as an excuse to deny sts access
to pronunciation activities.
• Do try to regularly exploit the many opportunities that pronunciation offers. Inspire sts
to be interested and to want to ‘help themselves’.
Useful websites

<www.teachertrainingvideos.com> – lectures on Slideshare, teacher training videos on

YouTube and tutorials on how to use PowerPoint, Prezi and Word tools
<www.yakitome.com> – copy, paste and convert the text to speech
<www.vocaroo.com> – sts record themselves
<www.mailvu.com> – record and send your videos
<www.lyricstraining.com> – search for lyrics by artist, album and genre