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Teaching Pronunciation Final
Teaching Pronunciation Final
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Names and surnames:
-
Region: La Libertad
E-mail:
valeriaoc@hotmail.com
gosth_s@hotmail.com
Telephone number:
Carla Ortiz: 987852339
Suleny Vera : 980677012
____________________________
_________________________
Carla Valeria Ortiz Cipriano
Suleny Lisbet Vera Reyes
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Introduction
Good communication depends on proper pronunciation.
Generally, pronunciation plays an important role in helping the learner
become an intelligible speaker (Morley, 1998). Learners with good
English pronunciation are likely to be understood even if they make
errors in other areas, whereas learners with poor pronunciation will not
be understood, even if their grammar is accurate. Besides being able to
speak English with appropriate pronunciation not only makes our speech
comprehensible, but also builds up proper rapport with the listeners.
One of the most difficult problems facing non-native speakers of
English is pronunciation. It is usually the biggest obstacle to overcome
when trying to achieve fluency. In this paper we will refer to Spanish
speakers with English as the target language. There are many problems
of transfer since the features of English pronunciation differ from the
Spanish pronunciation. Frequently, language learners make errors by
borrowing patterns from their mother tongue in this case Spanish.
We will choose two problems of transfer between Spanish and
English that we consider to be obstacles to efficient communication and
we will analyze them from two points of view.
Firstly we will explain the causes of the problems as regards phonetic
and phonological aspects.
Secondly, we will explain how we think the problems can be solved.
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however,
is
not
English
as
native
language
but
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In the first place I will focus on one segmental feature that is the dental
fricatives // and //. These sounds are usually written th in English and
it appears in such words as three, think // , this and then //. Spanish
native speakers especially from Latin American countries tend to
substitute the // with either /f/, /s/ or /t/ and /d/ instead of //. These are
serious mistakes, because these sounds distinguish many pairs of words,
e.g. thinker and tinker / sinker. we have noticed that these problems
happen so often. we have listened to some of our students saying
phrases like I sink, or thats what I sought instead of I think and
thats what I thought. it can actually be confusing since the meaning
changes.
For Spanish native speakers, these sounds are problematic
because when we first listen to them we tend to find a similarity with our
language and that is when the error occurs. Sometimes it is necessary to
know how to produce these sounds. It is interesting to be aware of the
process of articulation of these phonemes, then little by little students
can distinguish and pronounce them properly. The process of articulation
of fricatives can be described as it follows: the vocal cords do not
vibrate, and the velum is raised. The tip of the tongue is raised very
close to the upper front teeth. The sides of the tongue touch the upper
side teeth. Friction is produced as the air passes through the narrowing
at the tongue-tip. Fricatives are smooth sounds that we can hold for a
few seconds. In few words fricative sounds are created by forcing air out
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implications and doubts. It can also be argued that the fall-rise conveys
uncertainty or in-completion but the fall-rise is apparently associated
with especially delimiting open meanings; it has sometimes, and quite
rightly, been referred to as the contingency tone in English intonation.
That is, the fall-rise is often an indication that the proposition or
argument is correct only under certain circumstances.
Spanish speakers have different intonation depending on the country
or region. This makes it difficult because they transfer their own Spanish
intonation to English. We
and their intonation is not the same in Spanish even though intelligibility
is not a problem, a person who is not accustomed to it, might
misinterpret the message. This is a special characteristic of my country
Peru where
pronunciation is different.
Taking into consideration the five variables Brinton proposes, we will be
discussing how we can approach these problems.
Activities to approach these features.
The three E variables
Exposure
Exposure to the language is essential for the learners to be able to
improve in the problems mentioned above. In my context, our students
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who are children have the opportunity to learn and practice English
merely at school therefore they have little exposure since they are not
immersed in an English environment .
Exercise
The students have the possibility to practice the target sounds in
small groups. They feel better and relax when they do choral repetition.
Students can also exercise the language by listening to CDs and
repeating sounds and chants. Tongue twisters are also of great help.
Explanation
Explanation is key for the comprehension and communication in the
language. Explanation
is
necessary
because
students
need
to
understand that there are certain rules they can apply to improve their
pronunciation. I think the explanation has to be quite simple
to be
understandable.
Brintons five variables
The learners variables
Our students are in third, fourth and fifth grades at primary school in
Trujillo- Peru. Their ages range from 8 to 11 years old . They are
elementary students who have studied English since they were in first
grade.
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Setting Variables
Most of my students practice English merely at school therefore they
have little exposure since they are not immersed in an English
environment.
Institutional variables
These students have classes three times a week. Each class lasts one
hour and a half. The curriculum focus on the four skills and all the
classes are mostly in English especially with fifth grade. The course book
provides a wide range of activities for students and perfectly fits mixedabilities groups. They also use readers to reinforce reading skills.
Linguistic and methodological variables
The segmental and suprasegmental levels are both of great importance.
In Spanish we do not have or use some phonemes and some prosodic
features that are determining in English. I think with children it is
required to start with the latter since they tend to lengthen word and
phrases, something that they do in Spanish and transfer to English.
The communicative approach is the method used at the school and it is
the one used in most schools of my city.
CONCLUSION
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Consequently
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Bibliography
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