ELT News Think Tank

This Month's Think Tank Panel

Marc Helgesen

Peter Viney

Setsuko Toyama

Julian Edge

Judy Gilbert

Curtis Kelly

Panelists: Marc | Setsuko | Peter
Guest panelists: Julian Edge | Judy Gilbert | Curtis Kelly
Date: November 2000

Topic: "What are ways to introduce pronunciation exercises in lessons?"

Marc Helgesen

Pronunciation certainly has come a long way since the bad old days of minimal pairs: students droning away with 'sheep' and 'ship', 'leap and 'lip', 'sheet' and so on.

We know that pronunciation involves far more than parroting individual sounds. Most of our effort should be on larger aspects such as stress-timing and intonation.

I think it is a mistake to ask students to produce target pronunciation too soon. They need to notice what they are going to say and notice the target pronunciation. One easy way is to use short text like the model sentences for a pair- or groupwork or a short dialog. Of course, the learners should read or listen to the whole thing first. We want them to understand the context of what ever they are working on before they focus one a smaller aspect.

Then, to work on pronunciation, the teacher reads it again, pausing after each sentence and have students repeat silently in their minds. Ask them to pay attention to the voice. Did they repeat it in their own voice or did they 'mentally replay' the recording? Ask them to hear it in their own voices, but with a very natural pronunciation. Have them listen to the sentences in their minds several times before actually saying them aloud. They get a mental image of what they want it to sound like. Then they are in a position both to try to match it and to notice the gap between their target pronunciation and their actual pronunciation.

Another useful technique is Silent Listen and Repeat. We're probably all familiar with 'listen and repeat' drills where the teacher says a sentence and students immediately try to repeat it. I find in more effective to ask them to repeat it silently. Yes, their mouths are moving, they just don’t make any sound. Most find it is much easier to notice what is happening with pronunciation than when they are repeating aloud.

To introduce this, you might want to do a regular 'listen and repeat' first so they can contrast it. They'll probably notice that they are much more aware of their lips, tongue and teeth when they aren't actually making the sounds (I know this sounds crazy but try this: repeat this sentence twice, once aloud followed by once silently. Which time did you notice? You probably notice more when you were silent. And remember your students are at a level of automaticity far below yours. (Credit where due. I learned this trick from Judy Gilbert).

Jazz Chants are another great way to focus learners on the stress-timing of English – so important because is it such a different system than the syllable-timing of Japanese. The classic Jazz Chant books are by Carolyn Graham from Oxford University Press. Few coursebooks for adults include them (a notable exception is Setsuko's Journeys Listening/Speaking 1 from Longman). If you’re using a different textbook, you can easily work on rhythm by getting an electronic keyboard. They all (I think all, anyway) come with a feature that generates rhythms to back up what the pianist is playing. Don't worry. You don’t need to be able to play the keyboard. You just turn on the rhythm function. Or, if you want to get more sophisticated, go to an electronics shop and get rhythm machine designed for hip-hop artists.

Whichever you choose, play with it a bit to see the kids of rhythms you have available. Then look at the text you want to use - short textbook dialogs work well. Just play with the rhythm machine and find a rhythm that "sort of fits" the text. This really isn't very hard. The major stress in English will follow a rhythm. The other words just fit in between the stress. In class, once the students have read through the dialog and understand the meaning, start the rhythm. Read the dialog a loud. Snapping fingers can help focus them on the rhythm. Have the learners do it with you. You’ve got a DIY (Do it yourself) jazz chant.

Panelists: Marc | Setsuko | Peter
Guest panelists: Julian Edge | Judy Gilbert | Curtis Kelly

Marc Helgesen, Miyagi Gakuin Women's College

Co-author of English Firsthand and Active Listening

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