STARTBODY

Teach English in Fancun Zhen - Yuncheng Shi

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Fancun Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yuncheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.

Japanese is one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and perhaps vice versa. Though many Japanese programs do not require English teachers to learn Japanese, teachers should study basic Japanese to understand challenges students will encounter when learning English. English and Japanese share almost nothing in common; they have different writing systems, grammar rules, and phonetics. English phonetics are especially difficult for Japanese students to master because English spelling and pronunciation vary greatly depending on the word and how letters function when placed with other letters. Some common phonetic challenges Japanese students may face include mastering the /l/ pronunciation, memorizing vowel sounds, and becoming comfortable with consonant clusters. The Japanese language does not include the /l/ sound, so they must mastering using a completely new sound. Japanese speakers commonly confuse the lateral alveolar approximant /l/ with the alveolar approximant /r/, and this confusion may result in a slight /r/ instead of /l/. For example, the name Lisa may sound more like Risa. This confusion stems from phonetic differences in the way we pronounce the /r/ sound. In English, the /l/ sound is made by touching the tip of the tongue behind the top teeth, whereas /r/ does not touch. However, in Japanese, the /r/ is made by slightly touching the back of one’s teeth, much like an English /l/. This similarity between a Japanese /r/ and English /l/ contributes to the difficulty students have in distinguishing one sound from the other. Misunderstandings are especially likely if the change in pronunciation creates an entirely different word, such as pronouncing “light” as “right.” To overcome this obstacle, teachers should drill both the /r/ and /l/ sound so students gain appropriate practice with the two sounds. Each Japanese vowel is associated with one sound and consistently pronounced the same way, whereas English vowels often carry a variety of sounds depending on its location in a word and how other letters interact with it. In English, one vowel can be pronounced five different ways, and sometimes even more than that. For example, here are a few different ways English speakers pronounce the letter a: exact, father, alone, law, able, and private. The a sound is pronounced differently in each word, and one of these words – alone – includes a schwa sound, which does not exist in Japanese. These variations sometimes fall into patterns, but other times there appears to be no rhyme or reason for the variations from the point of view of a Japanese student. If students are taught to pronounce the letters “au” like the word “laugh,” they will struggle when they pronounce words like “haunt” and “fault” the same as “laugh.” To avoid such challenges, teachers should clearly pronounce new vocabulary words to students as they encounter them and drill newly learned words for accuracy. A noticeable difference between Japanese and English is that English consonants are often grouped together in words as consonant clusters, whereas Japanese consonants are often linked together with vowels. In Japanese, most words follow a pattern of alternating consonants and vowels. Examine the following sentence: “Eki wa doko desu ka?” The pattern is vowel, consonant, vowel, consonant, etc. This pattern occurs in most Japanese words and sentences because the Japanese alphabet consists of symbols that denote both a consonant and a vowel sound, such as symbols for the sounds ku, no, and ta. In English, alphabet symbols represent either a consonant or a vowel, and consonants can be easily grouped together. In Japanese, most symbols cannot contain consonant clusters, and Japanese words cannot end in a consonant (except for n). And though the Japanese language loans some English words, these words are pronounced and written to align with the Japanese alphabet and the alternating pattern. Some loan words include apaato (apartment), aisukuriimu (icecream), and bataa (butter). Because of the Japanese alphabet, Japanese students may occasionally add vowel sounds in English words that are not there. For example, pronouncing Jim as Jimu or Chris as Kurisu. If students pronounce words with added vowels, teachers should note that it is likely not a mistake on the student’s part, but rather the influence of a vastly different language. Like other phonetic challenges, drilling words that contain many consonant clusters will help students become more familiar with pronouncing foreign words and more comfortable with consonant clusters. Phonetics are a key part of learning any language. Mastering phonetics allows students to more effectively communicate in a language, as well as more easily interpret what others are saying in that language. While Japanese students may face some challenges when learning a language like English, these phonetic challenges can be easily overcome with understanding from the teacher and drilling activities that hone in on the most difficult aspects of English phonetics.


ENDBODY