TEFL Contagem

Native english speakers learning other languages encounter many challenges with unfamiliar pronunciation in the target language. Students of spanish often have trouble with the rolling ‘double r’ sound which does not really exist in english. Fricative sounds found in some African languages are a challenge as is the guttural sound of German. Making french sound like french can be a huge challenge to native english speakers. We can appreciate then that native spanish speakers learning english will encounter difficulties with some areas of pronunciation. The english alphabet differs in a few letters from the spanish alphabet, so this should be covered in early lessons. It should be pointed out that while vowels are always pronounced the same in spanish (A is always ‘ah’) this is not the case in english where the same vowel can be pronounced differently in different words. The differences in pronunciation of consonants should also be covered. For example, while /B/ and /V/ are often similar sounds in spanish, they are more distinct in english. Students from spain (where /S/ is at times pronounced like /TH/) must learn that in english the english /S/ never sounds like /TH/. A final example is the pronunciation of the /p/ sound, aspirated in english but not in spanish, so the spanish speaker’s pronunciation of ‘pig’ may sound more like ‘big’, It is important to note, and to emphasize to students, that perfect pronunciation is an elusive and unnecessary goal. Who, even among native english speakers, can claim ‘perfect’ pronunciation? The important is goal is to achieve good, clear communication and the confidence that goes along with that. teachers can assure students that often a trace of a spanish accent is pleasing and interesting to native english speakers. Take the example of Penelope Cruz whose near perfect english is enhanced by a slight, delightful spanish accent. It can be difficult for spanish speaking students to hear differences between sounds in english that may not exist in their native spanish - the difference between ‘ship’ and ‘sheep’ for example. This can result in mispronunciation when the student uses these words. Pointing out these differences, often involving vowels, and targeting the use of similar sounds is important in the classroom Of course differences in the alphabets are just the beginning. Pitch and intonation, word stress, and sentence stress must all be addressed. Combining words and sounds is important. The differences between more formal written and more casual spoken english should be taught. Pronunciation and the use of colloquial english overlap. There are many ways to help students learn and improve pronunciation. Practice is very important. In class drills are useful to get the sounds right. Encourage students to talk with and listen to as many native speakers as possible, and to different english accents. Encourage students to watch and listen to english movies and videos. It can be helpful, especially in the early stages of learning, to watch videos with subtitles which assist in picking up the dialog. In class voicing sounds like /g/ vs. unvoiced /k/ can be taught by asking students to touch their throats while producing the sounds. Aspirated sounds like /p/ vs. /b/ can be taught by asking students to place their hand, or a piece of tissue, in front of their mouth while practicing the sounds. Exercises involving tongue twisters and pairs of similar sounding words (ship and sheep; pig and big) are fun and useful. Stress and intonation can be illustrated by exaggeration or by diagrams on a white board. Many other similar techniques can be used. In the end, pronunciation should be integrated into every phase of teaching esl – beginners, intermediates, and advanced students. Making progress with pronunciation builds confidence and provides a sense of satisfaction.