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Teaching students the phonetic structure of a new language is important in a program designed to teach english as a foreign language. Phonetics can be defined as the study of the systematic classification of the sounds made in spoken utterance. Furthermore, phonetics describes the physiological aspects of constructing speech sounds and the auditory reception of those sounds. Through phonetic instruction, students gain an increasingly deeper understanding of the physical formation of sounds and that letters and sounds have a special relationship to each other and are not just randomly put together. If provisions are made for developmental and consistent practice in addition to a variety of reinforcement activities, students become increasingly able to apply phonetic rules to improve receptive and productive language skills. In the Journal of Phonetics, Pierre Halle writes, “perception of speech segments by adults is highly constrained by their experience with the phonological properties of their native language.” A phonetic system serves as an effective way to standardize acceptable letter/sound and pronunciation patterns in a language. Students who have strong phonetic skills tend to be successful in language skill areas and more receptive to using their analytical skills to figure language out. Sometimes the students referred to as Learning Disabled are actually those who need instruction that engages their brain in a more analytical way. Progressive and in depth study of a phonetic system can turn the light bulb on for such students. Students who have knowledge of the phonetic structure of a language appear to be more confident in their ability to make sense out of what they read. Reluctant learners are more inclined to want to read out loud because of increased confidence with pronunciation. This experience even occurs with native english speakers. In the Unites States for example, the development of Standard english skills has been negatively impacted by regional accents due in part to the historical experiences of some people (i.e. limited formal education access). From personal experience, by developing students phonetic skills, they develop a greater appreciation for reading as they are more comfortable with letter/sound patterns and can just concentrate on comprehension. Writing is benefitted because spelling is simplified through studying the phonetic structure of a language. Listening comprehension skills are also greatly improved as students hear the same sounds they have practiced produced in actual speech. Just recently, while browsing a social media website, we came across a text written by a young man who said he wanted to be a “housewhole” name. If this young man had a greater understanding phonetics and phonology, it is likely that he would have been able to discern that the word he was trying to say was a compound word that ended with a “d” sound, household. Phonetic information and related skills that are helpful to a wide age range. It is too often assumed that it is enough to teach phonics at the beginning stages of language learning (to young students), if at all. Instructional phonetic material covers skills needed for all phrases of literacy proficiency through advanced stages of language learning. Adult learners can be readily engaged in lessons regarding the phonetic structure of a new language because these lessons provide opportunities for them to utilize their analytical skills and more quickly work independently with resource tools to further their knowledge of how the new language works. In a paper written by two students (Janice Johnson and Maria Kozikowska) who studied phonetics at university, the two students express that they felt an immediate impact from studying the International Phonetic Alphabet when they used foreign languages on holiday. They further added that they had increased confidence in being able to recognize crucial differences between sounds of different languages. To conclude, once students understand the phonetic system of a new language, learning another language becomes more appealing. Because there are so many advantages to teaching students how the phonetic system of how english works, it would be beneficial to students if more teachers were well trained in this area of language learning. Cited sources 1) Pg282 Halle, Best, and Levitt. Journal of Phonetics (1999) http://web.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL1172.pdf 2) Why Study Phonetics? By Janice Johnson and Maria Kozikowska http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/3341 3) Research Support: Phonics Intervention http://steckvaughn.hmhco.com/HA/correlations/pdf/s/saxon_phonics_int_research.pdf 4) Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc. 5) The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. 6) www.modelmayhem.com