Teach English in Tain - TEFL Courses

Pronunciation Problems in japan As with any student learning english as a second language, there are a myriad of pronunciation issues facing japanese learners of english, from vowel differences to intonation issues (Kistler; Wang; Independent survey). However, the most common pronunciation issue with japanese learners involves differentiating between sounds that don't exist in japanese (Bradford; Kistler; Wang). In addition, in an independent survey of twenty adult japanese speakers of english, the most common answer to the question, “What part of english pronunciation is most difficult for you?” was, by far, the difference between L and R, with all twenty participants mentioning it as a serious concern. Other difficulties involved the TH sound combination, and the differences between B and V and H and F. With all three of these consonant issues, the people surveyed said that these problems occurred both when speaking and when trying to differentiate between spoken english words. When asked why they thought these pronunciation issues were so difficult for japanese speakers to master, the answer was the same for everyone: “because we don't use them in japanese (Independent survey).” The japanese language functions using vowel-constant combination syllables, and many letters which are used in english are indeed absent from japanese, as well as combination consonant-consonant sounds (Kistler; Wang). The english L and R are combined into one sound in japanese, commonly romanized as R but pronounced with tongue placement more similar to that of a dentalized english L. There are B syllables in japanese but no V, and words using V are usually pronounced using B syllables (Bradford). Similarly, while there is an H sound in japanese, the english F sound is usually romanized in phonetic japanese as a combination of the japanese “hu” syllable (the closest to an english F sound) and other vowels (Bradford). Finally, there is simply no syllable in japanese which matches up with either TH pronunciation, with the closest being S syllables. What all three of these issues have in common is the use of tongue, teeth, and lips in combination to create differences in sound. japanese vocalizations use lips and dentalized or sibilant tongue only (Independent survey); however, the english L and R sounds involved different tongue placements, including touching the tongue to the teeth to create the L sound, TH requires a tongue to teeth connection, F requires a teeth to lip connection, and the primary difference between B and V involves that same teeth to lip connection or respective lack thereof (Bradford; Kistler). Consequently, these sounds are particularly difficult for japanese speakers to master in english, and if they are unable to create the sounds, hearing them will be equally difficult. Having identified these common pronunciation issues, the problem then becomes how to solve them. A potential issue to overcome here is the teaching of katakana english, or english pronunciation using the closest equivalent phonetic japanese, to young learners during their early studies (Kistler; Independent survey). One possible solution to these pronunciation issues is teaching students the specific differences between katakana english and proper english, such as eliminating extra syllables and emphasizing when there are letters that do not exist in phonetic japanese (Bradford). Another method is the pedagogy approach, where students study the teacher's exaggerated mouth movements and explanations (sometimes including images or gestures) of the steps taken to achieve certain sounds, such as the different tongue placements for R and L (Kistler; Independent survey). Since the japanese education system is built around rote learning, japanese learners of english believe drilling the differences in english phonics would be helpful, especially for young learners (Kistler; Independent survey). In addition, many online translators and japanese electronic dictionaries now include speaking functions, which, while not as good as having a native speaker for reference, could be useful for self-study and when using words not drilled or taught in lessons outside of the classroom (Independent study). Whatever methods are undertaken, however, it is essential for teachers of japanese learners of english to understand these pronunciation issues, their causes, and work with their students accordingly so that they develop a thorough understanding to improve both their speaking and listening skills in their new language. Works Cited Bradford, Barbara. “Teaching english Pronunciation to japanese Learners.” The japanese Learner, Issue 4, Sept. 1994. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. Kistler, Michael and Sandkamp, Joseph. “Helping japanese Students Overcome Common Pronunciation Problems Caused by Katakana english.” The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 1, Jan. 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Kistler-Katakana.html Wang, Shudong and Higgins, Michael. “Training english Pronunciation for japanese Learners of english Online.” The JALT CALL Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2005. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. http://journal.jaltcall.org/articles/1_1_Wang.pdf Independent survey. Zirakzadeh, Sabrina. 7 Dec. 2013.