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In the English classroom, pronunciation is often forgotten about in favor of other topics. However, language learners are just as concerned about pronunciation as they are about other crucial topics, such as grammar. Despite this concern, many teachers still shy away from the topic, because it is difficult for them to explain, or they feel that most native speakers can’t detect it anyways. But, phonology is a key part of being able to speak well. Unit 13 breaks down different points of English phonology, and explains various ways that it can be taught to students.
One of the arguments against teaching English pronunciation is that it varies between the different countries that speak it. However, this shouldn’t negate the fact that a universal pronunciation system exists. This system is called the International Phonetic Alphabet. This system is frequently seen right after a word in the dictionary. While the system can seem a bit confusing at first, once students (and teachers) master it, they will have a tool to be able to understand how to pronounce any English word, without even hearing it first.
Once students have a good understanding of the International Phonetic Alphabet, they can learn how to make the sounds themselves. How we speak and what specific movements our mouths form to make sounds has been studied extensively. There are different places of articulation (for example, palatal, alveolar, and dental), as well as different manners of articulation (such as plosive and fricative). These two points of speech come together to create a graph of basic sounds, which is a guide for how and where (in the mouth) they are formed. By using this guide, as well as giving exaggerated mouth movements and other diagrams, teachers can guide their students through proper articulation of English.
Teaching students about English phonology can seem like a challenge to some teachers, but there are plenty of tools perfect for implementation in the classroom. These tools include the International Phonetic Alphabet, and articulation guides and charts. Many students are eager to learn about phonetics, since how to pronounce words in the English language can be frustrating at times. So teachers shouldn’t shy away from a topic their students are so eager to learn about; phonetics should be given equal footing in the language classroom.
