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Pronunciation is probably the most neglected aspect of English language teaching. Applied phonetics is rarely taught at school or university. An effective teacher considers the teaching of pronunciation an integral part of the course. It is possible to lay down general guidelines for English pronunciation.
Phonology is the study, science, analysis, and classification of the physical properties of sounds. The areas of stress, rhythm, and intonation are important to help students come to an understanding of the pronunciation of English. Intonation is the variation in volume and pitch of a whole sentence. Intonation carries the message in a sentence and is also fundamental in the expression of emotions or feelings. Techniques for teaching intonation include using: nonsense words, gesture, humming/singing, or board work. Stress is more concerned with individual words. The strong part of a sentence is the stressed word, or word that bears the principal emphasis in a sentence. Stress on different words in a sentence can change the meaning of the sentence. Techniques for teaching stress include using: contrastive stress, gesture, choral work, board work, and stress marks. Rhythm is the way sounds are joined and linked together in English. Often times words sound different when blended together to form sentences. It's good for students to know the difference between how English is written and spoken.
There is an internationally accepted system of symbols for pronunciation of English called the phonemic alphabet. The phonemic alphabet is found in English dictionaries and shows how words are properly pronounced. It is good for both teachers and students to know how to use this system. Once the system is known it can help students learn how to pronounce words on their own using a dictionary.
Teaching of individual sounds can be good fun for teachers and students. Some activities that work well include: peer dictation, the teacher's own mouth, visuals (pictures/diagrams), phonemes, and tongue twisters. It is important for teachers to include pronunciation in thier lessons wherever they feel it will be most effective.
I learned a lot about teaching pronunciation and phonology in this unit. I think pronunciation of the English is important to teach to students so they will be more clearly understood when speaking. Proper application of intonation and stress gives good expression and feeling when speaking for deeper understanding of what is being communicated. It is good for both teachers and students to know how to use the phonemic alphabet as a tool for learning pronunciation. The more exposure the students have to a language, the better. Therefore, I feel it is important for teachers to encourage outside reading and listening as much as possible.
