HOW TO TEACH PRONUNCIATION 1

Running head: HOW TO TEACH PRONUNCIATION

Islamic Azad University

How to Teach Pronunciation
Hassan Ostadian
Azad University oI Damavand











June, 2011
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Abstract
The Iocus oI this study is on the importance oI pronunciation in second/Ioreign language
learning curriculum and provides teachers with some suggested methods Ior teaching
pronunciation to EFL or ESL learners. Pronunciation is considered as a consequential Iactor
aIIecting successIul communication. A reasonable pronunciation is essential Ior those
learners who want to talk intelligibly to others in another language; consequently teachers
should include pronunciation in their courses and help their learners to improve their
pronunciation.
Key words. pronunciation, communication, intelligibility
















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Background and Purpose
Pronunciation has been one oI the most challenging issues Ior teachers oI English.
Every teacher who teaches language to non-native speakers have indisputably Iaced many
pronunciation divergence committed by students which may directly aIIect the eIIectiveness
oI communication. Some approaches to language teaching have neglected the importance oI
pronunciation in their syllabus and some others have Iocused their attention on this issue.
There have been many diIIerent attitudes towards pronunciation and its genuine position
within the Iield oI teaching language. BeIore the advent oI communicative language teaching
in the late 1970s, pronunciation had no room in the language teaching curriculums. The
Grammar-translation method viewed pronunciation as irrelevant and useless. Its proponents
paid no attention to it and rejected the importance oI pronunciation works. They excluded any
kind oI pronunciation training Irom their programs.
Later, Audio-lingual Approach drew attention to pronunciation and claimed that it is
important to be considered. Through this method, the teacher is the model oI the authentic
language and students repeat aIter their teacher. The teacher corrects any mispronunciation
committed by the students immediately. Moreover, the teacher uses exercises such as the
minimal pair drills and working, over and over, on the sound system oI the target language.
But these activities seemed to be unattractive and exhausting both Ior instructors and students
and its results tended to be discouraging. So, there was a need Ior some new and more
eIIective methods Ior teaching pronunciation to EFL/ESL learners.
In the late 1970s, the Communicative Approach to second and Ioreign language
teaching proposed by BrumIit and Johnson (1978) and the orientation towards language
teaching changed Irom a language-based to a more communicative based instructions.
Consequently, teaching pronunciation also Iaced some Iundamental changes. Directions
switched Irom teacher-centered and exhausting activities to Iacilitating and student-student
communicative tasks (such as games, role-playing and problem-solving). Through using
these attractive and other innovative activities Ior teaching pronunciation, teachers motivated
students to speak more comprehensible and native like. Psychologically, these tasks would
have more satisIactory results than those oI previous approaches.


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is Pronunciation Ignored?
As mentioned in the previous section, some teachers neglect the importance oI
pronunciation in their classrooms. But what is the reason Ior some teachers` disregard Ior
teaching pronunciation? Why they ignore pronunciation and exclude it Irom their
curriculum?
Few studies have been conducted to reveal the possible answers to these questions
and display the reasons Ior ignorance oI pronunciation by some teachers. Kelly (2000)
proposes that neglecting pronunciation as a part oI the curriculum may not be on account oI
the lack oI interest in the subject among teachers, but rather it reIlects a Ieeling oI uncertainty
as to the ways and techniques to teach it.
Maniruzzaman (2008) suggests Iour reasons:
1- the curriculum/ syllabus designer has deliberately or
ignorantly overlooked its signiIicance.
2- very many oI them |teachers| do not have any Iormal and
adequate training in English phonetics and phonology as well as
EFL pronunciation teaching.
3- as they |teachers| do not know what strategies are appropriate
when they meet a speciIic problem; they simply avoid
pronunciation instruction in the classroom by employing shrewd
tricks
4- curriculum/ syllabus designers, materials developers,
educators, classroom teachers and test writers/ question setters in
EFL settings have either literature background or insuIIicient
training in ELT
In my opinion, we should add another reason to the above mentioned reasons which
reIlects the nature oI teaching pronunciation itselI; being time-consuming instruction,
teaching pronunciation is neglected by teachers oI Ioreign language. Pronunciation training
needs long-time instruction and exercise Ior students to master a native-like pronunciation.
Most oI the teachers who are supposed to conduct the instruction within a limited period, the
Iirst skill which they omit Irom their curriculum in order to save the time is, unIortunately,
pronunciation.
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is Pronunciation Important?
Many studies are conducted about pronunciation and its importance in teaching
programs. Pronunciation is deIinitely the biggest thing that people notice when a person is
speaking (Maniruzzaman, 2008). Gilbert (1995) suggested that listening comprehension and
pronunciation are interdependent and maintained that not being able to hear well means that
the communication will break oII. Varonis and Gass (1982) inspected the Iactors which aIIect
listening comprehension oI those native speakers who are exposed to non-native speech.
They Iound that pronunciation as well as grammar is aIIecting the intelligibility oI
interaction.
In addition, Wong (1993) claims that the importance oI pronunciation is even more
distinct when the connection between pronunciation and listening comprehension is taken
into account. He also asserts that ignorance oI pronunciation could also attack other skills
such as reading and spelling.
Current Viewpoint on Pronunciation
The scholars and teachers` tendencies, in recent years, have been changed towards the
Communicative Approach and those activities which can improve communicative
competence in second language learners. Consequently, the attitude towards pronunciation
and techniques Ior teaching pronunciation changed Irom a classical view into a modern
Iramework, that is to say a Communicative Iramework. Many studies and research have been
down on the issue oI pronunciation in modern Iramework, each oI them presents remarkable
Iindings which can be applied in the curriculum Ior language teachers.
Within the Iramework oI communicative language teaching, Morley (1991)
emphasizes the role oI intelligible pronunciation as a Iundamental element oI communication
competence and suggests that teachers should include pronunciation in their curriculum.
Morley (1991) Iinally generates a precious statement which is a closure Ior his worthwhile
article. He says: The question is not whether pronunciation should be taught, but instead
what should be taught in a pronunciation class and how it should be taught (Morley, 1991).
It is a valuable research which can be a good reIerence Ior those teachers who want to
examine teaching pronunciation within Communicative language teaching. Kelly (2000) in
his book named How to Teach Pronunciation asserts that while planning, teachers should
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decide what pronunciation issues are relevant to the particular structures and lexis being dealt
with in the lesson.
Fortunately, it seems that CLT advocates place a greater emphasis on pronunciation
than those who Iollow classic methods oI teaching to include it within the curriculum. They
have Iound the communicative values oI pronunciation Ior learners. But what can they do Ior
enhancing this signiIicant Ieature oI language in their learners?
at Can te Teacer Do to Improve Teir Students' Pronunciation?
As we discussed in the previous sections, an evolution has been took place in the
Iramework oI language teaching and the attitudes towards it. Indisputably, this evolution
would aIIect what happened in the classrooms and could change methods and techniques Ior
teaching. In the two successive parts I will explain what was and is happening in the previous
and current classrooms in respect oI pronunciation teaching. I will try to compare them and
state any weaknesses within these methods and techniques.
Pronunciation Teacing in Previous classrooms
Celce-Murcia (1983) represents some techniques that was used in previous
classrooms and have been unsuccessIul. UnIortunately some oI them are still used by some
teachers. Some oI Iamiliar methods among these techniques are as Iollows:
- Students are supposed to listen to the teacher and then imitate what they hear. The
teacher corrects any miss-pronunciation committed by the students.
- Students are asked to produce a tongue twisters or special phrases (e.g. She sells
seashells by seashore).
- Minimal pairs are taught using relevant drills (e.g. Don`t sit on that seat.).
- Teachers Iocus on vowel shiIts (e.g. /a/ in Bible and // in Biblical) and stress shiIts
(e.g. pho`tography and photo`graphy).

There have been many other techniques Ior teaching English pronunciation which may
not be stated in the above list. Celce-Murcia (1983) illustrates some weaknesses oI these sorts
oI activities in teaching pronunciation in classrooms. She lists Iour major objections are as
explained in the coming section:
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- Students learn to produce some selected sounds in a controlled
situation in class, but what they learn does not readily transIer to real
language use.
- There is too much Iocus on minimal pairs and on isolated words or
sentences with little or no attention given to communication.
- Many pronunciation problems do not lend themselves well to
minimal-pair drill (e.g. /u/ in wooed vs. // in would).
- Most teachers simply can`t handle a word-level minimal pair drill
eIIectively because it is artiIicial and not conductive to the use oI
intonation patterns and phrase-based rhythm Iound in natural
conversation.
(Celce-Murcia, 1983)

The above mentioned objections are originated Irom both theoretical and practical
considerations which can be regarded as basic ones in the area oI pronunciation.
Pronunciation Teacing in CLT Classrooms
The techniques stated in the previous section are declined by Communicative
Approach supporters because, as they hold, these sorts oI teaching are very teacher-centered.
The Communicative Approach, which took hold in the 1980s and is currently dominant in
language teaching, holds that since the primary purpose oI language is communication, using
language to communicate should be central in all classroom language instruction.
Although Communicative Approach has placed much more emphasis on
pronunciation than previous approaches, but it`s presented materials and literature do not
oIIer much techniques and methods to teach pronunciation communicatively. Though, there
are some researchers who provide us with some noteworthy explanations oI how should we
conduct pronunciation courses in a communicative manner (Celce-Murcia, 1983; Morely,
1991; Maniruzzaman, 2008; Kenderick, 1997; Wang & Munro, 2004; Walker, 2005). They
insist on intelligibility oI the speakers oI L2 Ior successIul oral communication and maintain
that the pronunciation should not necessarily be native-like.
Walker (2005) diIIerentiates between teaching pronunciation in EIL settings (English
as an International Language) and in ML environments (Monolingual). He says that
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communication tasks in EIL settings develop accommodation skills. But in ML settings these
tasks encourage convergence on the L1 phonology to reach intelligibility and this will cause
problem in learning. Based on this assumption Walker (2005) presented a technique to teach
pronunciation communicatively in ML settings and named it Student-Produced Recording.
As the name suggests, Students are asked to work together and record themselves while
speaking based on a text given by the teacher or written by themselves. It can be either
monologue or dialogue and each recording must target only a Iew Ieatures. In the end the
Iinished recording is given to the teacher who will mark it objectively. He claims that these
tasks are highly meaningIul and could remove any harmIul Ieeling oI Iear oI perIorming in
Iront oI the class.
Another study conducted by Scarcella, R. & OxIord, R. (1994) suggest another
technique in which the emphasis pronunciation in the context oI meaningIul interaction and
believe that the technique is more realistic and comprehensive than traditional ones to be used
in classrooms. They deIine the main goal oI the technique as to earn necessary pronunciation
competence Ior learners to cope with communication to the extent that pronunciation will not
interdict communication. So it seems that, as Walker (2005), they insist on the intelligibility
in communication, not native-like pronunciation.
To do so, teachers should pay more attention to intonation and stress and provide
students with motivating tasks and learning strategies such as selI-monitoring and awareness
skills. Students are supposed to be independent in learning pronunciation and the teacher only
provides them with the above mentioned strategies and some phonetic descriptions iI
necessary. The central part oI this method is again tape-recording meaningIul learning tasks.
The below mentioned activities are considered by Kenderick (1997) to be desirable
Ior teachers and/or students to perIorm in order to improve pronunciation skills:
1. Improving segmental discrimination abilities and enhancing the knowledge about how
sounds are articulated.
2. Developing awareness oI weak syllables using related exercises.
3. Exercises on marked word stress.
4. PerIorming speech rhythm exercises.
5. Tape-recording individually at home.
6. Activities which involve role-playing to reduce the danger oI Iear in learners.
Other activities involved students "perIorming" speeches, composed by themselves, and
mimicking each other's languages, which sensitized us to contrasting articulatory
characteristics (Kenderick, 1997). At the end oI her experimental study, she also observed
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that there were highly signiIicant correlation between the time expended at pronunciation
exercises and the level oI improvement in learners' skill in pronunciation. Based on her
experience, the technique was very eIIective and students responded positively to most oI the
activities.
Advances in technology have led some researchers to work on the impact oI
computer-based instruction on improvement oI pronunciation in L2 learners. Among these
researchers' studies, there is an outstanding work done by Wang and Munro (2004). Within
their report they present a technique Ior teaching pronunciation called "Computer-based
Training". Utilizing this technique, which sometimes is called The Human Computer
Technique, students are allowed to use a custom-designed soItware on a computer to initiate
pronunciation practice by selecting the item(s) to practice and deciding the amount oI
repetition which is needed. Students can apply this method independently at home and
practice and repeat to the extent that they desire and will satisIy.
Wang and Munro (2004) describe this technique as a motivating, student-centered and
eIIective one in the Iield oI pronunciation teaching and learning. The only objection to this
method could be the limited control oI teacher over the extent oI works done by students.
We can spot at least three common characteristics in the above mentioned techniques.
First, all oI them are trying to move towards more student-student exercises than traditional
teacher-centered practice. The possible reason may be that oI reducing the negative eIIects oI
Iear to initiate communication in L2 learners and encouraging group-work activities.
Second shared Ieature among these methods could be that oI Iocusing on the
importance oI both segmental and suprasegmental Ieatures oI pronunciation. It seems that
they are trying to move towards a more balanced view. While they try to Iocus on, Ior
example, the ability to distinguish between sounds, at the same time they attach a high
importance to the ability to distinguish, Ior example, stress and intonation shiIt in diIIerent
situations.
The last but not the least common characteristic oI the above mentioned techniques is
very technical and reIers to their shared theoretical background. All the mentioned studies
were perIorming in the Communicative Approach Iramework. Since the main goal oI this
theoretical approach is Ior learners to gain an appropriate communicative competence, all the
proponents oI Communicative Language Teaching including the above mentioned
researchers are trying to develop the learners' ability in pronunciation to the extent oI
intelligibility in communication tasks, not necessarily native-like pronunciation.

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Conclusion
Classical approaches beIore the arrival oI CLT disregarded the importance oI pronunciation
in L2 learning. But Today's attitudes towards pronunciation and including or excluding
pronunciation exercises have been changed with the advent oI Communicative Language
teaching. Most oI the scholars believe that teachers should include pronunciation in their
curriculum. They have provided teachers with many practical techniques to cope with
pronunciation. CLT proponents suggest that teachers should be satisIied with the ability oI
their students to the extent that it does not hurt communication. Based on CLT the most
important aim oI speaking is to convey a meaning; iI bad pronunciation causes a breakdown
in the Ilow oI communication, then we must treat it with cautious

















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ReIerences
Celce-Murcia, M. (1983). Teaching Pronunciation Communicatively. MEXTESOL Journal,
7(1), 10-25.
Celce-Murcia, M. & Brinton, D. & Goodwin, J. (1996): Teaching Pronunciation. A
Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of other Languages. Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press.
Gilbert, J. (1995). Pronunciation practices as an aid to listening comprehension. San Diego:
Dominic Press.
Kelly, G. (2000). How to Teach Pronunciation. England: Longman.
Kenderick, H. (1997). Keep Them Talking! A Project Ior Improving Students' L2
Pronunciation, System, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 545-560.
Maniruzzaman, M. (2008). Teaching Efl Pronunciation. Why, What and How? Mnchen:
Grin Publication.
Morley, J. (1991). The pronunciation component in teaching English to speakers oI other
languages. TESOL Quarterly, 25 (3), 481-520.
Scarcella, R. & OxIord, R. (1994). Second Language Pronunciation: State oI the Art in
Instructions, System, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 221-230.
Varonis, E. & Gass, S. (1982). The comprehensibility oI nonnative speech. Studies in Second
Language Acquisition, 4, 114-136.
Wang, X. & Munro, J. (2004). Computer-based Training Ior learning English Vowel
Contrasts, System, Vol. 32, 539552.
Wong, R. (1993). Pronunciation myths and Iacts. English Teaching Forum, Oct.1993, 45-46.