I.

PRONUNCIATION

Theory

1. Pronunciation?
Pronunciation is a set of systems (sounds, stress and intonation) which combine together
to create spoken language that any E-speakers can understand.

2. The aim of teaching pronunciation?

The aim of teaching pronunciation is to:

• Help students acquire native-like pronunciation or intelligible pronunciation.

• Focus:

- on students’ ability to identify and produce English sounds themselves.

- not on the reading and writing phonetic transcripts of words.

• Teach stress and intonation from the very beginning.

3. Why can most learners not acquire native pronunciation?

1. Age

2. The amount of exposure to English

3. The learner’s innate ability: students have different phonetic abilities.

Some are more sensitive to sounds.

4. Common pronunciation problems:

Some common pronunciation problems :

1. Difficulty in pronouncing sounds that don’t exist in L1.

2. Difficulty in pronouncing plosive sounds /p/ and final sounds.

3. Difficulty in pronouncing consonant clusters. Ex: /desks/

4. Confusion of similar sounds. Ex: /i:/ and /i/, /b/ and /p/.

5. Tendency to have equal stress for all syllables and flat intonation.

6. Use of simple vowels instead of diphthongs, triphthongs. Ex: /i:/ instead of

/i /.
5. Ways pronunciation are taught
Pronunciation can be taught in 4 ways:

1. Whole lesson: teacher spends the whole lesson on pronunciation.

2. Discrete slots: teacher spends some portion of the lesson on pronunciation.

3. Integrated teaching: teacher teaches pronunciation as an integral part of

the teaching of skills.

4. Opportunistic teaching: teacher teaches pronunciation when it becomes a

problem to learning.

6. The kinds of pronunciation errors that should be corrected

Pronunciation errors should be corrected if they:

• Hinder understanding of listeners.

• Make listeners uncomfortable.

• Are mistakes that Ss make without being aware of.

7. Teaching a sound-lesson stage:

A. Presentation :

a) Warm up:

- Lead into the lesson: use pics/games.

- Don’t correct ss’ mistakes at this stage.

- Don’t write any words on the board at this stage.

b) Presenting: technique: demonstration- imitation- explanation.

• Procedures for teaching individual sounds:

1. Say the sound alone. Ex: /i:/

2. Say the sound in one or two sounds. Ex: tea, meat.

3. Conduct repetition chorally.

4. Conduct repetition individually.

 5. Describe how the sound is pronounced if the ss have difficulty in
producing it. This could be done physically or in simple English or in L1.

6. Contrast with other similar sound if ss are confused. Ex: sheep and
ship, heat and hit.

B. Practicing:

*Aural drill:

1. One or two drill: I’m going to give you some pairs of words. If you hear the
sound/i/ say “1”…. /i:/ say “2”.

Ex: T: deep Ss: two

T: dip Ss: one

2. Same or different drill: ….if you hear the same sound say “same”…

Ex: T: bit-bit Ss: same.

T: bit-beat Ss: different

3. One/two/three drill: groups of three words

Ex: T: bit-beat-bit Ss: one- three

4. Odd one out: choose the one that’s different from another by giving me the
number of the word

Ex: T: bit- bit- beat- bit Ss: three

*Oral drill:

1. Say the sound in isolation

2. Say the sound in words (of different spelling for vowels) (of different
positions for consonants).

3. Say the sound in phrases.

4. Say the sound in sentences.

 C. Production:

1. Missing words:

T says short sentences or phrases and ask ss to give the missing word which
has the sound ss have learned.

2. Making sentences:

T writes words on BB and ss say sentences using them.

3. Use tongue twisters:

8. Minimal pairs
Minimal pairs are pairs of words which differ in one feature. Minimal pairs are used to
focus on differences in vowel or consonant sounds.

Examples: ship-sheep, sing-song…

9. Stress? word stress – sentence stress?

Stress is the amount of force with which a sound or a syllable is uttered.

Word stress includes primary stress, secondary stress and unstressed syllables.

• Primary stress refers to syllables that are said longer, louder and with more breath
effort.

• Unstressed syllables are said very quickly, lightly and with very little breath
effort.

• Secondary stress refers to syllables that are said with more breath effort than
unstressed syllables but less than primary stress.

Sentence stress: in a normal E sentence certain words are stressed and certain words are
unstressed.

Stressed words are:

• Content words such as Ns, main Vs, Adjs, Advs, demonstratives.

• Auxiliary verbs in negative sentences.

• Words at the end of the sentences.

 Ex: Who are you writing to?

Are you writing to Mark?

Unstressed words are:

• Function words.

• Auxiliary verbs in affirmative and interrogative sentences.

10.How to show the stress of a word at the text/ non-text stage

At the non-text stage:

Using your voice:

• Saying the sentence, exaggerating the difference between stressed and unstressed
syllables.

• Representing each syllable with a sound. Ex: a kilo of sugar = de-DA-de-de-DA-

de

Using gestures:

1. Thump the air when saying the stressed syllable

2. Make a downward stroke of the hand

3. Punch the palm of your other hand

4. Clap your hand

5. Bang your hand against something

At the text stage:

Using blackboard:

1. Underlining the stressed syllable: a kilo of sugar

2. Using squares

3. Writing the stressed syllable in heavier letters: a Kilo of Sugar

4. Writing the stressed syllable in different color chalk

5. Using stroke: a ‘kilo of ‘sugar

11.Produces for teaching stress:
1. Give a good model of the sentence by:

-saying it at a normal speed.

- making a clear different b/w stressed and unstressed syllables.

- using natural intonation.

2. Indicmmate the stress and intonation clearly, using gestures.

3. Make sure that the ss pay attention to the stress and intonation when they report
sent.

12.Functions of intonation:
1. It indicates grammatical meaning.

Ex: Do you come from London?

You come from London?

2. It indicates functions.

Ex: Sorry ! (Apology) Sorry? (Please repeat.)

3. It can change meaning.

Ex: I want to see your son Harry. (The son is called Harry)

I want to see your son, Harry. (the speaker is talking to Harry who has a
son)

4. It indicates the speaker’s attitude.

Ex: A: I’d like a drink.

B: You would? (asking for confirmation of the statement)

You would. (the implication is : “well, you always want a drink”)

13.Rising tone/ falling tone

Rising tone is used in asking Yes/No questions, and expressing surprise, disbelief, etc.

Falling tone is used for normal statements, commands and for WH-questions
 14.Back-chaining technique
Back-chaining technique is the technique that is used to practice saying the sentence in
sections, starting with the end of the sentence and gradually working backwards to the
beginning.

How to conduct repetition using back – chaining technique:

1. Teacher gives the model of the sentence using gestures to show the intonation:

2. Decide the intonation pattern, then mark it with an arrow

3. Decide stressed syllables and mark them (using strokes, squares or underlining)

4. Divide the sentence into sections

5. Give key phonetic transcription (mark the sounds that seem to be problems for
students) (âm nối)

6. Conduct the repetition of the sentence from the end towards the beginning.

Practice

1. Think of minimal pairs for …

2. Identify the problem sound(s) in ….

3. How do you help Ss pronounce/ recognize the sound…?

4. How do you teach the sound..?

5. Design oral drill for the sound / /

6. Mark the stress of the sentence

7. Describe how you teach the intonation/ conduct repetition of the following sentence

II. VOCABULARY

Theory

1. Lexical item? Concrete/ abstract? Active/ passive? (definition? Why

distinguish b/w them?)
 Lexical item may be more than a single word. Because there are some lexical items that
are made up of two or three words but express a single meaning. Therefore, we should
cover all such cases by talking about lexical items rather than words.

Concrete vocabulary is the one that refers to events, objects that are available to the
senses.

Abstract vocabulary is the one that refers to ideas, concepts that have no physical
referents.

Active vocabulary is the one that students will need to understand to use them.

Passive vocabulary is the one that students will only understand but have no need to use
them.

2. Ways to show meaning?

1. Show meaning visually: miming, realia, picture, actions, gesture, facial
expression

2. Show meaning through situation: example, situation+translation

3. Use other techniques: synonym/antonym/contrast, word formation, super-

ordinates…

4. Combine several techniques.

*Procedure for teaching vocab.:

1. Select the new word.

2. Choose appropriate technique to show form/meaning.

3. Say the word aloud and write it on BB.

4. Give form (key sound, stress, word class).

5. Write meaning: an explanation+example.

6. Passive/ active items. Passive (teach quichly), active (ask question)

7. Conduct repetition of word list.

8. (Family words)

3. What need to be taught: (technique. Ex: [pic,example,trans])

1. Form: spelling, stress, sounds.
 2. Grammar: regular, irregular, Vi, Vt, followed by V-ing or prep.

3. Collocation: the way words are used together

4. Aspects of meaning:

a) Meaning of words: denotation, connotation.

b) Meaning relationship: synonyms, antonyms, translation, word

formation (prefixes and suffixes).

4. Grammar of a lexical item?

We will teach the grammar of a lexical item when:

• Whether it’s an transitive or intransitive verb.

• Whether it’s a regular or irregular verb.

• Whether it’s an adjective and it’s followed by an infinitive or a gerund.

• Whether it’s a noun and its plural form is regular or irregular.

5. Ways to review a lexical item

There are some ways to review a lexical item:

• Gap filling.

• Gap filling with a pool of answers.

• Matching.

• Multiple choice.

• Sentence completion

• Writing sentences

• Odd one out

• Translation.