Pronunciation is an area of language teaching that most students struggle with, while teachers often prioritise it less than other aspects. Teachers may sometimes also lack self-confidence in their own pronunciation skills and consequently fail to focus on it explicitly in class.
In this article, we have rounded up some of the latest, most interesting articles and tools related to teaching pronunciation.
I’m an English Teacher: should I worry about my accent?
Do you sometimes worry about your accent in English? Pronunciation expert Mark Hancock has recently blogged about this type of anxiety that teachers sometimes experience. If you want to read more about this, accent prejudice and intelligibility, check out his article.
Priorities in teaching pronunciation: the Lingua Franca Core
You might have heard about English as a Lingua Franca by now. But did you know that someone has researched the features of English pronunciation that are essential to teach in a lingua franca framework? These are grouped under the “Lingua Franca Core” and they provide guidance on which pronunciation features to prioritise. Laura Patsko and Katy Simpson explain it clearly and concisely in this blog post.
The basics of teaching pronunciation
If you’re wondering where to find some clear guidelines for teaching pronunciation in your classes, Macmillan ELT have compiled a Youtube playlist featuring experts like Adrian Underhill and clips from BBC Learning English.
Tool of the week: Forvo
If there’s one tool you’re going to need when teaching pronunciation, it’s Forvo! Simply type in a word and you’ll be able to hear different pronunciations in several English varieties.
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Thank you for this interesting article.
I’m studying for concorso straordinario and your newsletter, articles, and anything concerning ELT and Concorso tips are useful and really appreciated. I’m booking for some lesson plans on culture and civilization topics, with reference to digital tools.
Thanks