Unit 3 - Teaching Pronunciation Flashcards
Explain ‘word stress’
When an English word has more than one syllable, one syllable is pronounced more ‘strongly’ - it is slightly louder and longer than the other syllables
Explain ‘main stress’ or ‘primary stress’
Syllable that is pronounced more strongly in a ‘multisyllabic’ word
Ways to represent word stress to students
- Underline the stress
- Draw a box over it
- Use circles to represent syllables (biggest circle = primary stress)
Explain ‘disappearing syllables’
syllables that disappear in connected speech at normal speed
Give some examples of words with disappearing syllables
aspirin, average, business, camera, chocolate, conference, library, corporal, desperate, every, general, family
Shifting stress on a verb-noun pair word when used as a noun
The stress will shift to the first syllable (Oo)
Shifting stress on a verb-noun pair word when used as a verb
The stress will shift to the second syllable (oO)
What verb-noun pairs will have a shifting stress
verb-noun pairs with a latinate prefix (short syllable at start of many words that cannot be used alone) eg. refund, export, insult, etc
Explain ‘word family’
A group of words which are all clearly related. Words in a word family have the same basic meaning and the same core form/base word.
Give some examples of ‘word families’
photography, photography, photographer, photographic
person, personal, personality, personalization
decide, decided, decision, deciding, indecisive
Explain ‘sentence stress’
In a sentence certain words will be stress while others will be unstressed. This is what gives spoken English its rhythm or beat
How does stress fall within the stressed words in a sentence?
Stress must fall on the correct syllable (word stress) within each word
Which words in a sentence usually carry stress?
CONTENT words - verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs
Which words in a sentence usually do not carry stress?
STRUCTURE words - he, the, is, of
How can you use shifting stress in a sentence?
Shifting sentence stress can be used to change the natural stress of a sentence, and change the meaning of the sentence
Why should we teach rhythm to students?
- Having an understanding of rhythm helps with both speaking and listening
- Helps students sound more fluent and natural
Tips when teaching rhythm
1) teach recognition before production
2) integrate rhythm into the teaching of grammar & vocabulary
3) Use authentic listening texts
4) Use Dictogloss and other dictation activities in your lessons
5) Use poems, songs, and jazz chants
Sentence stress = _____
Intonation = ______
Rhythm of English
Melody
Explain ‘intonation’
How we say things. Helps us understand the emotion behind sentences
What pattern does intonation usually follow for wh-questions?
Falling intonation
What pattern does intonation usually follow for yes/no questions?
Rising intonation
What pattern does intonation usually follow for statements?
Falling intonation
Why is it important to teach intonation?
Incorrect intonation may lead to misunderstandings. Speakers can sound bored or impolite, which could cause listeners to take offense.
Explain ‘assimilation´
process in which one sound becomes more like the preceding or following sound. Can occur within a word or between words & occurs in fluent speech.
Explain ‘elision’
when the sound is dropped
Explain ´glottal stop´
When sounds are dropped & replaced by a kind of gap
What is the phonetic alphabet
An alphabet that provides a symbol for every sound used in human languages
What is a phoneme
A sound represented by the phonetic alphabet
What is phonetic transcription
Using symbols to represent how language is pronounced
What is RP (received pronunciation)
British English accent represented in the phonetic chart
What does the apostrophe represent in the phonetic chart
primary stress
What does the comma represent in the phonetic chart
secondary stress
What are the three levels of stress
1) Primary stress (main stress)
2) Tertiary stress (un stressed)
3) Secondary stress (between the other two stresses)
What are the two ways how sounds are formed
1) Place of articulation
2) Manner of articulation
Explain place of articulation in terms of how sounds are formed
Where sound is formed in vocal tract
Explain manner of articulation in terms of how sounds are formed
Which speech organs are used and how
Explain how sounds are created when pronouncing vowels
sound is determined by the position of your jaw, lips and tongue, but the flow of air is not stopped or restricted
Explain the difference between a diphthong and a monophthong
Diphthongs: formed by putting two vowel sounds together. Glide from one sounds to the other, and perceived as one vowel sound
Monophthong: single vowel sound
What are the different sounds of consonants
Plosives/stops
Frictaves/continuants
Explain plosives/stops
flow of air (and sound) is stopped by the organs of speech (lips, teeth, tongue) Sound is stopped then suddenly released. It ‘explodes’
Explain frictaves/continuants
Air is not completely stopped, but it is partially restricted. There is friction
What is the difference between how sounds are created for vowels and consonants
Vowel is formed by changing position of the tongue and lips
Consonant is formed by stopping or restricting the flow of air
What is a homophone
Words that sound the same but have different meanings & spellings
What are the two types of plosive consonants?
Bilabial sound
Alveolar sound
Explain bilabial sound (plosive)
formed by pressing lips together
Explain alveolar sound (plosive)
formed by pressing the tip of the tongue just behind the top teeth
Explain voiceless vs voiced
voiced = vocal chords vibrating and producing noise voiceless = no vibration (like whispering)
What are the four types of fricative consonants?
Labiodental sounds
Interdental sounds
Alveolar sounds
Palato-alveolar sounds
Explain Labiodental sounds (fricative)
placing bottom lip against top teeth
Explain Interdental sounds (fricative)
placing tip of the tongue between the teeth
Explain Alveolar sounds (fricative)
putting tip of tongue against the front of the roof of mouth (just behind the teeth)
Explain Palate-alveolar sounds (fricative)
similar to alveolar, but the tongue is moved a little further back in mouth and the lips more rounded
Explain nasals in pronunciation
air is released through the nose while making sound
What is an approximate/semi vowel
no complete closure or restriction stopping airflow when producing sound (eg. R, W, Y)
Explain first language interference
When students have difficulty producing a sound that does not exist in their first language
Explain minimal pairs
two words which only have one sound difference between them eg. bit, bid, bit & beat
How can minimal pairs be useful in teaching pronunciation?
If students do not have sounds in their own language, they may product one in between sound for two target sounds. Minimal pairs help students distinguish between different similar sounds.
