Is There a Preferred Pronunciation Today?

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background information
Pronunciation teaching
Today’s perspectives on learning and teaching pronunciation
Literature Review
Discussion
Suggestions
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Teaching pronunciation is challenging. Teachers often find themselves short of time to provide necessary instruction and give proper instruction concerning teaching English in class. When these teachers find time, they embark on a process of addressing pronunciation. Rather than inspiring students to learn pronunciation, the educators focus on providing so much that is not supportive of a pronunciation-learning environment rather unpaired learning that prompts students to develop attitudes towards learning pronunciation. Drilling, repetition, and use of sounds end up discouraging students from having an interest in learning.

It is fundamental to understand that learning a language is very personal. The context of pronunciation is infinitely a speech-rhythm continuum that is deeply embedded inside our native lingua. As such, the psychological aspect of learning English as a second language and conversely, learning English pronunciation can be overtaken by our socio-cultural connection to the learner’s first language. Students are well aware of their nativity and subsequently would feel uneasy fluently and rhythmically speak in a second language.

To overcome these teaching and psychological barriers, teachers should approach the goal of teaching pronunciation by identifying and educating students that learning and developing pronunciation is merely aimed at adding the skills of communication and helping the student understand the language well enough to be understood by others when they communicate. As such, it is fundamental that language teachers attribute proper value to learning pronunciation in class. This paper comprehensively provides the continuum along which the pronunciation pedagogy should be.

This research paper identifies how teachers should emphasize pronunciation as a vital ingredient to successful communicative excellence. The paper explains how psychology plays a key role in learning pronunciation. The paper identifies how innovative educators can tap psychology discipline in teaching pronunciation as an opportunity.

Background information

Listening is fundamental in language development. Listening and understanding propagate the desire to communicate, implement and empress what has been listened to and understood. Pedagogically, learning a language is a unique process facilitated by the cognitive abilities of the learner. However, the complexity in teaching English as a second language to students has proved challenging, especially where pronunciation is concerned. It is vital to look at listening as a vital ingredient of successful language mastery. This is so if we look at listening and language learning from the top-down skills learning process that was popular in the ’80s.

Exposing learners to the core of language can cushion various barriers associated with the process of learning a second language. Such cores vary intending to acquire a second language. They could be listening to telephone conversations, radio, music, and television. This is placing learning and listening experiences along a continuum. Here, we are focusing on a situation where students encounter problems in pronunciation and translation. From a case-based learning algorithms perspective, we are likely to identify why there is a significant variation in how students learn English as a second language.

This research examines pronunciation and whether in modern teaching practices, there is a preferred type of pronunciation. Pronunciation remains fundamental when using any form of language. Poor pronunciation prompts miscommunication and misunderstandings. Poor and broken pronunciation denotes poor learning processes. This research empirically identifies the continuums and variables of learning a second language, with emphasis on English in schools. The research seeks to identify how pronunciation can be improved and what teaching practices are preferable to provide students with the most successful pronunciation.

We focus our research on Mid-East English teaching practices. This aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how Mid-Eastern students acquire English as a second language, the learning process, and the problem of pronunciation. We critically review if there is preferred pronunciation nowadays, especially from a school teaching English as a second language. We establish if being multilingual has significance culturally to a learner and if a learner values his multilingual capacity.

From a Saudi perspective, we identify how teachers teach English, the flaws in the teaching process, and the psychological factors inhibiting proper mastery of pronunciation. Conversely, we propose, through a theoretical framework, what brings about these inhibitions. We evaluate, through a profound discussion drawing facts from present and past research around the pronunciation pedagogy in a literature review. The research summates with relevant recommendations about teaching practices and approaches to provide the learner with the most effective pronunciation lessons during English classes.

Pronunciation teaching

Various theoretical approaches to pronunciation have differently projected pronunciation. Most theories support the notion that pronunciation is irrelevant when acquiring a second language. This perspective borrows its support from theory-based learning which empress grammar-translation and reading-based approaches. A methodological approach however states otherwise. Pronunciation is important. This is backed up by early research around the pronunciation context. Referred to as situational language teaching, the methodological approach draws its relevance from the British 1940-1960 where pronunciation pedagogy used the audio-lingua method to teach pronunciation more effectively.

Teaching pronunciation draws its functions from attention to stress, intonation, and rhythm. Secondly, phonotactic rules, meaningful contrasts, and environmental allophonic differences also contribute significantly to teaching and learning pronunciation.

The context of pronunciation draws its contention from the fact that the rhythmic aspect of pronunciation cannot be mastered, yet, many have been being able to master English as a second language to an extent of speaking it natively. Rather than insisting that a learner can adopt the native pronunciation and rhythmic fluency, educators insist that this can be supplemented by learning vocabulary and grammar. In the past, especially in the British culture, teaching pronunciation involved non-communicative drills and exercises.

Today, educators have taken a different view towards pronunciation especially after the ancient approach was deemed useless in the learning process. Teaching language through communicative approaches has facilitated better learning of pronunciation. This has made the prominence of this method consistently become major. The communicative approach employs oral communication as the primary mode of class instruction. It borrows this basis from the fact ‘communication is primarily the use of learned language. It is then fundamental the mode of instruction when teaching pronunciation employs communication as central.

Students learning English will do well in pronunciation if learning pronunciation becomes an integral part of the English lesson. The goal of pronunciation learning has shifted considerably over the years. Students are gradually realizing that pronunciation is not a realistic goal academically but an integral part of their developing functional intelligence, ability to communicate, self-confidence, and development of good speaking skills. These values should be central during teaching practices and teachers should considerably advise that those are the precise functions of learning proper pronunciation. The overall aim of pronunciation is to develop easily understood spoken language and a language that allows the student to generate a positive image of him when he/she speaks in English.

Today’s perspectives on learning and teaching pronunciation

A shift within the field of language learning and teaching has put learners in good stead when learning grammar. The shift focuses on bringing a communicative competency and cushioning commonplace perception that one learns proper pronunciation merely for specific language competencies. Educators have developed oral communication studies and integrated them as lessons within language classes. This further involves introducing peer correction and interaction when learning pronunciation.

The essence of this approach is to make sure learners develop proper pronunciation by realizing that their ability to communicate and pronounce words correctly and coherently is important. Overall, the teachers and learners should realize learning segmental phonemes does not suffice to develop intelligent communication.

Intelligible pronunciation is a vital ingredient of communication proficiency. As such, teachers should approach developing communication competency through the introduction of instructional learning. Here, the teacher should focus on learners’ needs and goals, teaching practices, and instructional objectives. The teacher should primarily dwell on how pronunciation makes sense when teaching communicative language. Acquiring good pronunciation helps the learner develop effective and reliable communication skills. Without such skills, the student’s communication skills are very poor and this can be blamed on the teacher who should be charged with the abrogation of professional duty/responsibility.

During communication, students with poor pronunciation skills will be cut off from conversations since they will fail to effectively communicate with others. This could seriously dent their self-confidence and even social identity. This is the psychological aspect of learning pronunciation (Hismanoglu, 2006).

As earlier mentioned, pronunciation is very sensitive to a learner’s emotions and that, the nature of a learner’s pronunciation is related to his self-esteem, social identity, and ego, all of which are extremely important to the psychological well-being of the student. Modern teaching practices emphasize counterbalancing traditional focus on pronunciation. From this perspective, balancing the students learning against the environment is core in providing the student with a good learning environment. Here, we find out that, a relaxed environment provides the learner with a physical calmness, emotional and mental assertiveness that provides a relaxed mind frame. This is essential in paving way for the right production of objective language sounds.

Developing a conducive environment (conducive in that, it is non-threatening and student-friendly) is important in modern pronunciation teaching. It is ideal to use teaching methods that reduce stress in students such as drama. The pronunciation practice will inspire participation and gradually encourage active participation amongst the learners. Involvement and collective responsibility help students become more attentive and participative in the learning process. The students not only participate but also become quite expressive and efficiently learn to shape their dialect to become more participative in debates and drama (Hismanoglu, 2006).

According to Otlowski, changing language learning and teaching have influenced a student–teacher–learning climate, with the student being involved as much as the teacher in developing the required pronunciation ability (Otlowski, 1998). According to Otlowski, students can do well in the pronunciation of English if the pronunciation class is detached from normal lessons and becomes vital in oral communication’ class. In respect to the question of if there is preferable pronunciation from a global perspective, ideologically, many researchers assert the need to identify with native pronunciation to get a near-almost pronunciation which makes communication easy and less strenuous is overwhelming.

The context has been discussed in debates that dubbed pronunciations as a controversial discourse between center English and other English’s. As such, when looking at the English language, we should examine English from the perspective of the forms of English and dialectic contexts, all of which hamper the correct pronunciation. Conversely, Standard English has its status quo, a superiority that makes it stand out as the best. This diminishes the context of other forms of developed English dialects that have come to be in the recent past.

It is vital when an educator stresses the value of the dichotomy of native and non-native teachers of English. The dichotomy between native and non-native teachers of English has been deeply rooted in ELT pedagogy and practice. The research insists that the ideal teacher of English is a native speaker though many debates have disputed this tenet. This tenet suggests that the native speaker-teacher is regarded as the best embodiment of the target and norm for the learner.

Concisely, learning pronunciation is a teacher-learner-based exercise. If the two do not have a mutual relationship that prompts each to feel encouraged to participate in the learning process, it will be useless to precede learning pronunciation. In the next section, this paper discusses profoundly, drawing facts and proposals from past research and current projections about how the learning process can be enhanced.

Earlier in the paper, I discussed, partially, how various projections about improving and providing a learning environment can facilitate effective pronunciation pedagogy. In this section, we will extensively identify which are the concise methods of teaching pronunciation. In length, I address practical aspects of this research and suggest appropriate activities for the level-age purpose of the target group, consideration of communicative aim in L2 teaching(meaning-focused), and attention to feedback/error treatment where appropriate.

Literature Review

Developing pronunciation in class, especially using L2 methods has proved intricate. Listening skills should be integrated into comprehension classes and pedagogically treated. This will improve the learner’s listening skills and develop his pronunciation. For a learner to develop spoken English serves the learners individual needs.

It provides this learner with a sense of accomplishment. He/she realizes he is becoming able and that by achieving this goal, he feels he has developed himself and this allows him to have a positive image of himself. He/she feels comfortable and uniquely confident when using a foreign language. Here, we identify the psychological aspect of the context. Teaching practices should extensively cater to this. According to Otlowski, a communicative approach is ideal to teach students pronunciation.

Communicative learning caters to the psychological in pronunciation learning. The discipline of psychological learning touches the sensitive issues of a student’s social cognitive. The learner should be taught to be aware that the skills he acquires should be relevant throughout the learning process and that they will allow learning opportunities beyond school life (Otlowski, 1998). Teachers should understand that the communicative learning approach when teaching pronunciation pedagogically involves learner-teacher involvement (Morley, 1991).

Morley further tresses the three vital dimensions the educator should cater for in any pronunciation teaching. These are a learner’s intellectual participation, a learner’s physical involvement, and a learner’s affective involvement (Morley, 1991).

Morley’s approach sensitizes teachers on the value of teamwork in class and using teamwork models to bring participation in the learning process by both the learner and the teacher (Morley, 1991). Learner involvement in the learning process is very important. It is central in developing proper pronunciation of English words. The same learning approach helps the learner assess his skills in pronunciation through participation in the learning process.

Participation can be in the form of group discussions, debates, and drama. It is the role of the teacher to develop the learning process so the learner can have and use the chance to develop the learning stratagems that are unique to each of those he is learning alongside in class. Morley emphasizes the teacher’s role and explains that, apart from developing the learning process, the teacher has a crucial role to play in communicative learning. The teacher becomes the learner’s language and speech coach. He supplies the learner with information, models of pronunciation, suggestions for improving speech, and constructive feedback. He sets standards and provides a choice of opportunities and support for the learner (Morley, 1991).

The teacher has a greater role to play in developing pronunciation in class. He has to facilitate the learning process and at the same time monitor the development of the pronunciation skills. According to Castillo, the need for intersecting pronunciation with oral communication, a change of focus from segmental to higher segmental levels, and emphasis on individual student needs is crucial. Besides, developing new teaching strategies and introducing group work and peer correction within the pronunciation learning process has such a sense in developing the normative value of developing pronunciation abilities (Castillo 1991).

Models of pedagogically teaching pronunciation suggest the participation of the learners in what would be an ideal group work to generate the participation of each learner in correcting each other’s pronunciation, setting standards and benchmarks.

Morley suggests that teachers focus on developing intelligible pronunciation. Morley stresses the importance of this by explaining that, intelligible pronunciation is essential for communication, in fact, and healthy communication. For this reason, teachers should put together creative pronunciation teaching and integrate it into the courses (Morley 1991). They should pay attention to the learner’s goals and objectives in learning English. Teachers should be concerned with how pronunciation fits into communicative language education (Hismanoglu, 2006).

According to Gilbert, skills of listening and pronunciation are interdependent (Gilbert 1984). Without each other neither can a function; that is why if a student’s comprehension skills are poor, his/her pronunciation cannot be developed.

Here, we decipher the core of our context, regardless of the English classification, there is no preferable pronunciation, unless so instructed by the teacher and that, extreme introduction of audio-learning control is introduced and consistently used in comprehension lessons, the teachers native-pronunciation speech rhythm will be adopted and culturally taken up by his students. If academically we pursue a homogenous type of pronunciation, it will be futile. Fewer can take up the eloquence of British English or master the fluency, rhythm, and diabolic British English.

Discussion

The homogeny of dialect disputes the idea that there can be a preferable English pronunciation. ELT contexts though seek to credit consistency in phonic approaches can help develop such; it is impossible from a cross-cultural perspective. Many cultures have dialectal hindrances when consistency in pronunciation is inferred. Pidgin English in Nigeria cannot be connoted as a case of poor consistency in teaching and lesser or almost zero use of phonic approaches; rather, it is a pure case of cultural bias and a dialectal problem.

While many teaching approaches frequently advocate communicative teaching when teaching pronunciation, identifying a specific dialect or linguistic ability to train students with becomes obsolete. Unless a native English teacher is involved, developing the rhythmic pronunciation in a situation where the students have mastered the English language and are in the process of adapting the dialectal rhythm of the English language, the students will only absorb the dialect of the teacher who has trained them.

Unless perceived from a pronunciation trends perspective, normal pronunciation can only be discussed as a faculty in the language discipline. It merely depends on the learner’s self-identity, what he identifies with, and his level of self-confidence. Looking at trends in teaching pronunciation, a strong emphasis on traditional focus is forced in the learning program to lessen psychological constraints resulting from the learning environment. Peers, the teacher, social-economic background, and factors like confidence affect how a learner chooses pronunciation.

We can then conclude that there can be a choice of pronunciation depending on the learner’s abilities, all of which are driven by factors that are drivers of his psychological balance. If a learner has a good social-cultural background, he is learning in an institution where the teacher is skilled as a professional educator and his peers are from similar backgrounds, this learner will be confident enough to seek to identify with higher levels of pronunciation.

Here we identify social-cultural background as the social-economic background undermines a lesser factor than we assume. The social-economic background determines the choice of learning institution and the kind of peers and society the learner is to associate with during the learning process. The result is finesse in fluency in speaking the English language and excellent pronunciation picked up from consistency in communicative teaching in a prestigious school that is full of English-speaking students and teachers.

A critical look at the role of interpersonal relationship between learner and teacher prominently features as an effective pronunciation learning method. This meta-communication between the learner and his teacher involves direct communication and exchanges. It includes dialogues and related discussions. Recent years have brought about pronunciation teaching approaches that are unique and effective if applied in different learning setups (Hismanoglu, 2006). Auditory, Kinesthetic, tactile, and visual have become popular in Mid-East, especially in Saudi Arabia due to the increasing demand for fluent English as the country advances socially economically.

Hişmanoğlu proposes a multi-modal approach wherein the teacher should present and practice a sound from several perspectives. Every sound process should be taught to completeness. Exhaustively, the learner should grasp through the visual-auditory-kinesthetic-tactile process. This way, the learner will shape his weak modalities, especially dialectically and when using tight vowels (Hismanoglu, 2006).

Suggestions

Based on the research findings, it is fundamental we recommend what can provide English learners a more progressive approach to achieving proper pronunciation. One, teachers should approach pronunciation pedagogy from a psychological perspective then dissecting this approach to segments. These segments are the main elements of teaching pronunciation.

The learning environment; should be burdening and should inspire creativity and innovation amongst learners. It should be a relaxed environment, which provides the learner with a physical calmness, emotional and mental assertiveness that provides a relaxed mind frame. This is essential in paving way for the right production of objective language sounds.

Group work provides the class with a unique opportunity to master excellent communication skills. Students share and exchange views about their level of proficiency and suggest what would be the ideal platform to increase their level of proficiency.

Peer review and rating; using the group work model, students can rate each other and suggest improvements for each other.

Teacher-student participation; is an integral element that allows the learner to directly learn and master the dialect and pronunciation rhythm of his teacher. Normally, this allows the class to have a role model and an exact script to read.

Audiovisual supported learning; we have observed that learning directly from a language source-sound can increase, significantly pronunciation proficiency. Introducing audio-visual learning can highly increase the learner’s ability to pronounce correctly.

The teacher should optimize his ability to identify strengths and weaknesses in each group or student and turn this into opportunity by giving instruction, using any instructional notation, and suggesting correct approaches to pronunciation.

Conclusion

Due to cross-cultural differences, dialectal variations, and a relationship between student cultural affiliations with their psychological, it is difficult to identify a standard pronunciation. The diversity of social economics in learners affects considerably the outcome of pronunciation pedagogy. Pronunciation proficiency and finesse are identified through the rhythmic speech and the latter complacency to the native English dialect.

As such, this dynamism in cultural diversity cannot allow the many Englishes developed but eschewed from the native British English to have the standard British pronunciation. Conversely, the learner can only adopt his region’s type of English dialect and develop the pronunciation culturally taught in his region. In Saudi Arabia, the need for a more formal pronunciation draws its value from the demand for assertive English speakers.

Learning pronunciation can be achieved if various values and psychological disciplines are observed. A proper learning environment, using creative concepts including group discussion, drama, debates, and per review is ideal for developing a strong and authoritative pronunciation and an English dialect.

References

Castillo, L. (1990) L2 Pronunciation Pedagogy: Where have we been? Where are we headed? The Language Teacher. Vol.XIV, No. 10. 3-7.

Gilbert, J. (1984) Clear Speech. Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in American English. Studentâs Book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hismanoglu, M. (2006) Current Perspectives on Pronunciation Learning and Teaching. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. Vol.2, No.1.

Morley, J. (1991) ÎThe Pronunciation Component in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languagesâ. TESOL Quarterly 25/1 51-74.

Otlowski, M. (1998). “Pronunciation: What Are the Expectations?” The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. IV, No.1. Web.

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