Page 9 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes where the “a” sounds like “ay,” and maim, where the “ai” sounds like “ay.” Yes, English
pronunciation can be complicated.

1.1 Pronunciation

Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation,
and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often
slur words and phrases together in casual speech. ‘What are you going to do?’ becomes ‘Whaddaya
gonna do?’ English pronunciation involves too many complexities for learners to strive for a
complete elimination of accent, but improving pronunciation will boost self esteem, facilitate
communication, and possibly lead to a better job or a least many respect in the workplace.
Effective communication is of greatest importance, so choose first to work on problems that
significantly hinder communication and let the rest go. Remember that your students also need
to learn strategies for dealing with misunderstandings, since native pronunciation is for most
an unrealistic goal.
A student’s first language often interferes with English pronunciation. For example, /p/ is
aspirated in English but not in Spanish, so when a Spanish speaker pronounces ‘pig’ without a
puff of air on the /p/, an American may hear ‘big’ instead. Sometimes the students will be able
to identify specific problem sounds and sometimes they won’t. You can ask them for suggestions,
but you will also need to observe them over time and make note of problem sounds. Another
challenge resulting from differences in the first language is the inability to hear certain English
sounds that the native language does not contain. Often these are vowels, as in ‘ship’ and ‘sheep,’
which many learners cannot distinguish. The Japanese are known for confusing /r/ and /l/, as
their language contains neither of these but instead has one sound somewhere between the two.
For problems such as these, listening is crucial because students can’t produce a sound they can’t
hear. Descriptions of the sound and mouth position can help students increase their awareness
of subtle sound differences.
Here are some ideas for focusing on specific pronunciation features.
1. Voicing: Voiced sounds will make the throat vibrate.

Example: /g/ is a voiced sound while /k/ is not, even though the mouth is in the same
position for both sounds. Have your students touch their throats while pronouncing voiced and
voiceless sounds. They should feel vibration with the voiced sounds only.
2. Aspiration: Aspiration refers to a puff of air when a sound is produced. Many languages
have far fewer aspirated sounds than English, and students may have trouble hearing the
aspiration. The English /p/, /t/, /k/, and /ch/ are some of the more commonly aspirated
sounds. Although these are not always aspirated, at the beginning of a word they usually
are. To illustrate aspiration, have your students hold up a piece of facial tissue a few inches
away from their mouths and push it with a puff of air while pronouncing a word containing
the target sound.
3. Mouth Position: Draw simple diagrams of tongue and lip positions. Make sure all students
can clearly see your mouth while you model sounds. Have students use a mirror to see
their mouth, lips, and tongue while they imitate you.
4. Intonation: Word or sentence intonation can be mimicked with a kazoo, or alternatively
by humming. This will take the students’ attention off of the meaning of a word or
sentence and help them focus on the intonation.
5. Linking: we pronounce phrases and even whole sentences as one smooth sound instead of
a series of separate words. ‘Will Amy go away,’ is rendered ‘Willaymeegowaway.’ To

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