What is the best method to teach pronunciation?
Any tips from your experience with students here.
11 answers from our tutors
Best answer
One of the easiest ways to learn pronunciation is through phonics. Phonics activities teaches students how to read and write words using the vowels, consonant and lots more . Again, another way to teach pronunciation is by writing or reading out a word aloud to your students and asking them to pronounce it after you.
You can copy the intonation from videos of natives
Phonic,stress and intonation.
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- MinayConversational English Tutor
Best way to teach pronunciation is through modeling, repetition and correction in content
I believe shadowing can help a lot.
Listen to native speakers and imitate the way they pronounce.
Discuss mutual interests in that language so you learn how to pronounce in an easy and non boring way.
- Gary NorthExperienced and easy going Conversational English Teacher
Conversation
- Amia MCustom solutions for those wanting to learn English communication
Focusing on how the mouth moves for certain words. Overenunciation can be helpful in the initial stages of learning pronunciation, then saying it like a native becomes easier.
By repeating each word three times and also getting an audio with a clear accent for the student to hear.
- John Kenmuir(AKA John Connor) Cambridge certified teacher since 1998, former IELTS speaking examiner
Students often can't hear what they really sound like; this has been my experience not just while teaching myself Spanish but also when I began to work as a voice actor. What I sound like and what I thought I sounded like were vastly different. It's possible to explain what pronunciation "should sound like" but in my experience this works better with gifted language learners. So what about the rest of us? The other approach is to model and have students repeat; pronunciation, like listening, is a "muscle memory" skill. Like most muscles, it needs to be built through practice and repetition. But if the student can't hear what they sound like, it won't be as effective as it could be. I encourage students to record themselves when they practice; then listen to the recording for pronunciation speech mistakes. Comparing their speaking ability to a native speaker saying the same words will help them to identify pronunciation errors and correct them.
Other student questions
- Is there a way here to differentiate if the question coming from a student or from a teacher?
Best answer
It seems some of the foundational topics are evergreen and I'm currently reading textbooks to build up my own foundational knowledge. Right now, I'm reading a book called Comprehensive Articulatory Phonetics with the idea that it may give me more tools to assist pupils with accent reduction. Sometimes, I also run my own experiments and try to be the cutting edge rather than just be on the cutting edge. Although, this approach is not always easy if one is working for a company that requires tutors to strictly adhere to their materials and methods. I think one of the most enjoyable things I ever did was teach a student who did not know all the vocabulary words for items in a kitchen by cooking scrambled eggs. He never forgot the word "spatula" again.
Best answer
Monologues in the mirror can be good for shy people. Otherwise speaking to fluent speakers, not being afraid to ask questions, make mistakes and being patient with the process.
