Read Properly Alone
Since Grade ONE
One-Hour
Workshop
Presented
by: Hanadi Mirza from
English
Instructor & Teacher Trainer
Abstract
Many times we hear people speak Lebanese English, French English, or any form of English except proper English. Appropriate articulation and pronunciation are a major problem for many. The older the individuals grow, the more difficult it becomes to correct their “fossilized” wrong pronunciation. This one-hour workshop aims at helping you teach your students/kids proper English pronunciation using simplified phonetics since grade ONE. Ultimately, students will not only read English properly alone but also understand better the language used in their math and science courses. Since most schools focus mainly on reading and writing English, what could be more valuable then encourage students to develop their proficiency in the spoken language too?
Target audience: ALL teachers and coordinators at ALL levels.
Outline
I. Why there are no clear and specific rules for English
pronunciation?
- Origin of the English Language
English: A Germanic Language (See Language Tree)
- Evolution of the English Language
- Loanwords in the English Language
- Who speaks English?
II. Phonetics: The
Sounds of Language
- How do humans produce different sounds? (See Oral Cavity Figure 5-1)
- Kinds of English Sounds (See Table of English Sounds)
- Learn most English Pronunciation Rules (See Spelling vs. Pronunciation)
- How to say the “ed” of the Past Tense of Regular Verbs:
(-ed) à [id] or [t] or [d]?
(Wanted, added/ faced, mixed/ filled, skimmed)
- How to say the “s” of Plural Nouns:
(-s) à [z] or [s] or [əz] ?
(dogs, tables/ cats, maps/ matches, classes)
III. Intonation
- Stress (Su’bject,/ to subje’ct, pro’ject / to proje’ct, orga’nic adu’lt)
- Question or statement? (Rising or Falling Tone?)
- Breathing affects meaning
- Stop at each end mark (.) (!) (?)
Inappropriate intonation causes
misunderstanding.
(Each sentence below has multiple meanings.)
Old men and women will be served first.
The lamb is too hot to eat.
Mary loves John more than Rita.
Speaking English does not necessarily mean understanding English.
Poor speaker à poor comprehension on the part of the listener
à poor communication
Reason à insufficient context to understand spoken English.
What about BOTH poor English AND poor pronunciation?
Spelling is to Writingà
Pronunciation is to Speaking
IV. Fluency vs. Accuracy
a) Writing à Spelling, Fluency, Accuracy
b) Speaking à Pronunciation, Fluency, Accuracy
How annoying will it be to hear
your students/kids say the following sentences even if you understand what they
mean?
*Za boy playid foutbal wiz hiz brazar hwen hi tripd and fel on za flar. Hiz bryzing waz nyzar natshural nor kalm. Hiz sistar cold he’r mazar to fone za polis. Hiz frendz gazer around him bicoz zey ke’r.
*Jon iz nown to bi very soshabal bicoz hi iz orijinal in dyling wiz wiman and shildran. Zey spend goud taym togazer and yt delishaz fod.
V. Phonetics Online
- http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/
- http://faculty.washington.edu/dillon/PhonResources/
- http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/
It’s Never Too Late to
Improve.
When There Is a Will,
You Already Know the Way. J