TEACHING

PRONUNCIATION
Irina Apushkina for ACTA Training Event
July 11 2023
HAPPY TO SEE YOU!

My own materials
 WARM-UP
• 1. Describe yourself as a teacher: 2+ syllables!
• 2. Make a sentence using a contraction.

Stressed words?
Weak forms?

I’m a creative and friendly teacher. (linking/elision)

Segmental/suprasegmental phonology?

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

 OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOME
The participants will:
• be more aware of the importance of the aspects of
suprasegmental phonology concerned with the rhythm of
English:
• sentence stress
• connected speech features
• develop a better understanding of the nature of these
features and how they can be taught
• Outcome:
The participants will have discussed ways of teaching rhythm-
related suprasegmental features.
My own materials
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH
• What does English sound like?

• The BIRDS have aBANdoned the FORest.

• English is stress-timed / syllable-timed.

Adapted from Lane, L., Brown, H. (2010). Pronunciation: A
practical approach. Pearson Longman.
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
SENTENCE STRESS
In poetry stress can be heard:
We stress every meaningful word.
The Earth and the sun,
Some laughs and some fun –
The nouns are quite strongly preferred.

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
SENTENCE STRESS
In POetry STRESS can be HEARD:
da DA da da DA da da DA
We STRESS every MEANingful WORD.
da DA da da DA da da DA
The Earth and the sun,

Some laughs and some fun –

The nouns are quite strongly preferred.
da DA da da DA da da DA

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
Which word classes are usually stressed? Which are not?
SENTENCE STRESS
In POetry STRESS can be HEARD:
da DA da da DA da da DA
We STRESS every MEANingful WORD.
da DA da da DA da da DA
The Earth and the sun,

Some laughs and some fun –

The nouns are quite strongly preferred.
da DA da da DA da da DA

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
SENTENCE STRESS

Lane, L., Brown, H. (2010). Pronunciation: A practical

approach. Pearson Longman.
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
SENTENCE STRESS
• How was rhythm shown in this activity?
• How do you show rhythm in your classes?
• Would you use this activity in your class? Or some
ideas from it?
• What if your students were beginner-level?
Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
THOUGHT GROUPS
• In English, words are linked together in meaningful
groups that include at least one stressed word and
they are syntactically connected.

My own materials
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
THOUGHT GROUPS
Yesterday, I went to the cinema with my parents to
watch a movie.
Words are How?
• linked in groups Why?
• groups are meaningful
• they include at least one stressed word
Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
CONNECTED SPEECH
Listen and count the words! Contractions count as one word.

Given that we’re teachers [5]

you’d think we’d be good at listening [9]
well, some of us aren’t [6]

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
CONNECTED SPEECH
• The landed been sold by then.
• The cattle catch the mouse.

??? ???
Whatser name? Your great!
Blacken white. Hill come.
What diddy do? Heed like that.
Awaken be found.
The blue and redder both mine.
Bigger small.
• What happened? What are the categories? Can you add more examples?
• Do your students pronounce words like this? Why is it important?
Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials
 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
CONNECTED SPEECH
There is a cool film about space. Let us go and see it tonight!

Make it sound more natural!

• weak forms
• contractions
• linking (C_V; identical C_C)
• elision or weakening of the C (Cx C)
• intrusion (/j/ and /w/ between vowels/diphthongs)

Cartoon images from Google, source links on slide 19 My own materials

 RHYTHM OF ENGLISH:
CONNECTED SPEECH
1. turn 2. pin 3. nice 4. doubt 5. run 6. tall 7. rate
Can you hear it?

• I know nothing at all.

• She’d like an ice cream.
• Tim doesn’t earn much money.
• The tracks lead out of the cave.
• Mommy, the teacher ate all the cakes!
• I’ll drop in later!
• It was rather unexpected.
My own materials
 OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOME
The participants will:
• be more aware of the importance of the aspects of
suprasegmental phonology concerned with the rhythm of
English:
• sentence stress
• connected speech features
• develop a better understanding of the nature of these
features and how they can be taught
• Outcome:
The participants will have discussed ways of teaching rhythm-
related suprasegmental features.
My own materials
 LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!
• tchiric@mail.ru
• @irs1red (Telegram)
• WhatsApp group!
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