Phonetics is the study of the characteristics of speech sounds.
As second
language learners, most of us have had difficulties
in pronouncing certain sounds in English. When I was an ESL student,
it was quite difficult for me to pronounce the [θ], [r], as
well as [ð] and [æ] sounds because they either don't exist in Turkish
sound system or are produced differently. With the help of
my undergraduate phonology course, I became more aware of all the
individual sounds in English.
Therefore, as an English instructor, I believe that teaching pronunciation explicitly is vital in an adult ESL class. Although
there are biological, socio-cultural, and personality factors as well as the
effects of the native language, it is the teacher’s responsibility to design
his/her lessons for students to practice their pronunciation both through
drills and meaningful context. That way, the pronunciation of the target sounds
can be more salient for students.
In the
video, I work with one of my Chinese students, Hua, to pronounce /s/ sound in combination with /w/ sound. Before our practice, she pronounces the verb "swept" as /ʃwept/. Although Hua can
distinguish /ʃ/ and /s/ sounds and pronounce them individually in a correct way, she has hard time to pronounce the /sw/ sound.
In such circumstances, it's important to inform the student that it is
not a failure but a result from the fact that these two sounds do not used
together in Chinese. After the student practices combinations of /s/
and different vowel sounds, she can produce the /sw/ sound. It is just a matter of
practice. Please don't keep it from them!
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