Learning how to speak: Pronunciation, pragmatics and practicalities in the classroom and beyond

Abstract

That learners who want to develop good pragmatically-appropriate speaking skills in a language also need to develop good pronunciation is beyond dispute, and yet research continues to report that both areas still have low visibility in the curriculum and are often treated as poor relations in the classroom. Many teachers are still wary of what they see as specialist areas, a perspective that encourages their neglect in the curriculum, in assessment and in teacher training programmes. In this plenary I go back to basics and focus on what learners need to accomplish outside the classroom with the language they are learning. Drawing on studies that have explored the communicative needs of immigrants to Australia from language backgrounds other than English, I will illustrate the importance of both pronunciation and pragmatics in their lives. I will then consider the implications for how we can approach both skills proactively in the classroom in an integrated way that is capable of developing students' repertoire of speaking skills for effective and appropriate use outside.

The Effectiveness of Video‐Based Shadowing and Tracking Pronunciation Exercises for Foreign Language Learners

“…When many K–12 world language educators think of pronunciation, they envision accentedness, or the degree to which a learner's pronunciation differs from what is conventional within a given speech community (Munro, ). Although a strong, nonnative accent does not necessarily preclude intelligibility—defined as a listener's ability to understand a speaker's message (Munro, )—it can certainly impede it (Yates, ). For example, in a study that examined the effects of nonnative accent on listening comprehension, 400 participants listened to eight different 2‐minute lectures from various disciplines given in English.…”

“…Given the influence of these social, cultural, and pragmatic factors on language use, some scholars have advocated exposing learners to naturalistic variations in pronunciation, particularly those representing diverse sociocultural contexts. Doing so may position learners to notice how pronunciation varies in relation to differing social situations, cultural norms, and conversational topics and purposes (Levis, ; Thomson, ; Yates, ). In addition, culturally contextualized approaches to pronunciation instruction may heighten learners’ awareness of differences in pronunciation between the L1 and the L2, may sensitize them to pragmatic factors that govern pronunciation in specific contexts, and may motivate their investment in refining their pronunciation by fostering a greater affinity for target language speakers (Yates, 2017).…”

“…For too long, the prevailing belief in many communicative classrooms has been that teaching pronunciation does not merit significant attention, much less explicit instruction (Derwing, Fraser, Kang, & Thompson, ; Morin, ; Yates, ). This may be due to the assumption that language learners will eventually acquire good pronunciation on their own with adequate time and exposure.…”

Enhancing international medical graduates’ communication: the contribution of applied linguistics

“…However, the study is limited by its small scale. Thus, for example, although tone, stress and other features of pronunciation are crucial in how speakers can be perceived in professional contexts, it was beyond the scope of this study to address these issues. Future research could usefully focus on these and other aspects of the delivery of both verbal language and non‐verbal aspects of communication.…”

Optimizing Pronunciation and Prosody Teaching in Second Language Learning

“…Thus, the meaning that is communicated in language includes not only simple semantic meaning, but equally importantly, the communication of emotional responses and cognitive evaluations of subject matter, as well as interactive signals to ensure the success of the communication and a satisfactory topic development. Because these extended levels of meaning and pragmatic interactive signals are communicated simultaneously with semantic information, prosody and suprasegmental elements of language have a primary role in communicating the multi-dimensional aspects of meaning in natural conversation [11,12]. For L1 learners, from the earliest age, language learning occurs in the setting of the family and social environment, and this setting of emotionally and expressively rich human interactions is inextricably tied to how language is learned.…”