Second Language Pronunciation. Группа авторов

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Название Second Language Pronunciation
Автор произведения Группа авторов
Жанр Языкознание
Серия
Издательство Языкознание
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781119801573



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populations in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs in the United States.

      Critical Issues

      Integrating pronunciation into language classes requires an understanding of contextual constraints that influence what can be done by teachers (McGregor & Reed, 2018). This is particularly true for teachers working with adult migrants, immigrants, and refugees in ABE or community-based settings. Due to limited class time, multilevel classes, space constraints, and testing requirements, many teachers in these settings teach pronunciation haphazardly, if they address it at all. The challenges they face make for an interesting opportunity for researchers to explore effective pronunciation teaching; if teachers working in less than ideal situations can effectively integrate pronunciation into regular instruction, so can teachers in a wide variety of teaching and learning contexts.

      Community-based language classes have students with a broad range of needs, language and educational backgrounds, and ability levels. For example, a beginning-level adult ESL class may have learners aged 22–82. Within the same classroom there may be learners with advanced degrees who are literate in multiple languages (but not the target language), while others may have only attended a few years of elementary school, with limited literacy in their native language. Some learners may attend classes to develop language skills for employment, others attend to help their children with homework, while still others come to class to stay connected to a community and socialize outside their homes. There are additional logistical challenges that community-based teachers contend with. Classes may take place in shared spaces, requiring teachers to set up and break down their classroom space every day. Classes may have open enrollment, meaning that learners can enter a program anytime or leave anytime because of employment changes, family obligations, health, and so on. It is also common for teaching positions in community-based classes to be part-time and low-paying, with teacher experience and educational requirements varying widely from school to school.

      Research on Pronunciation Integration

      Those interested in teaching second language pronunciation have long asserted that pronunciation is usually neglected in favor of other aspects of language. This does not mean that pronunciation is not taught. Instead, it means that language teachers fall into two general categories when it comes to teaching pronunciation. Teachers in the first category view pronunciation as an essential focus of instruction, and they ensure that pronunciation is connected and extended to the teaching of other skills. Teachers in the second category have a drastically different approach to pronunciation because of a different instructional focus, such as reading comprehension, employment skills, grammar and composition, or general language learning with all four modalities (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Teachers in this category tend to shoehorn pronunciation activities into their lessons if they teach it at all, resulting in a non-systematic and unstructured approach, only addressing pronunciation when errors are too severe to ignore. It is teachers in the second category that we address here, showing how incorporating pronunciation into everyday lessons can strengthen their class outcomes.