Sound Advice - why teaching pronunciation matters

When was the last time you explicitly focused on pronunciation in class?

Don't worry, you're not alone. Many English language teachers feel confident (in varying degrees!) in their ability to teach grammar, vocabulary, reading skills... But pronunciation often feels like a different story. Perhaps you've thought: "Pronunciation seems too technical", "I don't know how to explain sounds", "I don't know what those alien symbols mean" or even: "I'm not a native speaker, how can I possibly teach pronunciation to others?".

As a result, pronunciation is sometimes the most avoided skill in the English language classroom, despite the crucial role it plays in communication. A student might pronounce ship as sheep, or stress the wrong syllable in a word, saying something like IMportant. The message is still there, but the understanding suddenly becomes harder.

The good news is, teaching pronunciation doesn't require extensive specialist training or lessons that take hours to prepare. Keep reading if you want to explore more!

Why do we feel insecure teaching pronunciation?

1. I don't know where to start

Many EFL teachers simply feel ill-prepared to tackle pronunciation in the classroom. Most initial teacher training courses (CELTA, CertTESOL, etc) focus heavily on teaching methodology, grammar, lexis... but provide little support with pronunciation. Why is it you can confidently explain the differences between the present simple and the present continuous but struggle to explain the difference between live and leave? Lack of training = lack of confidence. Fortunately, you can find many excellent (and free!) resources online, with both learners and teachers in mind, Youtube being a great place to start. Pronunciation with Emma, Billie English, BBC Learning English and Adrian Underhill via Macmillan Education ELT all have great video guides and tutorials to help ease you into the world of phonology. Or if you prefer written formats, Adrian Underhill's Sound Foundations is your go-to guide for all things phonological, and is not at all difficult to read.

2. It all seems too technical

Phonemic symbols and phonological terms can be intimidating (or /ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪŋ/, if you prefer). I don't disagree. We're lulled into a false sense of security with surprisingly familiar symbols like /e/ and /p/ but then suddenly find ourselves faced with /θ/ or /ʃ/ and very quickly all semblance of confidence disappears. In reality, it's really not necessary to study and memorise the entire English phonemic system in order to successfully include pronunciation work in your classes. A good phonemic chart (find one that works for you - many rave about Adrian Underhill's version(s) while personally I find Mark Hancock's sound chart(s) with example words easier to work with - vowel sounds shown above) is a great tool, but not the basis for all pronunciation teaching. In my case, I started by focusing on vowel sounds, as in my students' native language (Spanish) there are only 5 vowel sounds, while in English there are around 20, understandably causing challenges. I then moved onto consonant sounds (that don't exist in Spanish) that I'd noticed were often mispronounced (eg: /z/, /ʃ/, /ʤ/, etc) before tackling the others. I started small.

  3. My accent isn't native - I can't teach pronunciation!

I'm not sure who started the myth that only native speakers are able to teach English or English pronunciation, but as ELT legend David Crystal aptly says in this interview, "That's history for me... it's a myth". People have sadly bought into the fallacy that by sharing the same airspace as a native speaker, they will, by means of osmosis (I suppose), acquire the perfect native accent we're told to aspire to (side note: what is a 'native' accent anyway? Do learners aspire to mimic all native accents?). It's simply not true. There is no one perfect model to copy, no standardised pronunciation of English, despite what your coursebooks may have you believe. As Laura Patsko says in this pop-up event: "...what's important is to know what you're teaching and help your learners achieve their goals. It doesn't mean that you yourself need to have a specific accent". Ie, if your pronunciation is intelligible, you are able to teach pronunciation!

The pronunciation vs accent quandary

Often confused, by students and teachers alike. Many English language learners believe that improving pronunciation means eradicating their L1-influenced accent. This is simply not the goal of pronunciation work in the classroom.

When framed in the context of second language acquisition, an accent reflects the influence of the student's L1 on the way they speak another language. It might affect how certain sounds (phonemes) are produced, or suprasegmental features such as rhythm and intonation patterns. Everyone has an accent, even native English speakers! People from Glasgow, New York and Cape Town will all speak English with their own accents and colour, yet are all perfectly understandable. Similarly, a Spanish student speaking English will naturally bring some L1 features into their English speech. This is normal and, in my opinion at least, not something that needs to be eliminated.

Pronunciation on the other hand, refers to the features of speech that help individuals understand what is being said.

These include:

• individual sounds (/p/ vs /b/, /ɪ/ vs /i:/ etc)

• syllable stress

• rhythm

• word stress

• intonation

  
  

It's these phonological features that shape how clearly (or not) a message is communicated. The real goal of pronunciation teaching is not to eliminate a student's accent, but rather to help them communicate clearly and confidently. We should work towards intelligibility, not perfection, while maintaining our student's own linguistic identity. Over 75% of the world's English speakers are non-native, so why do so many students, coursebooks and teachers assume the objective is a perfect RP accent?

For many of us involved in ELT, this shift in perspective can be incredibly reassuring. We don't need to force our students to sound a particular way, we need to help them become clear, confident communicators of English.

Don't underestimate the physicality of it all

One aspect of pronunciation teaching that is often overlooked is the physical nature of pronunciation. Producing sounds in a new language requires learners to move their lips, tongue and jaw in ways that may feel unfamiliar. For many, a big part of the challenge is not only distinguishing the difference between sounds, but also in training their mouths to produce them. For example, my Spanish students of English often find sounds like the /v/ challenging as this sound does not exist in the same way in Spanish. Helping students notice how the sound is physically produced can make a big difference.

Activities such as:

• demonstrating where to place your tongue and teeth

• exaggerating mouth movements when modelling words

• gesturing to show long or short sounds

• miming sounds and asking students to produce the sound they think you're emulating

• encouraging students to use mirrors or mobile selfie-cams to see how their mouth position changes between sounds

• tapping/clapping to show stress

• moving hands up and down to mirror intonation patterns

• clapping a rhythm to a sentence in order to highlight stress timing

  
  

...are all physical ways we can help our students experience the sound, not just hear it.

These types of pronunciation activities can sometimes feel a little playful or overly dramatic, but it's this physicality that is exactly what students need to help develop effective speaking habits. And if it makes us all laugh in the meantime, all the better!

Where to get ideas

  1. Student errors

One of the richest sources for pronunciation ideas is your own students. Turning spontaneous correction into a brief pronunciation focus can be incredibly effective as it directly relates to what your learners have just tried to say. Alternatively, make a note of phonological features that repeatedly cause problems for your students and revisit them later.

  2. Coursebooks

Are you also guilty of skipping over the small pronunciation boxes we often find in our English coursebooks? It's easy to do when time is tight, but they can be a very useful starting point. A quick drilling exercise can easily be extended into a short speaking task, a minimal pair activity or sentence practice. Even adding a few extra examples or asking students to create their own sentences can transform a two-minute activity into something more meaningful.

  3. Listening activities

Listening tasks are another great way to draw attention to key pronunciation features. Instead of focusing only on comprehension questions, try asking students to notice how words are stressed, where the speaker pauses or how sounds connect and adapt in natural speech. This can help learners become more aware of key phonological features that play an important role in both understanding spoken English and sounding more natural when speaking.

  4. ELT communities & leaders

Finally, you don't have to figure this all out on your own! ELT communities and experienced leaders can be a huge source of inspiration. Blogs, webinars, workshops and conferences often share practical activities that have already been tested in real classrooms, saving you time and giving you fresh ideas to try out. Follow experienced specialists such as Adrian Underhill or Mark Hancock & Annie McDonald (lots of free pronunciation games available to download from their website), or explore resources like Ann Baker's Tree or Three? and Ship or Sheep?, and Mark Hancock's Pronunciation Games which also provide a wealth of ready-to-use activities.

For those looking for an ongoing community, the IATEFL Pronunciation Special Interest Group (PronSIG) is a great place to connect with teachers worldwide, share ideas and join online discussions dedicated specifically to pronunciation teaching.

Keep in mind that pronunciation doesn’t need to be a separate, independent lesson - it can be a small, regular part of every class.

So, over to you.

• Which pronunciation challenge do your students struggle with most, and how do you usually address it?

• Which small pronunciation activity could you try in your next lesson to help your students speak more clearly and confidently?

Remember: pronunciation doesn’t have to be scary! With short, regular activities and a few simple tools, your students can speak clearly and confidently - accent and all. Pay attention to sounds, stress, rhythm and intonation, and watch your students' English come alive.