Contents introduction chapter I. Psychological characteristics of children of primary school age

1.2 Typical mistakes of students in the English pronunciation of consonants, determining the degree of difficulty and ways to overcome them
I. When training children in the perception and pronunciation of sounds, the techniques of conscious and unconscious imitation are used.
Unconscious ­imitation is the assimilation of a sound structure by repeating after the teacher. This is how ­the sounds of the first group are assimilated.
Conscious imitation involves telling children the rules of pronunciation. For example, the teacher explains to the children where to raise the tip of the tongue when pronouncing the sounds [t, d, r]. Conscious assimilation is especially important when staging sounds similar in foreign and native languages.
II. The second group of exercises, as noted above, is aimed at the formation ­of speech hearing.
Speech , or phonemic ­, hearing is the ability to distinguish ­the sound composition of speech and synthesize meaning when perceiving speech . [15. 27]
First, it is necessary to note the general features of teaching a foreign language. The teacher needs to strive for the classes to be held on the basis of an individual approach in the conditions of collective forms of education. Secondly, the teacher should offer such a way of mastering knowledge that would be aimed specifically at development, and not to the detriment of it. And for this it is important that each child be the main character in the lesson, feel free and comfortable, take an active part in the discussion of the topics of the lesson. Unfortunately, one can often observe the following picture in the classroom: the teacher is very active, uses visual aids prepared by him, leads the lesson and comments on its plot, uses various forms of work, including frontal ones. But when teaching English, it is important that the children be liberated, together with the teacher, "create" a lesson. Not only and not so much knowledge and proficiency in language and speech material determine the effectiveness of the process of teaching a foreign language at primary school age, but the readiness and desire of children to participate in intercultural communication in the language being studied. This is possible if the main form of school activity is not listening, speaking, reading or writing in a foreign language, but live, active communication with the teacher and with each other.
When learning English, due to its special phonetics, it is important in what voice the teacher pronounces words and phrases and what is the expression on his face. Of course, the voice of the teacher should be kind, conducive to communication, and the facial expression should correspond to the tone, which should be intriguing, conspiratorial and trusting, or serious, businesslike, expressing the joy of the meeting, inspiring success. The main thing is that the student, entering into communication in English, does not feel fear for a mistake and strives to realize this or that communicative intention with all the means at his disposal. According to M.N. Vyatyutnev , a methodologist, a psychologist who has written many books on language teaching in high school: “Mistakes are a means and condition for the successful mastery of communicative competence; their presence does not indicate failure, on the contrary, they show that the learning process is going well and students are actively participating in it. ” [15.103]
Some common pronunciation mistakes students make when learning to pronounce English consonants:
1. One of the typical mistakes of students is a weak, relaxed pronunciation, in which the articulating organ is not given strong muscular tension under the influence of the national way of life, because a tense, more energetic pronunciation is a hallmark of the phonetic system of the English language. Russian speech is characterized by general muscular non-tension of the speech apparatus, therefore, in order to rebuild the articulatory base of students when teaching English pronunciation, it is necessary to develop the muscular tension of the speech apparatus and, first of all, the lips, tongue and palatine curtain, for which it is necessary to regularly conduct a series of exercises called articulation gymnastics . It should be particularly hard to develop with a sluggish, casual, indistinct articulation speaking through teeth. [2]
2. Another typical mistake of students is the replacement of alveolar occlusions with dental ones. To prevent this error, you need to know, firstly, where the alveoli are located. This can be easily seen with the help of two mirrors: we put one in the mouth on the lower teeth, in the second we look at the reflection of the first mirror; it must be remembered that only the tip of the tongue closes with the alveoli, because under the influence of their native language, students close the front part of the back of the tongue and thus increase the area of closure, turning alveolar sounds into affricates. [ 2. 56]
It is easy to see in the mirror how the front of the back of the tongue is pressed against the upper teeth, and the tip hangs, while when pronouncing English, the tip of the tongue is not visible.
Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a set of training exercises, without which articulation skills cannot be acquired. [12]
Answer on questions type :
Is this a table or a desk?
Is that a bed or a desk?
At this stage, error correction is of great importance.
The teacher should point out cases when alveolar sounds turn into dental ones under the influence of interdental sounds. This feature is easily assimilated if it is pointed out in time. To prevent errors in articulation [t ], [ d], special exercises for the language are offered:
a) find the most convex part of the alveoli with the tip of the tongue, make repeated movements from the upper teeth to the alveoli and back;
b ) pronounce English [t ],[ d] in early words : ten, table, take, tall, teach, dance, dark, day, deal, dinner;
c ) pronounce [t ], [ d] in middle And V end words : at, add, actor; got, active, and , bad, bed, child, cut, flat, good;
d) consolidate the skill of articulation [t ], [ d] in the process of reading a coherent text and the abundant use of these sounds in oral speech.
3. Another of the typical mistakes of students is the pronunciation of deaf stops [p ], [ t], [k] without aspiration, which can be corrected in the following ways:
Bring your palm to your lips at a distance of 5-6 cm and say, for example, the words: [ pen ], [ ten ], [ keik ], articulating alternately [p], [t], [k] either with aspiration or without it. If it is articulated correctly, then in the palm of your hand you should feel a weak stream of air when you exhale.
2) Put a few pieces of paper on your palm, bring your palm to your lips at a distance of 5-6 cm and say [p] in the words :: [ pen ], [ ten ], [ keik ] with aspiration. From the exhalation, pieces of paper should fly off the palm of your hand.
3) Bring a lit match to your lips and pronounce Russian (p) nothing will happen to the flame, but it will go out if you pronounce English [p]. [12. 154]
To compare the unaspirated and aspirated pronunciation of stop plosives [ p, t , k ] read the following words: package, cake, Pasha, there; first, as usual in Russian, and then with aspiration, as in English, in order to better catch the difference by ear. This type of work greatly speeds up the process of setting the aspirated pronunciation [p ],[ t], [k] in students. [10.17]
When learning the aspirated pronunciation of the consonants [p, t, k], one should point to the positions when these consonants are pronounced with minimal or no aspiration before short vowels and after the fricative [s]. Since in such cases we pronounce them in the same way as in Russian, i.e., starting the pronunciation of voiced during the explosion of the consonant. [ 2. 78]
4. The next typical mistake of the phonemic nature of students is the stunning of voiced stop plosives [b, d, g] at the end of a word under the influence of their native language. In order to avoid stunning, as G. P. Torsuev writes in the book “Problems of Theoretical Phonetics and Phonology”, it is necessary to increase the stage of contact, to delay opening. You should pronounce sounds first at the end of a word, before vowels and voiced consonants, train them, and only then - before deaf ones. Experience shows that the stunning of the final voiced is not due to insufficient hearing acuity of the students, but due to the interference of the native language.[ 12.98]
When teaching, it is necessary to compare within the studied language with the native language, in some cases within the same language. When mastering this phonetic phenomenon, intonation by ear is decisive. It should be noted the possibility of another error - the presence of a vowel echo in the final position, which can lead to confusion of words: [ b I gb I gә ]. In order to avoid this mistake, it is necessary to weaken the muscular tension of the articulatory organs and remove the voice until the lips open. [ 3. 87]
5. The English sound [v] is perceived by students as a fricative sonant [w], which leads to the erroneous use of one phoneme instead of another. A mixture of English [v] and [w] is found when pronouncing the following words: invent [ I nwent ] instead of [ I n'vent , novel [ no'wel ] instead of [' novel ], vote [ wə u t ] instead of [ və u t ], vocation [ wə ' ke I ∫n ] instead of [ və'ke I ∫n ].
combination very well is usually pronounced by students [ we'r I w I l ] instead of [' veri wel ]. The difficulty in differentiating these phonemes in the Russian-speaking audience is explained, firstly, by the fact that the graphic and acoustic similarity of the English phonemes [v] and [w] contributes to their confusion. In order to achieve the correct pronunciation of the English sound [v], students, first of all, need to explain the features of the articulation of English [v ], [ w], then proceed to a special training of the organs of speech, aimed at creating the skill of recognizing and pronouncing these sounds:
a) lowering and raising the lower lip.
Slightly lifting the upper lip, expose the edge of the upper teeth and press the lower lip against them. Lowering the lower lip, expose the lower teeth. Repeat this movement without dropping your jaw. The upper lip is immobile. Slowly and carefully pronounce the English sound [v] several times, followed by reading the words: vet , vice , visit , ever , never , very
b) Push lips vigorously forward. Strenuously blow out air through the contracted hole. Avoid whistling noise. Repeat this movement many times and start pronouncing the English sound [w], and then the words: went , well , wine , will .
c) Open the lips up and down , slightly exposing both rows of teeth, then bring the lips closer, leaving a small gap between them. Slowly blow air out through the gap. After repeating this movement many times, give an analysis of the movement of the speech organs, determine the difference in articulation [v ], [ w], proceed to thoughtful and slow reading of English words.[6.94]
Some common pronunciation mistakes students make when learning to pronounce English consonants:
1. One of the typical mistakes of students is a weak, relaxed pronunciation, in which the articulating organ is not given strong muscular tension under the influence of the national way of life, because a tense, more energetic pronunciation is a hallmark of the phonetic system of the English language. Russian speech is characterized by general muscular non-tension of the speech apparatus, therefore, in order to rebuild the articulatory base of students when teaching English pronunciation, it is necessary to develop the muscular tension of the speech apparatus and, first of all, the lips, tongue and palatine curtain, for which it is necessary to regularly conduct a series of exercises called articulation gymnastics. It should be particularly hard to develop with a sluggish, casual, indistinct articulation speaking through teeth.
2. Another typical mistake of students is the replacement of alveolar occlusions with dental ones. To prevent this error, you need to know, firstly, where the alveoli are located. This can be easily seen with the help of two mirrors: we put one in the mouth on the lower teeth, in the second we look at the reflection of the first mirror; it must be remembered that only the tip of the tongue closes with the alveoli, because under the influence of their native language, students close the front of the back of the tongue and thus increase the area of ​​closure, turning alveolar sounds into affricates.
It is easy to see in the mirror how the front of the back of the tongue is pressed against the upper teeth, and the tip hangs, while when pronouncing English, the tip of the tongue is not visible.
Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a set of training exercises, without which articulation skills cannot be acquired.
Answer questions like:
Is this a table or a desk?
Is that a bed or a desk?
At this stage, error correction is of great importance.
The teacher should point out cases when alveolar sounds turn into dental ones under the influence of interdental sounds. This feature is easily assimilated if it is pointed out in time. To prevent errors in articulation [t], [d], special exercises for the language are offered:
a) find the most convex part of the alveoli with the tip of the tongue, make repeated movements from the upper teeth to the alveoli and back;
b) pronounce English [t], [d] at the beginning of words: ten, table, take, tall, teach, dance, dark, day, deal, dinner;
c) pronounce [t], [d] in the middle and at the end of words: at, add, actor; got, active, and, bad, bed, child, cut, flat, good;
d) to consolidate the skill of articulation [t], [d] in the process of reading a coherent text and the abundant use of these sounds in oral speech.
3. Another of the typical mistakes of students is the pronunciation of deaf stops [p], [t], [k] without aspiration, which can be corrected in the following ways:
1) Bring your palm to your lips at a distance of 5-6 cm and say, for example, the words: [pen], [ten], [keik], articulating [p], [t], [k] alternately with aspiration, then without him. If it is articulated correctly, then in the palm of your hand you should feel a weak stream of air when you exhale.
2) Put a few pieces of paper on your palm, bring your palm to your lips at a distance of 5-6 cm and say [p] in the words:: [pen], [ten], [keik] with a breath. From the exhalation, pieces of paper should fly off the palm of your hand.
3) Bring a lit match to your lips and pronounce Russian (p) nothing will happen to the flame, but it will go out if you pronounce English [p].
To compare the unaspirated and aspirated pronunciation of stop plosives [p, t, k] read the following words: package, cake, Pasha, there; first, as usual in Russian, and then with aspiration, as in English, in order to better catch the difference by ear. This type of work greatly speeds up the process of setting the aspirated pronunciation [p], [t], [k] for students.
When learning the aspirated pronunciation of the consonants [p, t, k], one should point to the positions when these consonants are pronounced with minimal or no aspiration before short vowels and after the fricative [s]. Since in such cases we pronounce them in the same way as in Russian, i.e., starting the pronunciation of voiced during the explosion of the consonant.
4. The next typical mistake of the phonemic nature of students is the stunning of voiced stop plosives [b, d, g] at the end of a word under the influence of their native language. In order to avoid stunning, as G. P. Torsuev writes in the book “Problems of Theoretical Phonetics and Phonology”, it is necessary to increase the stage of contact, to delay opening. You should pronounce sounds first at the end of a word, before vowels and voiced consonants, train them, and only then - before deaf ones. Experience shows that the stunning of the final voiced is not due to insufficient hearing acuity of students, but due to the interference of the native language.
When teaching, it is necessary to compare within the studied language with the native language, in some cases within the same language. When mastering this phonetic phenomenon, intonation by ear is decisive. It should be noted that the possibility of another error - the presence of a vowel from sound in the final position, which can lead to confusion of words: [bIg-bIgә]. In order to avoid this mistake, it is necessary to weaken the muscular tension of the articulatory organs and remove the voice until the lips open.
5. The English sound [v] is perceived by students as a fricative sonant [w], which leads to the erroneous use of one phoneme instead of another. A mixture of English [v] and [w] is found when pronouncing the following words: invent [Inwent] instead of [In'vent], novel [no'wel] instead of ['novel], vote [wəut] instead of [vəut], vocation [wə ' keI∫n] instead of [və'keI∫n].
The combination very well is usually pronounced by students [we'rI wel] instead of ['veri wel]. The difficulty in differentiating these phonemes in the Russian-speaking audience is explained, firstly, by the fact that the graphic and acoustic similarity of the English phonemes [v] and [w] contributes to their confusion. In order to achieve the correct pronunciation of the English sound [v], students, first of all, need to explain the features of the articulation of English [v], [w], then proceed to a special training of the organs of speech, aimed at creating the skill of recognizing and pronouncing these sounds:
a) lowering and raising the lower lip.
Slightly lifting the upper lip, expose the edge of the upper teeth and press the lower lip against them. Lowering the lower lip, expose the lower teeth. Repeat this movement without dropping your jaw. The upper lip is immobile. Slowly and carefully pronounce the English sound [v] several times, followed by reading the words: vet, vice, visit, ever, never, very
b) Push lips vigorously forward. Strenuously blow out air through the contracted hole. Avoid whistling noise. Repeat this movement many times and start pronouncing the English sound [w], and then the words: went, well, wine, will.
c) Open the lips up and down, slightly exposing both rows of teeth, then bring the lips closer, leaving a small gap between them. Slowly blow air out through the gap. After repeating this movement many times, give an analysis of the movement of the organs of speech, determine the difference in articulation [v], [w], proceed to thoughtful and slow reading of English words.