Second Language Learning and Language Teaching

Box 4.9 Learning intonation
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A major L2 learning problem is moving between the two major ways of
using intonation in the world’s languages: tone languages where intonation
shows difference in lexical meaning, and intonation languages where into-
nation shows grammar, attitude, and so on.
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Intonation mistakes can be dangerous because it is not obvious to the par-
ticipants that a mistake has been made.
Box 4.10 Pronunciation and teaching
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Pronunciation teaching should recognize the diversity of levels of pronunci-
ation in a language, including phonemes, allophones, syllables, intonation,
and so on.
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The learning of pronunciation involves aspects of the learner’s first
language, universal learning processes and aspects of the second language.
●
Teaching has mostly made use of conventional techniques of phonetic
scripts, imitation, sound discrimination and communication.
●
Students can also be made more aware of sound features of language.
Discussion topics
1
How important is a native-like accent to using a second language? Which
native accent?
2
How could teachers best exploit the kinds of stages that students go through
in the acquisition of pronunciation?
3
How much of the difficulty of acquiring L2 phonology is due to the learner’s
first language?
4
Do you accept that English is now different from other languages because it
functions like a lingua franca?
5
What uses can you find in coursebooks for phonetic script? What other uses
can you think of?

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Further reading
There are few readily accessible treatments of the areas covered in this chapter.
Kenworthy (1987) Teaching English Pronunciation provides a readable and trust-
worthy account of pronunciation for teachers. Further discussion of phonology
can be found in Cook (1997) Inside Language. Web links include a clickable IPA
chart(http://hctv.humnet.ucla.edu/departments/linguistics/VowelsandConsonan
ts/course/chapter1/chapter1.html) and an IPA chart for English (www.teachin-
genglish.org.uk/download/pron.shtml), as well as the amazing Speech Accent
Archive (http://accent.gmu.edu).
Acquiring and teaching pronunciation