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Summaries Chapter Four

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Phonemes and Distinctive Features

·     Much learning of pronunciation depends on aspects other than the 'phoneme', for example distinctive features.

·            L2 learners gradually acquire the L2 way of voicing stop con­sonants.

·            Their first language is affected by their knowledge of the second lang­uage, as well as their second being affected by their first.

 

 

Syllables

·    A crucial aspect of language acquisition is the mastery of syllable structure.

·   Learners often try to make their second language syllable structure fit the structure of their first language by adding or omitting vowels and consonants.

 

Processes in acquiring L2 phonology

● A crucial element in L2 phonology acquisition is transfer from the L1, which depends partly on the nature of the two phonological systems.

● Nevertheless phonological acquisition also depends on universal processes of language acquisition available to the human mind.

 

 

Models of Pronunciation

·     In teaching a native speaker variety, the choice has to be made between national varieties and between different local and class accents.
·     In teaching an international language like English (ELF), the choice is which forms work best among non-native speakers from different countries

 

 

 

Learning Intonation

·     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 intonation shows grammar, attitude etc.

·     Intonation mistakes can be dangerous because it is not obvious to the participants that a mistake has been made.

 

Pronunciation and Teaching

·              Pronunciation teaching should recognise the diversity of levels of pronunciation in a language including phonemes, allophones, syllables, intonation etc.

·        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.