by Revel Arroway

Created on: September 03, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2012

By using a comprehensive approach towards teaching English pronunciation, the teacher can create a basis for many of the tasks in the ESL class. Pronunciation can become not only an alternative to daily grammar and structure lessons and exercises, it can also support activities such as listening comprehension and word order. 

Though improving pronunciation is an integral part of learning a language, you should first offer a general explanation of the physical articulation of the sound system of English, illustrating the ways in which these sounds are combined to create meaningful utterances.

In addition, you should emphasize the importance of reproducing these combinations in a way that most closely resembles the natural speech of a native speaker.

• Articulation: keep it simple

The sounds that make up any language are the result of complex combinations of air, vibration and articulation, among other factors. You should present concepts such as “consonant” and “vowel” with an understanding that they will be the basis for creating meaningful sentences in English. However, a general overview of these concepts can be sufficient. A simple approach may include:

—Consonant: a sound produced through the explosion, friction or obstruction of either air or tone.

The production of consonants depends on the placement or movement of the throat, lips, tongue, teeth, and can even involve the nose or the chest. Examples of the three types of consonant sounds abound in any sentence in English. The terms “plosive”, “fricative” and “obstructive” become self-explanatory. Students should understand these concepts, but not necessarily see them on tests. These concepts are mainly useful in explaining the physical articulation of consonant sounds.

More detailed explanations, such as “voiced” and “unvoiced” consonant sounds, can be explained, but are not of supreme importance. For example, though a change in the voicing of a consonant may also change the meaning of the word itself, its position in the structure of the sentence should serve as a clue as to its meaning. This can reinforce the importance of word order in the English sentence.

—Vowel: a tone, unrestricted by the explosion, friction or obstruction of sound. 

Teaching each and every one of the 28+ vowel sounds found in English can become an uneconomical use of class time. Up to 40% of the vowel sounds are

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