Teaching Pronunciation

Abstract

Pronunciation lessons should be based on the phoneme contrasts that are important in the language. The vowel sound in beat /i:/ and that in bit /ɪ/ has to be taught because using one for the other will convey a change in meaning. Otherwise there is no reason to teach the difference. Similarly, no matter what pronunciation lessons are included in the school textbook, teachers should only concentrate on those sounds that their particular class has difficulty with. Thus if the pupils do not on the whole get confused between the initial consonant sounds in wane and vein, there is no point in drilling the class on distinguishing these two sounds. On the other hand, the textbook may not have dealt with some phonemes that are troublesome for the class. In that case, the teacher has to devise lessons on her own, along the lines laid down below.