Pronunciation matters

By LYNNE MCGREADY

I WALKED into a shop in Sydney, Australia over the Christmas break. The shop assistant was very helpful and inquisitive ... I was asked questions about my home, my family, my marital status and my profession. I felt a little awkward but after being interrogated (in the nicest possible ways!) by my Malaysian students about my personal life, I found myself answering without any hesitation.

When she asked about my company, I explained it was a training and consultancy “firm”.

She stopped me and asked confusedly, “You have a training ‘farm’?”

I was so surprised that I nearly shouted. “ ‘FARM’ ... !!! You heard ‘farm’?”

She said, “Yes!” (And then backed away slowly…)

At that moment I wished I had used the word “company” but would she have heard something different with this word as well? Was my pronunciation deteriorating? Was I becoming slack?

I quickly did a self-assessment of myself after this experience.

• Was I spending enough time on pronunciation as a teacher?
• Was I correcting them too often?
• Was I not correcting them enough since most of them can understand what I am saying?
• Was I focusing only on the biggest pronunciation mistakes?
• In the end, is studying pronunciation really that important?

The last question nagged me the most. I thought back to my experiences over the years as a teacher and a trainer. The answer I came up with was:

“Yes! Pronunciation is an important part of language! It is just as important as vocabulary or grammar!”

I am sure that some will argue this. After all, shouldn’t we focus on being able to get a message across rather than creating perfectly structured sentences and crisp pronunciation?

My response is simple. “We must give equal importance to all the systems of a language, be that vocabulary acquisition, phonics, sentence structure or function. They must be developed simultaneously, not one at a time!”

However, one compelling reason to pay attention to pronunciation is the significant change in students’ confidence in their ability to express themselves when they are able to pronounce their words correctly. When they can finally speak the words that they previously found unspeakable, their self-esteem sky-rockets, as does their desire to continue learning the language.

Another strong validation for continual pronunciation practice is first impressions. The first thing a person will notice about the other is pronunciation (particularly at work!) They won’t immediately take note of the grammar or how wide their range of vocabulary is, however pronunciation is there, in their face. And we all know that first impressions count heavily.

The right pronunciation?

I am sure many teachers are asked “American or British?” Let me confuse the issue ... How about Australian or South African or New Zealand? Okay. Let’s choose British since, we are using the British English standard in our school system. Good. Which English regional dialect are you going to chose? London or Manchester or West Country? Have I lost you yet?

Once we realise this problem, we see clearly our ultimate goal – to help improve our students’ pronunciation. We want them to sound like a Malaysian, rather than trying (unsuccessfully) to sound like an American or an Australian. The latter is not an option, and often ends in failure.

Our goals should be to:

• Develop an understandable way of speaking NOT ONLY to the people living and working around them but also to those who are not Malaysians!
• Improve listening comprehension and become familiar with the many varieties of English.

Many students try to understand every word said by native English speakers. When they cannot understand every single word, they give up and lose heart. I recommend the following:

• If you are watching TV, switch off the subtitle function or cover the subtitles with paper!
• Choose TV and radio programmes that you find enjoyable and interesting. If you are struggling, take a break and come back a little later.
• Listen to world news in your mother tongue first and then in English.
• Don’t try to understand every word. (I know many of my American friends cannot understand what Australians are saying!)
• Music! Listen and sing English songs. You can download the lyrics from the Internet and follow them as you listen.

Teachers, who are at the frontline for making sure students start off on a good path to English learning, should:

• Monitor and correct their own pronunciation. Familiarise yourself with the International Phonetic symbols, the phonemes they represent and how to pronounce them.
• Word drills are good for improving word stress and intonation. Story telling is another great way to improve these skills.
• Help your students to become autonomous learners. Direct them to sites where they can hear the word being pronounced e.g. wiki dictionary.
• Bring some (English) music into your classroom. It breaks the monotony and makes the class more enjoyable.
• Don’t allow yourself or your students to lose heart or give up ...
• Be consistent with pronunciation work in class. You needn’t interrupt every sentence to correct someone’s speech. But ensure that there is regular correction and feedback. Don’t fall into the “no time for this” trap!

Others may disagree with the strong importance I place on pronunciation. However, people need to understand what you are saying.

If the wrong sounds are used, and through that a poor first impression is created, does it matter what comes next? You may not get a “second chance”.