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Teaching Pronunciation in South KoreaWhen talking about phonetics and phonology, it is important know what they mean and how they may applicable to teaching English to language students. Phonetic deals with the speech sounds as they are produced whereas phonology, as the suffix suggests, is the study and science of the physical properties of sounds. The term phonetics and phonology is used to refer to the theoretical context of speech sounds and how they are used in language. These are important to learn as teachers need the deeper understanding provided by the study of grammatical theory and related areas of linguistics. Theoretical material is necessary for anyone who needs to understand the principles regulating the use of sounds in spoken English (Roach, 1991). These terms are often used interchangeably and I will deal with it as such while I am discussing about teaching pronunciation in South korea. I have been teaching English in korea now for about six years. When I first came to korea, I noticed that all of the students I was teaching found it difficult to pronounce some sounds, the most difficult one being the /r/ sound. It was around this time that korea started to really emphasize the learning of English at all levels. These days I have noticed that most of my students have drastically improved their pronunciation probably due to the large number of native English-speaking teachers and English language institutes. However, there are still many sounds which cause koreans difficulty when it comes to pronunciation. In regards to the phonemic aspects of the two languages, there are some definite articulatory differences. In English, there are the bilabial, labiodental, dental, alveolar, palatoalveolar, palatal, velar and glottal sounds but in korean there are only the bilabial, alveolar, palatoalveolar, velar and glottal sounds. The phonemes not existing in korean are as follows: /b, d, g, f, v, ð, ?, ?, ?, ?, j/, ? (Oh, n.d.). Given that there are three less sounds in korean, there are clearly some restrictions when it comes to sound production so it is understandable that korean students would find English pronunciation difficult. One problem that many students face in pronunciation is whether a consonant is voiced or voiceless (Beare, 2011). Voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds. It can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate or to a classification of speech sounds that tend to be associated with vocal cord vibration but need not actually be voiced at the articulatory level (Voice, 2011, para. 1). From my experience teaching beginners about English pronunciation, using voiced and voiceless sounds to demonstrate some basic phonetic differences has very helpful. In class, as a warm up before the lesson, I introduce two sounds to the class. For example, I would write /s/ and /z/ or the /?/ and /ð/ on the board, giving examples of some different words which use these phonemes e.g. sue ?zoo or thick ? the.For each of the phonemes, I explain that the mouth, lips and tongue stay exactly the same; it?s only the voice that changes. By simply instructing the students to put their fingers on their larynx and notice the differences between the two sounds, the students are able to accurately reproduce the sounds. Although many teachers lack the confidence and training to methodically teach phonetics and phonology, it is important for them to make an effort to learn and be able to teach the basics of pronunciation, especially to beginners. Phonetics and phonology is essential to speaking as it is deals with the production of sound in speech. Furthermore, teaching pronunciation will aid the students to become more expressive and confident while they continue to learn and use the English language. References Beare, Kenneth. (2011). Voiced and Voiceless Consonants. About.com.May 8, 2011. http://esl.about.com/od/speakingenglish/a/voiced.htm Oh, Kwan Young. The Phonological Role in English Pronunciation Teaching.Paaljapan.org. May 8, 2011. http://www.paaljapan.org/resources/proceedings/PAAL9/pdf/OhKwanY.pdf Roach, Peter. (1991). English Phonetics and Phonology: A practical course. Cambridge University Press. Voice (phonetics). (2011, February 13). May 8, 2011. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Voice_(phonetics)&oldid=413700677
