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I have learnt, in this unit, that pronunciation is probably the most neglected aspect of English language teaching because, even for native speakers, it is difficult to hear certain features. I realise to be a successful teacher I need to recognise the teaching of pronunciation is an integral part of the course. I have learnt this is an area where I will need further study to increase my knowledge as it is an area I am unfamiliar with. From studying this unit I have also learnt that phonology is a key area of English language teaching. I am now clearly aware that the whole sound system or phonology of English is vital to help students to come to an understanding of the pronunciation of English. This includes the areas of stress, rhythm, intonation as well as the International Phonetic Alphabet. For students to be successful, during language lessons, it is essential to give time to pronunciation, stress and intonation practice to enable them to understand the importance of accuracy and clarity in communication. I have learnt that intonation is important because it carries the message in a sentence. I am aware that the intonation of a sentence helps the speaker express emotions or feelings which is important when learning a new language.Intonation is particularly important in questioning, agreeing or disagreeing or when confirming statements. I have learnt the two main patterns are rise/fall which is a normal pattern and fall/rise which usually indicates surprise and sometimes disagreement. Most importantly it indicates that the speaker wants the person to whom he's speaking to respond. However, you can assist students through various techniques for indicating and teaching intonation including nonsense words, humming or singing, by gesture or on the board. I am now aware the word that bears the principle emphasis in a sentence is stressed. It is more difficult for students to hear and reproduce unstressed syllables and in normal English speech there are more syllables without stress than with. To teach students more effectively I have learnt that techniques for teaching stress can include choral work, contrastive stress, by gesture, the board and stress marks. I also realise that by helping students become more confident at linking words together the more successful they will become at sounding more natural when they speak English. I have learnt that it will be important to familiarise myself with the International Phonemic Alphabet because it represents the way that the sounds of English speech are put together to form words, regardless of where in the world you originate from. Articulation is a tricky and complex area for English language speakers and it will be vital to be able to teach it confidently. The most important expressions to know for manner of articulation are: plosives, fricatives, affricatives and nasals. At the same time, I have learnt, that the teaching of individual sounds can be good for students and teachers. Techniques to help students to pronounce individual sounds include peer dictation, visuals, your own mouth, phonemes and tongue twisters. I am now aware that it is up to individual teachers when they wish to include pronunciation in their lessons and there is no hard and fast rule about which way is best.
