Instructor: Ching Kang Liu (National Taipei University)
Tel. (2)8674-6633; E-mail: ckliu@mail.ntpu.edu.tw
Office: Room 6633, Humanity Hall
Class Schedule: Every Tuesday and Thursday, July 1-29, 2008
Textbooks
or references
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M.,, & Goodwin, J. M. (1996). Teaching Pronunciation. New York: Cambridge University Press (Crane
in Taipei.)
Morley, J. (Ed.) (1994). Pronunciation pedagogy and theory: New view, new directions. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English
Pronunciation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Shockey, L. (2003). Sound Patterns of Spoken English. Malden, MA:
Blackwell. Website of this course http://web.ntpu.edu.tw/~language/workshop/ntue-2010.htm
This course will be a mixture of lectures, discussions
and presentations. It is assumed that all attendants are interested in and want to get familiar
with the teaching materials assigned for the course and the instrument to be employed.
This course will focus on the basic knowledge of English phonetics that are related to English pronunciation instruction and how this knowledge can be applied to the EFL English classes. Other related subject matters, such as phonetics and pronunciation pedagogy theories will also be included in this courses. The ultimate goal to to help all attendants get ready for teaching English pronunciation using appropriate methods and strategies.
The instructor will introduce and explain the materials
covered in each lecture, including basic theories, physical features
of sounds, and instruments or materials to aid instruction
of English pronunciation.
2. Task-based activities
After explaining the basic theories and how to use the instruments, the attendants will have to finish assigned tasks to make sure that all the theories of pedagogy discussed in class can be applied in instruction of pronunciation. For each task requied, the attendants have to write a teaching plan first, including strategies to be used in class and expected results to be seen after the instruction. These "teaching plans" are required to present in class. All classmates will be critics and helpers to improve the teaching plans.
Quizzes (or pop quizzes) will be given almost every
lecture. Reviewing exams will be given when every two or three sectiions
are completed. Other forms of formative evaluation (including assignment
and presentation in class) will also be employed to observe the performance of the attendance for different perspectives. The final grades are based on all
the scores cumulated from the evaluations mentioned above.
Percentage of Grading:
1. Participation, homework, & quizzes = 50%
2. Review tests = 25%
3. Final Paper = 25% (Total = 100%)
A Tentative Weekly
Calendar (Subject to change for instruction reasons)
Introduction of the course and the tasks to be done in class. Divide attendants into different groups. Questionnaires about how pronunciation should be taught. Start introducing the tools PRAAT to be used in this class. Reviewing the KK phonetic symbols and see the differeces between the KK and the IPA systems.
Transcribe the following oral
passage using KK phonetic symbols:
"When a student from another country comes to study in
the United States, he has to find out for himself the answers
to many questions." (Readings)
Finish reading "pronunciation 1" available on the website.
Task 1: Explore the physical features of sounds. Terms to be known: formants, F0 frequency, pitch, intensity, etc.
Introducing English vowels; observing physical
features of English vowels and how they should be grouped and how each sound is composed
with its own unique features; trying to find a reasonable mechanism
that helps both instruction and self-improvement of the pronunciation
of English vowels
Try to finish all the reading and think of one or two methods you think are useful in your English class.
Try to write a tentative proposal of a teaching plan, including: (1) materials to be used; (2) what is expected to be learned in class; (3) how to evalute your students; and (4) make sure that your students improve.
Trying to to figure out the common errors our students can make and how to help them
Introducing basic features of English consonants
and how they should be grouped and how each consonant is related to or affected by adjacent
vowels; observing the contrasts of how English consonants
and Mandarin consonants behave in different phonological environments
Choose proposals to be presented in class (2 groups).
Choose one set of sounds like task 3 for home work (did that in class and mail the result to me).
Task 3. Try to demonstrate, using PRAAT, how the articulation postion of the consonant can be affected by that of a vowel. Try to demonstrate the articulation positions of /k/ in "key," "Kate," and "cool." /b/ in "bee," "bat," and "boot."
Introducing the allophones of the English vowels and consonants; trying
to understand how each consonant and vowel should be pronounced properly
in the context; tryring to distinguish different ways of performance
of English consonants and vowels in real speech
Choose proposals to be presented in class (2 groups)
A quiz related to vowels and consonants will be given.
Task 4. Try to demonstrate, using PRAAT, the acoustic facts of assimulation and deletion in English.
Task 5. Try to demonstrate, using PRAAT, the allophones related to vowels and consonants
Midterm exam (One hour)
Starting working on stress, rhythm, and tone.
Choose proposals to be presented in class (1 or 2 groups)
Have the teaching proposals completed with materials (e.g., films, songs, sound data, etc.) and get ready to demonstrate the teaching in class.
Task 6. Try to demonstrate, using PRAAT, the features of stress, rhythm, and tone in different types of expressions in English, e.g., statements, interogatives, exlamations, etc.
Intonation; contrasting
intonation languages and tone languages and how the differences
might interfere with language learner's intonation? What the
real data tells us about intonation and what can we be inspired?
How theories of intonation can be applied to instruction of
English pronunciation
Practice the instruction in class (1 or 2 groups, in 10 minutes)
Read a short story to demonstrate that you can handle the intonation of English (choose one accent you want to follow)
Task 8. Contrasting the intonation contour of English and that of Mandarin to see the differences, focuing on down-steps and long expressions.