TESOL Pop S9E10 | What to Prioritise When Teaching Pronunciation with Gemma Archer

Gemma Archer shares insights from her latest book: Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World co-authored with Robin Walker. In this episode, Gemma talks about prioritising intelligibility over native-likeness in language learning, setting realistic learning goals, as well as shares techniques we can use to develop learners’ pronunciation.

KEY TALKING POINTS

1. Prioritising Intelligibility
Gemma stresses the importance of focusing on students' intelligibility rather than aiming for native-like pronunciation, ensuring they can be understood in international contexts.

2. Needs Analysis and Student Goals
Teachers can conduct a needs analysis by observing students' speech or collecting speech samples to identify specific pronunciation issues. Understanding students' goals and requirements is crucial.

3. Challenging Prestige Models
The dominance of marketed native-speaker accents, particularly from Southeast England and general American English, in teaching materials, media, and marketing shapes students' perceptions. Teachers should address and challenge these notions, emphasising the value of diverse English accents.

4. Techniques for Teaching Pronunciation
Simple, low-preparation techniques are recommended. Visual aids, gestures, and using students' language examples are effective. Emphasising sound differences and durations, such as using elastic bands to show vowel length, helps students grasp pronunciation better.

Learn more about Gemma's work
LinkedIn   / gemma-archer  

REFERENCES
1. Walker, R. and Archer, G. (2024) Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World. Oxford University Press.
2. Walker, R. (2020) ‘L’ is for the Lingua Franca Core. What else? https://englishglobalcom.wordpress.co...
3. The Scottish Sound School. https://thescottishsoundschool.com/
4. IATEFL PronSIG. https://pronsig.iatefl.org/

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CREDITS
Producer Laura Wilkes
Editor Haven Tsang
Thanks to our fab guest, Gemma Archer.

TIMESTAMPS
00:40 What should we prioritise?
01:46 Intelligibility versus native-likeness
03:38 Helping students set goals
06:48 Explicit intervention in goal-setting
08:33 Activity 1: Reflect on mother tongue
11:10 Technique 1: Look and compare
12:30 Technique 2: Highlighting differences
13:29 Technique 3: Gestures to visualise
14:10 About Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World

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