Overcoming Pronunciation Challenges in Adulthood at a Private Institude in Escobar

 

Ayelén, A. Miwszuk and Laura A. Valcheff

                                                                 Universidad CAECE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abstract

              Pronunciation is an integral part of foreign language learning since it directly affects students’ communicative competence. Communicative approaches to language teaching emphasize the importance of achieving intelligibility above native-like pronunciation. In this study, the researchers will attempt to identify the possible factors that may be preventing a group of adult Argentine students from learning pronunciation after years of receiving formal instruction. For this to happen, first data will be collected from them by means of questionnaires and personal online interviews.  Then, the researchers will implement a new syllabus based on the prosody pyramid with the aim of providing an alternative approach to the teaching of pronunciation to adult students. This instructional strategy will be held for a period of three months to be later analysed, compared and contrasted with what the literature previously reviewed states to determine whether the learners’ pronunciation performance has suffered any alteration or not.

  Keywords: Pronunciation, prosody pyramid, communicative competence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outline of the article: Miwszuk, A. A., & Valcheff, L. A. (2021). Overcoming Pronunciation Challenges in Adulthood [Unpublished manuscript]. Universidad CAECE.

• Purpose: To show the logical organization of the text
• Thesis statement: Intelligibility in pronunciation is an essential prerequisite to achieve communicative competence.

·         Audience: L2 adult educators, pronunciation advocates, teachers, colleagues

1. Introduction

   1.1 Primary goal in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

   1.2 Intelligibility in pronunciation

   1.3 Challenges in teaching pronunciation

   1.4 Research questions

         1.4.1 Factors hindering the acquisition process

         1.4.2 Teaching strategies to facilitate the acquisition process

   1.5 Objectives of the field work

   1.6. Literature review

         1.6.1 Influence of self-confidence in pronunciation

         1.6.2. Factors affecting speech comprehensibility

         1.6.3 Pronunciation issues in adulthood

         1.6.4 Pronunciation instruction

         1.6.5 Prosody pyramid

3. Methods

     3.1 Participants

     3.2 Materials

     3.3 Procedure

4. Outcome expected

5. References

 

 

Overcoming Pronunciation Challenges in Adulthood

Traditionally, research in education intends to offer meaningful contributions to teachers and students in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). With the advent of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the main goal of language instruction became to promote communicative competence (Bumfit & Johnson, 1979). Nonetheless, fully communicative competence cannot be achieved without intelligible pronunciation. Most of the current literature emphasizes the importance of achieving this intelligibility above native-like pronunciation (Harmer, 1991); “not as helping students to sound like native speakers but as helping them to learn the core elements of spoken English so that they can be easily understood by others” (Gilbert, 2008, p.1). Davis (1999) claims that many learners of English as a foreign language have major difficulties with pronunciation even after years of learning the language.  Pennington (1994) contends that it is the role of the teacher to reinforce pronunciation by encouraging and advising learners. However, in many English language classrooms, teaching pronunciation is granted the least attention and little practical guidance has been provided for teachers to tackle pronunciation issues when teaching adult students. To guide the present research, the following questions are raised:

1) Which factors can be hindering the process of acquiring an intelligible English pronunciation in a group of adult Argentine learners from Escobar, Buenos Aires who started their instruction in adulthood? 2) What teaching strategies can be implemented in this context to facilitate the process of acquiring understandable pronunciation?

The first objective of this current paper is to determine the factors which might be preventing the learning of pronunciation such as attitude, motivation, personality traits, and the exposure to the target language outside the classroom in this group of students. The second objective will be to implement the prosody pyramid (Gilbert, 2008) as an instructional strategy to improve the current situation of this group.

Zoss, J. M. (2015). Adult English Learners' Perceptions of their Pronunciation and Linguistic SelfConfidence. School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations.  https://syr.us/S14

Examines advanced-level adult English learners’ (ELs) perceptions of their pronunciation and the possible relationship with their linguistic self-confidence. Pinpoints that English pronunciation affects life quality especially in terms of career advancement. Asserts that the ELs’ lack of awareness regarding their pronunciation problems is due to a lack of instruction.

Pourhosein- Gilakjani, A. (2012). A study of factors affecting EFL learners' English pronunciation learning and the strategies for instruction. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(3), 119 -128. http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_3_February_2012/17.pdf

Contends that diminished pronunciation skills can decrease a learners’ self-confidence. Asserts that native-like pronunciation should no longer be the aim of teaching. Explores the main features of pronunciation. Advises teachers to focus on the teaching of suprasegmental features. Identifies four factors which may affect the learning of pronunciation: attitude, motivation and exposure, instruction and exposure to the target language.

Yates, L., & Zielinski, B. (2009). Give it a go: Teaching pronunciation to adults. Macquarie University.

Explores the reasons why adult learners find pronunciation challenging.  Mentions that support, patience, time and continuity are the most important factors to take into consideration when teaching pronunciation. Highlights the importance of focusing on both segmental and suprasegmental features. Claims that pronunciation should be implemented in all lessons. 

Gilakjani, A. P. (2011). A study on the situation of pronunciation instruction in ESL/EFL classrooms. Journal of Studies in Education, 1(1), 1-15. https://syr.us/6Mt

Highlights the importance of the pronunciation skill in English Language Teaching. Explains that speakers’ bad pronunciation leads to a lack of understandable speech. Claims that the teaching of this skill is granted the least attention in many classrooms. Discusses the status of pronunciation teaching from English language teachers, researchers and writers’ viewpoints. Gilbert, J. (2008). The prosody pyramid. In J. Gilbert (Ed.), Teaching pronunciation: Using the prosody pyramid (pp.10-21). Cambridge University Press.

 Lists the reasons why pronunciation is usually left aside in the classroom. Defines rhythm and melody as road signs when speaking. Highlights that the importance of prosodic instruction is further supported by research. States that segment-based instruction should not be eliminated but included as one part of the prosody pyramid.  Concludes that without the sufficient mastery of the English prosodic system learners’ intelligibility will not advance.

 

Methods

Participants

Ten Argentine students from the city of Escobar will voluntarily participate in this field of work. This group’s members are between 24 and 32 years old. They have been attending English lessons for four years and have reached a level A2+ according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). They have had a new teacher since March 2021, and she has noticed that although their performance in writing, listening and reading are in accordance with the aforementioned level, the major flaws are centred in their pronunciation. During 2020 and 2021 these students have been attending lessons through Zoom meetings.

Materials

Individual interviews based on a questionnaire will be held to analyse the students’ profiles. An observation grid will be used to guide the researcher when interviewing students to take down notes of the features of language which are more troublesome for each participant. A new syllabus design based on the prosody pyramid approach to pronunciation teaching will be implemented for a period of three months. Zoom lessons will be recorded for later analysis.

Procedure

Firstly, consent will be gained from the head of the school of English. Secondly, the observation grid and the questionnaire will be prepared. Thirdly, the questionnaire will be piloted with two different groups of students to check its clarity and transparency in order to introduce the necessary changes. Fourthly, a time-table will be arranged with students to hold the individual interviews through Zoom.  In these interviews the factors attained will be related to students’ attitudes towards learning pronunciation, motivation, personality traits and the exposure they have to the target language outside the classroom.  Fifthly, an online folder will be created to keep a record of the data collected as well as the recordings of the Zoom meetings in a neat way throughout the three months to be later analysed. Sixthly, a new syllabus based on the prosody pyramid will be designed to be put into practice during the research process. Finally, after a three- month implementation of the prosody pyramid the results gathered from the recordings before and after the implementation of the new syllabus will be compared and contrasted to determine whether the students’ performance has suffered any alteration or not.

 

Desired Outcome

By carrying out this field work the researchers expect to find answers to the research questions outlined at the beginning of the study. Data collected from the interviews, observations, and recordings are expected to yield more light upon the factors that may be affecting the acquisition of intelligible English pronunciation in this specific context. Identifying these factors would be of utmost importance for the researchers to provide the course teacher with some practical guidance on how to approach the teaching of pronunciation, implementing the most beneficial strategies to suit the needs of this group of students. This field work is also expected to confirm whether the implementation of the prosody pyramid (Gilbert, 2008) has attained the desired outcome, an improved pronunciation performance. Thus, validating or not, in this context, the prosodic pyramid approach to teaching pronunciation to adult students. The results obtained will serve as a yardstick for further research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bumfit, Ch. & Johnson, K. (1979). The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.

Davis, C. (1999). Will the use of videos designed for the purpose of teaching English pronunciation improve the learners’ production of discrete sounds by at least 80% over a 12-week period? In Action Research Monographs. Pennsylvania Action Research Network. A Section 353 Project of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education. ERIC Document [ED440 219].

Harmer, J. (1991). The practice of English language teaching. Longman.

Pennington, M. (1994). Recent research in L2 phonology: Implications for practice. In J. Morley, (Ed.). Pronunciation pedagogy and theory. New views, new directions. pp. 92-108. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. (EDRS No. ED 388 061).