The Incorporation of Pronunciation By Xiaoling Feng
I believe that incorporating pronunciation in English courses is essential in the learning process. As students are aware of the features of pronunciation, they will become more fluent and confident when speaking English. Also, teaching pronunciation in English courses would help the students to faster their speaking skill. In other words, if you know the pronunciation rules, you won’t make the same mistake repeatedly. On the other hand, learning pronunciation requites a lot of time and effort, but it is possible to reach. As future teachers, we could include pronunciation little by little throughout the course, as we combine listening, reading, speaking and writing in the class; and repeat the same knowledge until students acquire it. Therefore, in order to pronounce each sound in an appropriate way, we have to consider the following aspects: Place of articulation: Where the sound or articulations is made.
Points of articulation: The specific point of the mouth where the sound is made: upper lip, teeth and roof of the mouth. Manner of articulation: The combination of the position of different speech organs in order to produce a consonant sound. •
Stop: The air flow is stopped. Examples: /P/, /T/ and /k/
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Fricative: This type of consonant sounds are produced in a narrow opening position and the air flow is continuous. Examples: /f/, /s/ and /h/
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Affricative: Consonant sounds that begins as a stop and followed immediately by a fricative. /tʃ/ /dʒ/
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Nasal: The air flow is produced by the nasal cavity. /m, n, ŋ/