Esl_and_Phonetics

What do ESL teachers need to know about phonetics and phonology and why' Phonetics is the study of the inventory and structure of the sounds of language where as phonology is defined as the component of a grammar made up of the elements and principles that determine how sounds pattern in a language. Both concepts are important for ESL teachers to understand in order to have the highest success in the classroom. An understanding of foreign languages and how they differ from each other and from English can also aide a teacher in understanding a student’s speech pattern. What grammar rules do a specific language follow' How does a language’s suprasegmental properties affect a student’s ability to learn English' First examine suprasegmental properties of sound: pitch, loudness, length and how these properties might affect a student’s learning of English. Differences in pitch can signal differences in word meanings in a tone language and not all languages are tone languages. For example, in Mandarin pronouncing “ma” with a falling pitch means “scold” whereas pronouncing it with a rising pitch means “hemp”. In Mandarin, a tone language, pitch changes the meaning of a word. In a non-tone language, such as English, pitch does not change the meaning of a word. In English, intonation patterns are indicated by punctuation marks, both with rising intonation and falling intonation. For example, rising intonation, or nonterminal contour, often signals incompleteness and are often found in lists and telephone numbers. Stress is a term used to define the combination of effects of pitch, loudness, and length. Languages have different effects of stress. In the English language, stressed vowels are higher in pitch, longer, and louder than unstressed ones. In general, “tone languages do not change the pitch level or contour of tones to mark stress.” (O’Grady, p. 45) As an ESL teacher, knowing the differences in these suprasegmental properties can aide in understanding a student’s ability in acquiring English proficiency. Sometimes it can be frustrating to a teacher when a student does not “get it”; but given an understanding of where the student is coming from, what their understanding is about language, or what is acceptable in their native language will help a teacher in their teaching method and strategies. Saying a word louder isn’t going to get a student to pronounce the word better or correctly. Understanding why a student pronounces a particular word they way they do will guide a teacher into correcting the student appropriately. Second, examine the way sounds are made in the different languages, the place of articulation and manner of articulation. Places of articulation are found at the lips (labial or bilabial), within the oral cavity (alveopalatal, palatal, velar, uvular), in the pharynx (pharyngeals), and at the glottis (glottals). However, not all languages use these places of articulation in all parts of words. For example, English has bilabials at the beginning or words such as peer, bin, or month and labiodentals in words such as fire and vow. Alveolar sounds are heard in beginning of words such as top and soap in the English language. However, in some languages like Spanish, r can be made as an alveolar sound. As far as uvular sounds, English has none, but the r sound of standard European French is uvular. Also, pharyngeals, “sounds made through the modification of airflow in this region by retracting the tongue or constricting the pharynx”, are not found in English but can be found in Arabic dialects. (O’Grady, p. 24) These articulation “rules” are important to understand because students of foreign dialect may think it strange to pronounce words with unfamiliar sounds. Helping these children to understand why the English formation of sounds occurs will help them to better understand how the formation of sounds occurs. By modeling and explaining how English sounds are made, teachers can better create an understanding for their ESL students. Understanding the difference in languages can better help teachers to understand their students. Th