Increasingly, Chinese students are pursuing their studies abroad in English-speaking countries, such as the USA, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite the fact that they have studied English as a compulsory subject for a number of years and have passed multiple English proficiency tests, many still find it is difficult to communicate well in…

The phenomenon of the modified register, here termed Foreigner Register, the register of language that is used by language teachers with students of perceived low language proficiency, is discussed. As used by language teachers, Foreigner Register is well formed and simplified or modified in terms of syntax, phonology, and lexis. The…

Provides a set of priorities and learning activities for a short-term English as a second language pronunciation course. These include: stress/unstress, major sentence stress, intonation, and linking and pausing. (CB)

Using French, English, and Hungarian accents, and from 1 to 4 voices, students in a Hungarian French language class dramatized and presented 32 versions of a Guillaume d'Apollinaire poem. Factors that varied in the presentations included the number of participants, recitation patterns, tone of voice, props, and physical movement. (MSE)

English pronunciation lessons and exercises for Spanish speakers are presented. The lessons are designed with the phonological characteristics of both the native and target languages in mind. The lessons cover consonants and consonant clusters, vowels and diphthongs, stress and pitch, and rapid speech phonology. A chart is provided which…

The communicative approach used in the teaching of second languages is also effective in teaching pronunciation of English as a second language. Communicative principles and activities in the areas of consonants and vowels, contractions, recued expressions and linking, suprasegmentals, and monitoring are discussed. (CB)

At an employer's request, a course was developed to improve the speech skills, and remediate fossilized speech, of six Asian engineers and scientists. All had spoken English for many years, and averaged 10 years of residence in the United States. These students were recorded reading a dialogue as well as in free speech. A needs assessment was…

The development, testing, and classroom use of an instructional module for teaching French intonation patterns to beginning students are described. The module begins with the "accent tonique," the simplest of French intonation patterns, which the student must learn to detect and imitate in progressively more difficult combinations before going on…

Problems in teaching English suprasegmental features, particularly stress differences, to Malay speakers are described. A small research project at Universiti Brunei Darussalam suggests that the SIL Speech Analysis System is useful in teaching phonetics and improving students' pronunciation. (Contains six references.) (LB)

Four aspects of English pragmatics that are often puzzling to students of English as a Second Language (ESL) are discussed and exemplified: certain mechanics (ellipsis; blended words; a-grammaticality); vague superordinates (generic verbs such as "get,""let,""do,""be,""have"; preposition with metaphoric extension such as "up,""in,""off,""through";…

Drama can act as a bridge between the classroom and the real world in teaching students to communicate in a second language. Teaching techniques using drama to help improve students' pronunciation of English as a second language are described, as they relate to articulation, pitch, volume, rate, and variety. (CB)

The role of phonology in communication is explored, and it is argued that explicit instruction in English phonology for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) is a valuable aid in promoting communicative competence. Further, it is proposed that limericks can be used as a means for classroom instruction in English phonology. Focus is on ESL…

This collection of essays on pronunciation theory and practice as it relates to second language instruction includes: "Pronunciation Assessment in the ESL/EFL Curriculum" (Janet Goodwin, Donna Brinton, Marianne Celce-Murcia); "Empowering Students with Predictive Skills" (Wayne B. Dickerson); "Intonation: A Navigation Guide for the Listener" (Judy…

A study to assess the feasibility of the use of low frequencies for teaching foreign language to the hearing impaired is described. The subjects were unimpaired Japanese students, aged 18 and 19, in beginning French language study. Recorded sentences translated into English, French, and Mandarin Chinese were combined in various ways and presented…

The sound system of English is described in all its complexity, from the relationship between spelling and pronunciation to the rules of connected speech, focusing on the methods and rationale of teaching pronunciation of English, particularly to English as a second language learners. (CB)