“Media. Til va madaniyat. Tarjima” talabalar ilmiy-amaliy konferensiyasi - 2023
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IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING PRONUNCIATION
FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Guljakhon KHUJAMURODOVA
TerSU, Foriegn philology faculty, 4-course
Research advisor:
L. K. Deleverxanova
Abstract.
Teaching English pronunciation is difficult for a number of reasons.
Teachers do not have clear guidelines and face conflicting practices in teaching
pronunciation. There is no solid systematic method for deciding what to teach, when to
teach, and how to teach. Because of these problems, teaching pronunciation is less
important and teachers do not feel comfortable teaching pronunciation in their
classrooms. This article examines the opinions of several scholars on this point and
presents some online applications, activities for elementary school students using ear
drills and training.
Key words
: acoustic images, ELT, CEFR, Elsa, phoneme, repetition, drills.
The first impact of any, language comes from the spoken word. The basis of all
languages is sound. Words are merely combinations of sounds. It is in these sound
sequences that the ideas are contained. Listening is the first experience; the attempt to
understandaccompanies it. The acquisition of good pronunciation depends to a great
extent on the learner’s ability of listening with care and discrimination. One of the tasks
of languageteaching consists in devising ways to help the learner listening the
unfamiliar sounds. The hearing of a given word callsforth the acousticimage of that
word from which a meaning is obtained. Therefore teaching pronunciation is of great
importance in the developing of pupils’ listening and speaking habits and skills.
Teaching pronunciation has no less importance in the developing of reading and
writing habits and skills, since writing (or what is written) is a graphic representation
of sound sequences. In reading the visual images become acousticimages. These are
resulting in inner speech. Wrong pronunciation often leads to misunderstanding. For
example, when a speaker or a reader replaces one phoneme with another she/he
unconsciously uses quite a different word, in this way altering the sense of what he
wanted to say.
For example,
white instead of wide; it instead of eat; pot instead ofport, etc.
Beside this great importance of teaching pronunciation, it has always taken
“Media. Til va madaniyat. Tarjima” talabalar ilmiy-amaliy konferensiyasi - 2023
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secondary role in English language teaching. According to Griffiths, many experienced
teachers are afraid to teach pronunciation in their classroom, because there are no clear
instructions and rules in the textbook and individual exercises do not have the desired
effect
2
. She insists that the pronunciation should be regular instruction and
incorporation into daily classroom procedures. According to Gilbert, teachers often
claim that they do not have enough time in class to pay attention English
pronunciation
3
. Haycraft believes that pronunciation is perhaps the most overlooked
part of ELT because foreign English teachers are not confident enough to teach it
directly
4
. Datkoalso suggests that teachers are more confident in teaching grammar and
vocabulary rather than teaching pronunciation
5
. Teachers often complain about
receiving very little training in pronunciation teaching methods.
The Common European Framework of reference for Languages recommends
teaching pronunciation at the beginning of foreign language learning. According to
CEFR, pronunciation should be developed through exposure to real spoken language.
6
Recommended techniques include repetition and drills, ear training, voice training,
reading aloud, andimitation. However, using only limited exercises like drills or
repetition can be old fashioned and today it is important to make lessons more
interactive with use of modern technology. For example, naturalistic method: in this
way the learner faces the language for a while. No pressure to imitate. Stress free just
by listening. After some time, you will be asked to repeat these sounds in the same
pattern. This method is similar to natural language acquisition. Perfect fit for this
method is ‘Shadow speaking’ activity where. Shadow Speaking is a simple game that
tests your student's tempo, intonation and pronunciation. It is really that easy. Basically,
students speak along short passages
2
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/integrating-pronunciation-classroom-activities.
3
Gilbert J. B. (2008). Teaching Pronunciation [New York: Cambridge University Press.
4
https://archive.org/details/introductiontoen0000hayc/page/n1/mode/2up
5
Datko, J .2013. An Inspection of High School EFL Teachers' Views on Their Confidence in Teaching Correct English
Pronunciation. Current Trends in Educational Science and Practice. UstinadLabem: University of Jan Evangelista
Purkyne p. 45-51.].
6
http://www.coe.int/tZdg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf.
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of audio to see if they can match tempo and intonation. Activities can begin by playing
a video of your choice for students to listen to. Then play the video again and have the
recording speak to you. If it is a simple conversation that is easy to remember, students
should be able to remember it after one or two practice sessions. If it is more
complicated, give the student a copy to help them figure it out
7
.
Beside some classroom activities teachers can encourage usage of different apps
teaching English pronunciation. As creating more English speaking atmosphere around
students, in the way interesting to them, makes language learning more effective. There
are plenty of useful apps like:
“Elsa Focused on American English, ELSA Speak features voice recognition
technology to help students pronounce common English words and phrases correctly.
Plus, they will get feedback on how to move their lips and tongue correctly to make the
right sounds, just as if they were talking to a real person. Students can even create their
own pronunciation curriculum by choosing specific assignments and topics and
tracking their progress”.
“Fluent U is a program that teaches English with videos that native English
speakers watch, such as movie trailers, commercials, and music videos. Not only will
students see the language spoken naturally, but they will also hear the native
pronunciation of each word. Wherever students see a word, they can check the
definition of that word, hear the audio pronunciation, and see the word used in other
videos. Whether they are reading a transcript, browsing through a keyword list,
checking a memory card, or even in the middle of a video, students can tap on a word
to hear its pronunciation”.
Conclusion.
Pronunciation is a skill that must be developed and perfected
throughout language learning, which is why teachers should use pronunciation practice
in their classroom, no matter what stage of instruction or method.Pronunciation should
be considered more than precise production of individual sounds or words. It should be
seen as an important part of
7
Hussein A.S.The importance of Pronunciation in English Language Teaching Dissertation, University of Salahaddin
University.
36
communication integrated into classroom activities. Teachers can encourage students
to monitor their own pronunciation and practice their speaking skills as much as
possible in and out of the classroom. Intelligible pronunciation is an essential
component of communicative competence. With this in mind, teachers need to set goals
that are achievable, applicable, and responsive to the communication needs of their
learners. Pronunciation instruction should aim for easy-to-understand pronunciation,
and teachers can actively encourage learners to produce real, develop awareness, and
practice pronunciation.
References
1.
Datko, J .2013. An Inspection of High School EFL Teachers' Views on Their
Confidence in Teaching Correct English Pronunciation. Current Trends in Educational
Science and Practice. EstunadLabem: University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne p.45-51.
2.
Gilbert, J. B. Teaching Pronunciation. - New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2008.-p 21
3.
Glakjani, A, P. The significance of pronunciation in English language teaching.
Article, English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2012.-
p. 96-107 .
4.
Hussein A.S.H The importance of Pronunciationin English Language
TeachingDissertation, University of Salahaddin University
5.
http: //www.ameprc. mq.edu.au/docs/fact_sheets/03Pronunciation.pdf
6.
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf.
7.
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/integrating-pronunciation-
classroom-activities
8.
https: //archive.org/detail s/introductiontoen0000hayc/page/n 1 /mode/2up
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