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Volume 36, Issue 2
  • ISSN 0155-0640
  • E-ISSN: 1833-7139
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Abstract

In this paper we explore English pronunciation teaching within an English as an International Language (EIL) framework, arguing that teaching learners how to produce English phonemes can lead to an improvement in their aural ability. English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners often have difficulty discriminating between and producing specific sounds of the target language; Arabic speakers, for example, typically have difficulty distinguishing between /p/ and /b/ in words such as pin and bin. The research described here indicates that explicit articulatory training in the production of two problematic sounds, /p/ and /b/, improves learners’ ability to perceptually discriminate between the two. Following articulatory training, participants were better at correctly identifying which member of a minimal pair they heard (pack or back, for example), whereas simply providing focused aural exposure to those sounds, as advocated in the non-form focused intuitive-imitative approach, did not lead to similar improvement. This suggests that for sounds that are perceptually difficult for learners, complementing exposure as advocated by the intuitive-imitative approach with articulatory training may produce the best results in terms of segmental discrimination and ultimately target language production. We also point to evidence that accuracy in segmental production is especially relevant in the EIL context.

© 2013 John Benjamins Publishing Company
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/content/journals/10.1075/aral.36.2.02lin
2013-01-01
2024-12-07

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/content/journals/10.1075/aral.36.2.02lin
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): EAL (English as an Additional Language); EIL (English as an International Language); phonemic discrimination; teaching English pronunciation; teaching listening

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