| Body | This activity was created for beginning language learners. It’s aim is to support learners to ask for input on pronunciation during conversations.
Learning Outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Create lists of helpful questions to ask related to pronunciation
- Utilize questions related to pronunciation while speaking
Mode(s): Interpersonal
Materials: Get Input on Pronunciation video, word cards (see Step 5)
Procedure:
- Ask learners to brainstorm all of the reasons it might be difficult to learn how to pronounce words in a given language. Examples may include varied accents, regional dialects, and the existence of sounds in the L2 that do not exist in the L1.
- Have learners watch the Get Input on Pronunciation video to verify their responses and add to the list they brainstormed in Step 1.
- Ask learners to do a quick self-evaluation using the fist to five strategy on how comfortable they would be asking for input on pronunciation in a conversation. Allow learners to discuss their self-evaluations with the group.
- Next, brainstorm a list of phrases related to asking for input on pronunciation that the group can reference (this list could be posted in a shared digital space, copied into notebooks, or posted on a wall). Learners may brainstorm questions like How do you pronounce _________?, Does ________ rhyme with __________?, Did I pronounce _________ in a way you could understand?, and Could you repeat _______ for me?
- Provide learners with cards with words in the target language (at least one word per card, per learner) that are either hard to pronounce or appear, when written, to rhyme. For learners of English, you might include word pairs like kite and knight, Penelope and envelope, enough and stuff, or even homophones like flower and flour. If they are unsure how to pronounce their words, allow them to access an online source like a dictionary or a YouTube video that highlights regional pronunciations of given words. You may also provide individual input related to the correct pronunciation.
- Ask learners to find a partner with a different word. They should practice having a conversation about how to pronounce the words on the cards in the target language by using the list brainstormed in Step 4. This conversation should last no more than one minute, and at the end of the minute, learners should find another partner. Repeat up to five times.
- Repeat Step 3 as a final reflection.
Notes:
- It is appropriate to hold learners accountable for all questions brainstormed in Step 4 as they can be memorized as chunks. Novice learners with some knowledge of syntax and the formation of interrogative statements should be able to brainstorm the list in the target language with minimal help from outside resources.
- Adapt Step 5 to include more language variety by providing words with different regional pronunciations and asking learners to understand the many ways a single word might be pronounced by L1 speakers of the language.
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