what is vocal fry?

What indeed is 'vocal fry' - and why is it such a controversial thing?

Here are a couple of short videos:

🗣️ Vocal fry, a secret weapon or a bad habit? 🎤 - YouTube

Is Vocal Fry Really an Issue? - YouTube

Here's Wikipedia giving a summary: Vocal fry register - Wikipedia

But the point is that more of us are finding it annoying: What is vocal fry and when and how did it become a thing? : r/GreatBritishBakeOff

And it's been an issue for over a decade now: 'Vocal Fry' Creeping Into U.S. Speech | Science | AAAS

Finally, here's an excellent discussion from a couple of years ago:

Vocal Fry: what it is, who does it, and why people hate it! - YouTube

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graded readers and reading for pleasure

Earlier this month in the UK it was national reading week - when young people were encouraged to read, read, read!

For language students, English easy readers and audio books are a great way into enjoying reading. It's certainly about "readability" in the ESL/ESOL/TEFL classroom, as one of the key language learning benefits of graded readers is that you feel you can get into the text immediately and without having to reach for a dictionary for every other word. In other words, you can focus on the story.

A new book looks at exactly this: Why every English learner needs a good story.. And Fabio Cerpelloni of the E L Gazette speaks with Andrew Dilger, managing editor at Oxford University Press (OUP), about "creating effective graded readers, adapting to Gen Z’s reading habits, and bringing extensive reading into the classroom".

Graded readers are tools to help learners engage with extensive reading, which is the type of reading we do for pleasure. Extensive reading has to be easy, low-stakes, and fun. It shouldn’t block students. So, a good graded reader is one where the language has been carefully selected and graded to offer the learner a smooth reading experience.

But there’s no point producing a supremely graded text that is lifeless or uninteresting! So a good graded reader should also present a really attractive topic — one that learners would want to read about in their own language.

An effective graded reader has good illustrations or photos, too – not just for an aesthetic point of view but for functional reasons as well. Illustrations are often a visual gloss in this type of material. They are teaching aids that help the learner understand the language.

In short, an effective graded reader is approachable, interesting, and well-designed.

Try going to YouTube for some English graded readers level 1 - where you have both the text and the audio, pictures and good pronunciation - and hopefully they will be 'approachable, interesting and well-designed'!

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the differences between teaching pronunciation/writing to 'native speakers' and to esl/esol/tefl students

Pronouncing and writing cat, cut and cart in English is not really a problem for 'native speakers', as its' pretty transparent because the way you say it and the way you write it is obvious. It is, however, a problem for ESL/ESOL/TEFL learners, simply because the sounds might not exist in their own mother tongues.

A for the "curvaceous young phoneme called schwa...", the challenge for 'native speakers' is that they can pronounce it no problem but won't be able to spell it [do I write 'introverted' or 'intraverted'?], whereas the ESL/ESOL/TEFL learner will have a problem not to over-pronounce the weak syllable. 

So, the methods to help one group learn English will not necessarily apply to another group.

Transcribing English text to phonetic transcription would be unnecessary for the average British school pupil as they don't need to learn the English phonemes; this would only be of use later on when wanting to better understand the language at an academic level. It would be more useful to learn the phonetic alphabet for someone learning the language who has not been brought up with it - but it is by no means essential.

So, someone who hears the target language everyday and everywhere does not need to do the hard work of 'picking up/acquiring' the language, whereas someone outside that milieu does - but, then, there are some great tricks and methods for using pronunciation in and out of the ESL/ESOL/TEFL classroom.

As for the 'native speaker' student, at British and American primary/early grade levels, there has been some controversy about the methods used. In a critique of phonics, the likes of linguistics professor Stephen Krashen is a strong advocate of the whole language approach to the teaching of reading, and has written many articles in support of it. In essence, whole language proponents claim that children learn to read most enjoyably and efficiently by exposure to interesting stories that are made comprehensible to them through pictures and discussions. This is in contrast to structured decoding programmes (usually designated phonics) in which children learn to read by sounding out the various parts of words.

Children's writer and educationalist Michael Rosen asked a decade ago: Can split digraphs help children learn to read and write? - and that Some children find this useful, some find it confusing:

What is a split digraph? The words “bit” and “bite” differ both in the way they are spelled and the way they are said. The letter “e” indicates a way of saying the vowel between the “b” and the “t”. Advertisers make them up: “lite”. This tells us there’s a pattern here. Educationists say that drawing children’s attention to this helps them with reading and spelling.

And another educator explains why the split spelling cracks me up.

Finally, it does seem that it's all about simply doing lots of reading and lots of listening - whether the students grew up with the language or come to it later in life. In other words, to acquire a language you need lots of comprehensible input!

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musical rhythm and learning a language

What's the relationship between music and language?

Jay Doubleyou: it ain't what you say, it's the way that you say it: intonation and functional language

In a piec on tuning the brain to language in he latest E L Gazette, Gill Ragsdale looks at how "research reveals that musical rhythms matching a language’s natural beat can significantly enhance how the brain processes speech, strengthening the case for rhythm-based teaching":

Musical rhythm may boost the processing of speech in the brain—but only when the rhythm matches the language, according to new research from the Basque Center on Cognition, San Sebastian, Spain, by Laura Fernández-Merino and colleagues.

The positive impact of musical training on language learning and proficiency is well-documented but the neural processes underpinning this effect remain mysterious. Both language and music are human universals found in every culture around the world and this study focussed on something shared by both: rhythm.

Here's the original research: Human Brain Mapping | Neuroimaging Journal | Wiley Online Library

These ideas have been around for a long time, whether in the mainstream media: Feel the beat: how rhythm shapes the way we use and understand language | Languages | The Guardian

Or in the industry: How Musical Rhythm Can Aid with Learning | The Science of Sound for Kid's - Holiday and Term-Time

Here's a view from a psychologist: The Relationship between Music and Language

And to finish, here are a cuople of TED Talks: 

Music as a Language: Victor Wooten at TEDxGabriolaIsland - YouTube

Interplay Of Music, Language, And Emotion In The Brain | Julia Howe | TEDxLickWilmerdingHS - YouTube

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the huge variety of films in english

This evening at the BBC Proms ["the world's greatest classical music festival"], the music of the "classic period" of Hollywood is being celebrated - including that of what has been voted the best film ever [Vertigo] and certainly the most iconic horror-thriller [Psycho] by composer Bernard Herman: BBC Radio 3 - BBC Proms, 2025, Classic Thriller Soundtracks

Vertigo - official 60th anniversary trailer - YouTube

Psycho Official Trailer 1960 HD - YouTube [or the full trailer: Psycho (1960) Theatrical Trailer - Alfred Hitchcock Movie - YouTube]

Psycho is part of the film genre film noir

Top 10 Film Noirs - YouTube

There are many different kinds of film out there: what's your favourite film genre?

And, yes, it can be difficult to put a film into one compartment: Fight Club: how many film genres in one film?

Especially those 'big films': blockbusters don't have to be stupid

If we really want to improve our English language, perhaps we need to go for quality: Shakespeare

Four Versions of the Witches from Macbeth - YouTube

But there is more than American and British film when it comes to the English language:

Australia: Picnic at Hanging Rock is just as unsettling and relevant 50 years on - ABC News

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK - 4K Restoration Trailer - YouTube 

Nigeria: the English-speaking world: West Africa and Jay Doubleyou: Nigeria making an impact on America

MAID OF LOVE TRAILER - (Showing 5TH of September by 6:00 pm WAT) NIGERIAN MOVIES 2025 - YouTube [plus subtitles!]

India: English-language Indian films - Wikipedia

Gandhi (1982) Trailer - YouTube and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Trailer - YouTube and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) Movie Trailer HD - YouTube

Finally, yes we can improve our English through film! how to learn english from movies

But be careful with those subtitles! how watching films can help your english

Here are some personal recommendations: 20 Great Films That Will LEVEL UP Your English — Podcast for Learners - YouTube and My 5 Favorite Movies for English Fluency - YouTube and 10 Great MOVIES To Learn English - YouTube

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native speakerism and bad hiring practices

We mustn't forget that English is a European language (where it is used as a second language everywhere; and have you heard the average Norwegian youngster speak the language?)

And we mustn't forget that English is an African language (where it is not only a second language, but also the first and official language across half the continent!)

It might be a question of how people sound - as there are lots of different African english accents. But we have to ask if the English speak English the best!

Certainly a lot of teachers around the world feel insecure about their accent - but there are so many ways today to empower educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation.

This then throws up the question: What is a native speaker teacher of english?

Which leads us to the notion of native speakerism (see Native speakerism: hiding behind privilege - E L Gazette) - or the "native speaker fallacy", which suggests that the ideal teacher of English is a native speaking teacher (see: NNEST - Wikipedia)

The latest E L Gazette looks at the latest story:

Language professionals challenge “native” requirement in hiring

After months of collaboration, educators Vincent Richard, Ana Jovic, Meri Maroutian and Dr Natalia Wright have published an open letter to the Council of Europe addressing what they describe as “the misuse” of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in the hiring practices of many educational institutions and employers globally.

An excerpt reads: “The CEFR was designed as a structured scale to assess communicative competence, not identity. Proficiency is achieved through study, exposure, and practice—not through birthplace or upbringing. Conflating “native” with advanced CEFR levels misrepresents how language skills develop and devalues the effort required to reach high levels of proficiency. It creates confusion for both job applicants and students.”

Speaking exclusively to EL Gazette, Vincent Richard said: “This letter has already drawn a lot of attention, especially on LinkedIn. Some prominent academics, teachers and teacher trainers, for example, have already signed it. This is very satisfactory. But for it to really have an impact and encourage the Council of Europe to respond, the campaign must continue. We want as many people as possible to sign it, of course, and we will be especially pleased and grateful if the big actors which we have invited to sign the letter, take the plunge as well. One of the reasons why native speakerism and bad hiring practices carry on is the law of silence. This must cease. There are people and institutions which could take a clear stance at last and make a real change. So here lies an opportunity!”

Language professionals challenge “native” requirement in hiring - E L Gazette

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why children are better at acquiring languages

Linguist Peter Trudgill has been writing for the New European for the last decade - and his pieces are always a wonderful insight into how language works.

Here's his recent piece on why children are better at acquiring languages. [And you can access three articles a month from TNE]

Why learning language is child’s play

Children have an innate ability to learn foreign accents that is lost as they grow up... but is it always an advantage?

Peter Trudgill 28 May 2025

The distinguished Swedish linguistic scientist Prof Östen Dahl once wrote that, when it comes to language-learning, “human children have an advantage compared to adult members of their own species”.

The point is that human beings are genetically programmed to learn perfectly any language they are sufficiently exposed to in early childhood, while it is an extraordinary adult who is capable of doing the same thing.

This is particularly obviously true when it comes to pronunciation. Virtually everybody who starts learning a language after the age of eight or so ends up with a non-native accent. But there are advantages to this. It can be helpful if you are a foreigner to sound like one.

A young woman I knew who had been born in England to Polish refugee parents, and had grown up in Britain bilingual in English and Polish, reported that she experienced severe difficulties when she first moved to Poland to take up a job there. Polish people in Warsaw could tell from her accent that Polish was her mother tongue, so they therefore quite rapidly came to the conclusion she was crazy or stupid because she did not know how to do all the many Polish things which any adult Pole would know how to do.

During the act of speaking, our pronunciation depends on millimetre-accurate movements of our tongue and lips, and millisecond-accurate synchronisations of these with the movements of our vocal cords. We learn how to do this as very small infants by mimicking precisely the speech sounds of those around us.

Since these acts of speaking involve producing individual speech sounds thousands of times a day, these movements eventually become deeply automatic and hardwired in the infant, and they are therefore extremely hard to override later on, thus leading to foreign accents in adolescent and adult learners. There is lots of individual variation here, but most people lose the innate ability they had as infants between the ages of, say, eight and 14.

There are rare exceptions: the late Robert Maxwell – millionaire, media proprietor, MP, crook – who was born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch – sounded remarkably like an Englishman when he spoke, even though he grew up in eastern Europe speaking Yiddish as his mother tongue, and started learning English only at the age of 17 (see TNE 233). But for the vast majority of us, this degree of achievement is impossible.

This raises an interesting question: is there any point in a non-native learner trying to sound like a native speaker, given that they are never going to succeed? I would say that the more you try to acquire a native-like accent, the nearer you will get to that goal – which will generally make it easier for native speakers to understand you. But of course it may not necessarily make you more intelligible to non-native speakers: a Greek friend of mine claims that he always enjoys visiting Italy because he can so readily understand the English spoken by Italians – and, equally, they can understand him easily, too.

It is also of course the case that native speakers tend to speak more rapidly than non-natives – they have normally, after all, had a lot more practice! – and speed can also cause comprehension difficulties for listeners.  

Why learning language is child’s play - The New World

There has indeed been a lot of thought and interest given to this:

Do Children Soak Up Language Like Sponges? - The New York Times [again, there is access to the article, when you create a free account]

And this is how to do it with kids:

How can young children best learn languages? | British Council

Kids Should NOT Learn Languages in School (here's why) - YouTube

Finally, this is perhaps how to do it with adult:

Can You Learn a Language Like a Kid? - YouTube

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pop videos for learning english

There are lots of great places to go on YouTube:

Learn English with Music - YouTube

10 Great Songs For English Fluency & How to Learn with Music - YouTube

Planet Pop by ELT Songs - YouTube

Learn English with Michael Jackson: 10 Pop Songs (to improve your fluency) - YouTube

Here are some suggested guides on how to do it:

A step-by-step guide to learning English with songs

• Choose a song that's in English. It can be any song at all. ...
• Listen to the song. Do you understand all of the lyrics? ...
• Read the lyrics. Find the lyrics online. ...
• Notice pronunciation. You may notice some strange-looking words! ...
• Listen again and join in. ...
• Sing along.

The power of music: How to learn English with songs | LearnEnglish

8 Tips for Learning English with Song Lyrics | FluentU

Here are some lessons:

Learn English With Songs - Online Lessons and Exercises

ESLSongs.com | The best pop song lyrics to teach ESL English

And more from Google's AI search:

Learning English through pop songs can be a fun and effective way to improve your listening skills, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation. Here's how:

1. Choose your songs wisely:
Start with songs you enjoy and that have clear, easy-to-understand lyrics. Songs by artists like The Beatles or Ed Sheeran are often recommended for their simple and relatable language.

2. Listen actively:
Don't just passively listen; actively engage with the lyrics. Try to pick out new words and phrases, pay attention to the rhythm and flow of the music, and try to understand the meaning of the song.

3. Read the lyrics:
Find the lyrics online and read them while listening to the song. This will help you connect the written words with the spoken words and improve your understanding.

4. Sing along:
Singing along is a great way to practice pronunciation and rhythm. Try to mimic the singer's pronunciation and sing along to the beat of the music.

5. Look up new words:
If you encounter new words or phrases, look them up in a dictionary or online translator. Understanding the meaning of new words will help you understand the song better and expand your vocabulary.

6. Use music videos:
Watch music videos to see how the lyrics are interpreted visually. This can also help you understand the context of the song and its meaning.

7. Focus on repetition:
Pop songs often repeat phrases and lines, which can be helpful for memorizing new words and phrases.

8. Create playlists:
Compile a playlist of songs that you enjoy and that are suitable for learning English. This will help you stay motivated and keep your learning process engaging.

9. Find resources:
There are many websites and apps that offer lyrics, translations, and other resources for learning English through music, such as LyricsTraining.

10. Don't be afraid to make mistakes:
Learning a new language is a process, and it's okay to make mistakes. Embrace the mistakes and keep practicing.

how to learn english through pop songs - Google Search

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different african english accents

Most Africans are bilingual:

In a cafe in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. It’s a shame, because their conversation sounds fun and interesting, especially to a nosy person like me. But I don’t speak their language.

Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what language they are speaking. They both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Morris’s mother’s tongue is Sotho, his father’s is Zulu; he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours and English and Afrikaans at school. “I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds.

Was it easy to learn so many languages? “Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs.

He’s right. Around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary from 60-75% – speak at least two languages. Many countries have more than one official national language – South Africa has 11. People are increasingly expected to speak, read and write at least one of a handful of “super” languages, such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish or Arabic, as well. So to be monolingual, as many native English speakers are, is to be in the minority and perhaps to be missing out.

Why being bilingual works wonders for your brain | Language | The Guardian

Jay Doubleyou: ça va?! bilingualism is good for the brain

Much of Africa is Anglophone:

Jay Doubleyou: english is an african language

Jay Doubleyou: the english-speaking world: west africa

But each country and region has its own accent:

WHICH AFRICAN COUNTRY HAS THE BEST ENGLISH ACCENT - YouTube

KENYANS HAVE THE BEST ENGLISH ACCENT & PRONUNCIATION. DO SOUTHERN AFRICANS NEED TO RELEARN ENGLISH? - YouTube

Here is an excellent overview:

Accents of Africa | IDEA: International Dialects of English Archive

And here's a nice conversational view of being South African:

Language: Accents, dialects, and the Queen’s English - SPEAK Blog

Finally, here 

Languages of Africa - Wikipedia

635px-Map_of_African_languages.svg.png (635×600)

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it ain't what you say, it's the way that you say it: intonation and functional language

INTONATION AND FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

'It ain't what you say it's the way that you say it.'

In focussing on 'getting the words right', both teachers and students often overlook the question of how intonation creates meaning.

Following on from a functional lesson ('telephoning') being observed, I'd like to consider how intonation interplays with functional language.

1) ADDING COLOUR: Once the notion of chunking has been firmly established, work on specific areas of intonation in connected speech:

(See: last chapters of 'Pronunciation Task's by Martin Hewings, CUP, for the basics)

Identifying stressed words/syllables:

dictionary work with 'schwa' for individual words prior to chunks unstressed forms of to/and/were - which are often the 'grammar words'! versus prominent words - which are normally the 'content' words rhythm in Whatdidhesay?/Yesofcourse/Whatdoyouearn?

Linking words together:

consonant+vowel - keepoffthegrass/putonyourclothes

assimilation, or some consonants changing nature - turnback!/Agoodpartybecomes = turmbackf/Agoopparty

vowel+vowel often needs /w/, /j/ or /r/ - Whoareyou?jTeaorcoffee?/Isthedooropen? elision, or the dropping of sounds - Canyouseehim/Ican'tunderstandher becomes Canyouseeim?/Icanunderstander

Students will be familiar with I'm/don't, but not that Areyoualright,mate? becomes ri'ma?

Mimicking the 'music' of the language:

Tonic words, or where there is a change in tone, normally indicate the prominent word -It'sontopofthebookcase or It'sontopofthebookcase

Rising tone can indicate what the listener already knows, whereas falling tone is 'news' - WhenareyougoingtoNewYork? (up = not sure) I'mflyingatteno'clock (down = I know)

Rising tone can also indicate that the speaker hasn't finished: the sound-scripted phone-call above would have rising tone at Canitakeamessaget and 'within' the phone­number

2) Students EXPERIMENT with intonation:

Students listen to clear and complete exponents and try them out themselves. PARROTING exactly what they hear - including pitch, pace, pauses, as above

Higher level students INTERPRET more varied exponents where intention and meaning are not clear. Content often contradicts use of voice:

Yes;. of course/I see. (When the speaker in fact doesn't agree)

Changing stress:

Idunno/Areyougonnago? becomes ldon'tknow/Areyougoingtogo

Whatdidyougetuptolastweek?/Wouldyoumindnotdoingthat,please?

Changing tone:

I'dliketo from down to up can show definite acceptance of an invitation to reservation

Wasitexpensive? from up to down can show curiosity to scolding

Really? from up-down to down-up

Work out with the students whether tone should be questioning or flatter

Changing function:

Trying to say a 'command' as a 'request' and vice-versa, whilst keeping the phraseology:

Iwaswonderingifyoucouldgivememycoat,please./Ablackcoffee.

Trying out different 'moods' to the same phrase, saying it weak/strong, pleading/demanding, authoritatively/patronisingly/sarcastically:

Canwegotothebeach?/Whydon'tyouloveme?

3) Start with the premise that most functional speech is made up of 'CHUNKS', that is, pieces of language which should be recognised as a single whole:

Could I have a cup of coffee?/I'll have the steak./Have you got any change?

Students should be given practice in saying these out loud - but as chunks: Repeating or reading these complete phrases as if they were one word.

Gaps in the wrong place would indicate hesitation:

CanlspeaktoJohn?/Wouldyoumindopeningthewindow?

Integrating set phrases into a complete conversation with correct pausing.

Speed does not equal fluency: it encourages students to blur chunks or stop mid-chunk. It'saboutnextWednesday. (pause.) I'msorrybutlcan'tmakeit (pause.) Canwemakeanotherdate? (pause.)

4) SOUND-SCRIPTING: Students take a ready-made audio script or a self-created conversation - then re-write it line by line. This can be done on a word-processor by pressing 'enter' at the end of each chunk to start a new line:

A: Hi.

Joehere. CanlspeaktoTim?

B: Sorry, He'snotin.

Canltakeamessage ordoyouwanttocallback?

A:Er

Canyoutakeamessage? 

ThisisJohn

Canhecallmebackon

01395

513

456?

It really does take off when students must ask themselves about both the appropriate phraseology to be adopted and the appropriate tone - depending on the role being played.

In other words, we are teaching our students to PLAY ROLES - to act out their lines convincingly - and 'with feeling'.

14th September 2008.

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Here's the same but as images to download and photocopy:

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how to get the shadowing technique right

This blog came across the 'shadowing technique' for the first time back in 2012:

Jay Doubleyou: speaking fluently

And that was from Julian Kitagawa/Northbrook:

Doing English with Julian Northbrook (PhD)

And he has posted some great videos on shadowing:

English Speaking Practice | How to improve your English Speaking and Fluency: SHADOWING - YouTube

Which is Better: Shadowing or Repeating? - YouTube

Here's an update from 2017 with a few other links:

Jay Doubleyou: the shadowing technique

And again from 2022:

Jay Doubleyou: shadowing

Here's a video, also from 2022, from another 'language expert', Hadar Shemesh

Do you use shadowing when practicing English? Shadowing is one of the best ways to improve your English speaking skills as it helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary. It can also help you improve unconsciously things like rhythm, stress, grammar, and more. Sounds like fun, no? But, it can also be a WASTE OF TIME! Without proper guidance, it’s easy to fall into the trap of practicing it in an ineffective way! And then you won’t be seeing the results you COULD be seeing. 👉 If you’ve been using the shadowing technique for a while, in this episode you’ll discover the biggest mistake people make when shadowing, and also learn a bunch of other tips to optimize your practice 💪 👉 If you have no idea what shadowing is - this video is definitely for you as you’ll learn about one of the best practice techniques, and how to do it right! 🔥🔥I collected a list with all the best apps and resources for shadowing, for you! You can get it here http://bit.ly/shadowingEng

Shadowing Technique in English: are you wasting your time? - YouTube

With more of her very engaging videos here:

Accent's Way English with Hadar - YouTube

Here's another look - seeing which technique is better:

SHADOWING or REPEAT - Which is best? - YouTube

And here's a very good suggestion:

Shadowing has become popular with English learners. It's a method where you listen and repeat. You continue listening while you're speaking. The biggest problem I see with this method is that you can end up with issues with your pronunciation. You end up mumbling as you try to keep up with the natural audio. A good test is to record yourself while shadowing. If you sound good, continue doing it. If not... ... try this instead: 1. Listen to an English phrase. 2. Repeat the phrase and record your voice. 3. Compare your version with the original. 4. Make any changes you need to make. 5. Get long-term repetition

Shadowing: Can This Method Help You Speak English Fluently? - YouTube

Try these methods - focussing on your own pronunciation - and they should really help you speak both more fluently and with more confidence!

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using pronunciation in and out of the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Teachers tend to ignore pronunciation - so-called 'non-native' teachers who doubt their own pronunciation and so-called 'native' teachers who are just too sure.

Indeed, pronunciation is "the Cinderella of language teaching": Dalton - Some Techniques for Teaching Pronunciation (TESL/TEFL)

But good pronunciation is the most important thing in learning a language - otherwise nobody's going to understand you: Why Pronunciation Teaching Should Be the Number One Priority

Here's a good discussion to start off: Studying pronunciation is a waste of time. - Page 2 - EnglishClub ESL Forums And another: Why do some people have great pronunciation? Why do others struggle?<br/><br/>Are some people just born with it? While the rest are forever doomed to struggle with bad pronunciation? — Lingtuitive

How though are we going to work on our pronunciation?

For all types of teacher, there are some excellent resources online - which provide good solid models to give the students - who can use most of the same links for themselves.

• A list of very specific activities: Learn English Pronunciation Elocution Intonation - Learn English
• A focus on the sounds of English: HOME | sounds-of-english
• A good look at all the phonemes: Introduction to Teaching Pronunciation Workshop - Adrian Underhill (COMPLETE) - YouTube With more from the master: Adrian’s Pron Chart Blog | Practical discovery of English pronunciation
• A look at the most important phoneme: Jay Doubleyou: a curvaceous young phoneme called schwa...
• An excellent guide from BBC Learning English, both old: BBC Learning English | Pronunciation Tips and new: BBC Learning English - Learn English pronunciation
• Several guides to listening - to songs: Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation and Jay Doubleyou: singing songs to learn english and Jay Doubleyou: using songs in the esl/esol/tefl classroom
• A focus on the importance of getting and using 'connected speech': Jay Doubleyou: connected speech and Jay Doubleyou: 'four ears' or 'four years'?
• Perhaps the most effective method: Jay Doubleyou: shadowing
• And another couple more directions: Jay Doubleyou: chunking and Jay Doubleyou: sound scripting and Jay Doubleyou: voice recognition apps to help learn english pronunciation

Finally, we need to feel confident in teaching and learning - and using the language: Jay Doubleyou: pronunciation: empowering educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation

To finish, though, here are some funny crazy things: it doesn't help that none of it makes any sense: Jay Doubleyou: english pronunciation is crazy or that it's all rather a babble: Jay Doubleyou: what english sounds like

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using songs in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

We all love songs - and so they usually make a great resource in the language classroom.

There are lots of things in songs for the English learner:

Jay Doubleyou: conditionals in songs

Jay Doubleyou: singing songs to learn english

Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation

Jay Doubleyou: modal verbs in song

And for the English teacher:

Jay Doubleyou: every song has its lesson plan

Jay Doubleyou: every song has its lesson plan - part two

The British Council has got some ideas:

How to use songs in the English language classroom | British Council

Using music and songs | TeachingEnglish | British Council

There are some good videos out there with more ideas:

5 ways to use songs to teach English - YouTube

12 fun activities you can do with pop songs in the ESL classroom - YouTube

Going beyond the conventional 'gap fill' exercise, here are some more activities suggested by Eleanor Spicer-Lundholm of the International Teacher Training Institute, Hastings, UK:

> Song in Strips: cut up the song into strips which the students need to put back together.

> Creative writing to Song: put some of the key words from the song on the board and ask the students to make them into a poem/email/short story in pairs; then share and share the 'original song'.

> Word partnerships to Song: put some of the key phrases on the board, but cut in half and in two columns, which the students have to put together in pairs; then play the song, with the students shouting out 'bingo' when they hear their collocation.

> Word order to Song: put all the words of a sentence, but mixed up, from a song on the board, which the students have to order in teams; then compare each team's sentences before playing the part of the song.

> Whoops! Find the mistakes: put up a 'wrong' version of sentences from the song where the students have to identify the 'mistakes' before listening and correcting.

> Mime to Song: standing in a circle, first the students listen to a line and copy the teacher's mime; then the students suggest mimes to further lines which the class agree to copy.

Here's a lesson plan from Fiona Aish at the Itafel - looking at teaching connected speech through songs:

> Play the first 2/3 lines from the song 2/3 times and get the students to write what they hear; confirm the correct version.

> Elicit from the students the stressed words and then the connected words; the students should try this in pairs with the following lines.

> Play the song's lines again, getting the students to tap the beat/rhythm; the students should then speak out... and sing the song (if they want!)

Finally, here's a list from OnTesol:

• put the verse in the right order;
• put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense/or, form of the verb (for example, gerund or infinitive);
• identify the past tenses in the song (or, any other tense or grammar topic, for example, conditionals, modal verbs, reported speech…);
• reorder the verses;
• reorder the letters;
• correct the words/mistake;
• question on the theme, the message or meaning of the song to encourage discussion;
• write to the protagonist and (give advice, or tell him what you think);
• write the story in the song.
• put the underlined words under the right column according to … (pronunciation, vocabulary related to any specific category, or a grammatical pattern);
• complete the blanks with the words in the box;
• choose the right word;
• answer the questions;
• match the verses;
• check the words that you hear

Using Songs with Adult ESL Students

Have fun!

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great online resources to improve your english

Students and teachers will have lots of apps and extensions, links and sites to share.

Here are a few!

LINGQ

Learn languages online: English, German, Russian, Japanese... - LingQ

Thoughts on LingQ is it effective? : r/languagelearning

LingQ: Pro Tips for Language Learners - YouTube

LingQ Review - Learn Languages By Reading (And With No Grammar!) | AutoLingual – Learn A Foreign Language By Yourself

ENGLISH-E-READER

English e-Reader

English e-reader: reading (and listening) for free – Victoria's Secret English blog for EOI students

E-Books (english-e-reader) - LingQ Language Library

Stream english-e-reader.net music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

BBC Learning English - Learn English with BBC Learning English - Homepage

BBC Learning English - YouTube

BBC Learning English Review: An Excellent, if Disorganized, Collection of Resources | FluentU Language Learning

BBC Learning English - Wikipedia

BRITISH COUNCIL:

Learn English Online | British Council

British Council English Online Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of englishonline.britishcouncil.org

British Council English Online Review - Learnopoly

British Council Mini-Review: Lots Of Free Content

EASY ENGLISH READERS:

Learn English Through Story | Level 1 | Easy English Reading for Beginners with Simple Vocabulary. - YouTube

How to Speak English Easily | Graded Reader for Beginners | Improve English Skills | Learn English - YouTube

Easy Stories in English | Learn English the natural way

English Reading: English Texts for Beginners

freegradedreaders.com/wordpress/

CULIPS:

English for everyday use | Get awesome at English

Culips English Live Class! - YouTube

Culips English Podcast - YouTube

Reviews of Culips Everyday English Podcast - Chartable

ENGLISH HARMONY:

EnglishHarmony - YouTube

English Harmony System - English Fluency Course

How to speak English fluently with Robby Kukurs

English Harmony Podcast

ITALKI:

italki - Best language learning app with certificated tutors

Is iTalki worth it? : r/languagelearning

italki Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.italki.com

Italki Review - The Good, The Bad, & The Just Alright

LUKE'S ENGLISH PODCAST:

Luke’s ENGLISH Podcast | Learn British English with Luke Thompson

Reviews of Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Chartable

Reviews For The Podcast "Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson" Curated From iTunes

Listener Numbers, Contacts, Similar Podcasts - Luke's ENGLISH Podcast

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voice recognition apps to help learn english pronunciation

One way to improve pronunciation is to speak into a voice recognition website.

Just say what you need to practice - and hopefully the system will give it back to you in the correct form - using the most popular online dictionary:

Google Translate

Voice recognition technology uses machine learning algorithms to analyze the sounds of your voice and provide feedback on your pronunciation. This technology can help you identify pronunciation areas where you need improvement and provide you with instant feedback to help you correct your mistakes.

Better English Pronunciation with Voice Recognition

Why Use Speech Recognition for Language Learning?

Improve Pronunciation

First of all, using speech recognition can help you fine-tune your pronunciation. One of the trickiest aspects of learning to speak a language is getting your pronunciation right, especially if you’re mostly learning on your own. Even native speakers can sometimes have a hard time pinpointing which part of your pronunciation needs correcting.

How to Learn Languages with Speech Recognition Tools | FluentU Language Learning

And there are some good apps out there: 

Which is the best AI conversation practice app for language learners? | by Oh Yeah Sarah | Medium

Record yourself while you speak. Sometimes, we don’t know exactly how we sound until we carefully listen to our own voices. So when you’re practicing pronunciation, record yourself and then compare that with the learning material.

13 Best English Pronunciation Apps in 2024 | FluentU Language Learning

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easy english practice.com

There are lots of places to go online to practice your English.

A lot is 'to-pay-for' - and a lot is free - and a lot is a mixture of the two.

Here's a good example:

Listening Course To Improve Speaking » English Easy Practice

Here are a couple of reviews of their offer:

English Easy Practice Course Review - English Video Lessons

My English Learning Journey 👍 Review/Recommend: English Easy Practice Cheap at $39 ONLY! Review#001 - YouTube

Going onto their YouTube channel, they have lots of realistic dialogues to listen to with subtitles - with helpful analysis and 'teaching' to go a little deeper:

English Easy Practice - YouTube

For example:

Here’s how the video is organized: Part 1: Listening Practice with Conversations 🎧 In this part, you will listen to natural English conversations. This helps you get used to the flow of English and how words are used in real life. Part 2: Learn Vocabulary Words 📚 We will teach you useful vocabulary from the conversation. These words will help you understand better and talk more clearly in English. Part 3: English Speaking Practice with the Listen-and-Answer Method 🗣️ Practice your speaking by answering questions based on the conversation. Make sure you say your answers out loud! This will help you improve your speaking skills quickly. Download listen-and-answer practice lessons here 👉 https://englisheasypractice.com/ Part 4: Shadowing English Practice 🗣️ In this final part, you will repeat sentences from the conversation. This is called "shadowing." It helps you match the way native speakers talk, including their accent and rhythm.

Improve Your English Skills with Daily Conversations to Speak English Fluently - YouTube

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what is 'music'?

Why do humans do music? 

Jay Doubleyou: why music?

What is 'music'? Here's a picture:

Jay Doubleyou: what does your taste in music say about you?

What music we listen to tells us a lot about who we are:

Jay Doubleyou: what does your taste in music say about you? part three

Here's a quiz which shows it:

What the Music You Love Says About You and How It Can Improve Your Life | TIME

What are the basics?

Jay Doubleyou: the basics of music

Jay Doubleyou: polyrhythm and different rhythms

And once you dig deep, it gets very interesting:

Jay Doubleyou: music and politics go hand in hand

Jay Doubleyou: how classical music brings people together

Jay Doubleyou: dumbing down high culture

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what english sounds like

There is a video from Liverpool going viral - of a baby babbling away not actually speaking anything but with perfect pronunciation - if you can understand the accent that is:

Me and my friends baby. Viral Scouse Baby. Scouse baby babble. - YouTube

The point being that we need to mimic the sounds of any language we learn - just like a baby.

Here's another look at what English sounds like:

How English sounds to non-English speakers - YouTube

Jay Doubleyou: how english sounds to non-english speakers

And another:

Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol - YouTube

Here's another look at these:

What Does English Sound Like To Non-English Speakers? | QI - YouTube

It's all about mimicry:

Language Learning Like A Pro With The Mimic Method - YouTube

Learn Languages With The Mimic Method! - Interview With Idahosa Ness - YouTube

How Fast Can You Learn a New Language? - YouTube

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pronunciation: empowering educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation

It's important to work on students' pronunciation regularly and often:

Jay Doubleyou: pronunciation: getting students to understand better and to be better understood

And to make that possible, teachers need to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation.

There are lots of resources to help:

How to teach pronunciation communicatively? – PronSIG

Fun Ways to Teach Pronunciation – TEFL Barcelona - TEFL Spain

And the latest E L Gazette looks at a new book that offers further help - especially to 'non-native' teachers:

Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World

Authors Robin Walker and Gemma Archer discuss how they empower educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation in a time where the practice has fallen to the wayside.

For far too long, pronunciation teaching has been left out on the margins of English language teaching. From the central position it occupied in early teaching methods, we have reached the point today where some coursebooks carry no explicit pronunciation work at all.

In part, this is because successful pronunciation teaching is a complex mix of the ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘who to’ – a mix that can be difficult to get right. In addition, unlike grammar or vocabulary, pronunciation has a significant component of skills acquisition. This requires teachers to come to the classroom equipped with a range of tricks and tools that they can use to get learners to do things with their mouths that often feel completely foreign to them. In this respect, the language teacher is very much like a sports coach or dance instructor. The aim is to get learners to do things rather than to know about them. Knowledge alone is not enough.

Aware of the unique nature of pronunciation teaching, in ‘Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World’ we have been as careful as possible to take teachers into account, and to support them in a number of ways.

...

Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World - E L Gazette

Finally, here's some academic research:

Competent and Confident: Empowering English Language Learners Through Pronunciation Instruction

Engaging research: Empowering ESL/EFL teachers to teach pronunciation

The Needs Analysis, Design, Development, and Evaluation of the ‘English Pronunciation Guide: An ESL Teachers’ Guide to Pronunciation Teaching Using Online Resources’

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things to do with lego in the esl/efl classroom

Lego is a very popular and successful tool in the classroom - especially when working with both children and adults on their English.

And there are some excellent web resources.

This is from Emma Herrod who used to work for Lego:

LEGO Running ‘Bricktation’ - This activity works in a very similar way to the well-know ‘running dictation’ ELT activity. However, rather than a text pinned up on the wall, students refer to a picture of a LEGO model from a set of building instructions.

Writing instructions activity - Students begin by building a model together as a class. In teams, they then build their own model and write out instructions so other teams can try and replicate it. The idea here is to develop the skill of writing concise instructions and working together with other students towards a common objective.

More Than Five Things to do with LEGO® in the EFL Classroom Part 1

And:

Home Sweet Home - This lesson makes for a fun way of working with language to do with accommodation and living spaces, as the students work together to build a large model house. The model is then referred to throughout subsequent lessons and forms a focus for discussion. There are a number of instructions you can find on the internet for making LEGO houses. Personally, I love this Apple Tree House https://creator.lego.com/en-us/buildinginstructions/default.aspx.

Stop Animation Project - Why not embark on a project over the course of a few lessons or the term in which the finished product is a stop animation film made out of LEGO? There are number of videos such as the famous ‘Starwars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ clips to inspire you at https://www.brickfilms.com/.

LEGO Cuisenaire Rods - Although I feel that The Silent Way goes against many of my communicative language principles, I cannot help but be fascinated by the use of little coloured Cuisenaire Rods and I don’t need convincing that they have their justified place in some classrooms. In my world, I use LEGO bricks to fulfil a similar function.

More Than Five Things to do with LEGO® in the EFL Classroom Part 2

And here are a few more good places to go:

Ways To Use Lego In The Classroom - Teaching Ideas

Language Through Legos | Simply Mona!

15 ways to teach English with blocks and stacking games - UsingEnglish.com

9 LEGO® Education Ideas to Use Random Building Bricks in the Classroom | Teach Starter

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