ESL Students Need Speech Rhythm

Consistently using a simple ESL pronunciation strategy, English as a Second Language teachers can help their students improve the quality of their pronunciation and ensure a greater understanding of the value of practicing English speech rhythm and patterns.

Dec 5, 2006

Every language has a speech rhythm, or even better various speech patterns, that becomes the basis for basic pronunciation and general communication in that language.

Teaching ESL pronunciation can be fun for both teacher and student alike, and ESL teachers should design a general pronunciation stategy that will serve as the foundation for the kinds of pronunciation problems students will face in basic communication.

Beginning with a consideration (toward eventual application) of having ESL students practice pronunciation using speech patterns and speech rhythm, ESL teachers will find that the always tense "right/wrong" process of correcting pronunciation can be alleviated by paying closer attention to the general principles of speech rhythm rather than specific consonants and vowels.

Here is an example of how a teacher might choose to modify their pronunciation strategy so that several aims, including both pronunciation and speech rhythm improvement, can be accomplished at once.

Many instructors will follow the "I," "want," "I want," "to go," "go," I want to go," "I want to go," "to see," process of pronunciation practice, expecting their ESL students to repeat after each utterance. Not only is this an unnatural way to learn the speech rhythm of a language, it can have damaging social effects as well. I have seen students completely shut down and refuse to speak because they feel as though they will never get a specific pronunciation exactly "right."

What they need to know is that there is no exactly "right" when it comes to pronunciation of English, and that lesson should be reinforced every step of the way.

Here's another way to consider the whole idea of helping students practice speech rhythm.

By pointing out to the students where the stresses fall in the sentence prior to the actual pronunciation practice, ESL teachers unlock the secret to speech rhythm.

Have the students practice the pronunciation of this sentence unfettered by the expectation of perfect syllabic pronunciation. Have them loudly tap out the stresses on their knees or desks:

Not only will the laughter begin, but a foundation will be formed for future endeavors into pronunciation practice.

Link to another speech rhythm article for a further discussion of this topic, or take a look at my article titled "Holiday Stories for ESL Reading," which discusses how to use poetry and story patterns for read-aloud pronunciation practice.

You can also check out my blog on this topic, where I confess a bad teaching moment that made me aware of the limitations of a "right/wrong" process of correcting pronunciation.

The copyright of the article ESL Students Need Speech Rhythm in English as a Second Language is owned by Marc Roberts. Permission to republish ESL Students Need Speech Rhythm in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.