Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poet13]

Hey all. I'm doing prepositions for my 2nd and 3rd year boys. Ran into difficutly getting them to pronounce the 'v' in the word above.

Does anybody have any suggestions for a drill, or 'trick' to teaching this sound?

Thanks.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Koreans tend to pronounce 'v' as 'b'. Therefore, do some minimal pairs activities with them, after showing them how to pronounce 'v' (and later 'f', since the mouth/tongue/lips are the same).

Some activities are:

1. Same or different?
2. Which sound did I say?
3. Slap the word.
4. Minimal Pairs Journey

[poet13]

Slap the word? What it that? Sounds violent. My kids will like that.

[passport220]

I have no special trick. I just make a �v� sound and have the students follow. It sounds kind of silly and a lot of student laugh because we are all just �vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvving� together.

I taught prepositions of place during my TESOL student teaching so I have a lesson prepared. However, I thought it may be too low a level of topic to teach. How are your students reacting to the lesson?

[poet13]

It is a bit low for thier level. but I some of it is always new vocabulary. We do sentence construction drills, whereby students have to take turns describing the location of things in the classroom. The only time it really got silly was when a boy said, "My dung is IN my @ss." From that lesson, they get an idea of what I call, the modular construction of sentences. That is, the rest of the sentence stays the same and only the preposition changes. Each lesson though, no matter how high or low the level, gives and opportunity to practise P.E.C., or, Pronunciation, Enunciation, Confidence. At my school, we live by PEC.

[Old fat expat]

above begins with the schwa, not the short 'u'.

In another thread concerning pronunciation of vowels; more bad advice. What gives?

As much as we give sheet to the Korean teachers for not knowing English, why are there so many native teachers out there that seem to know nothing about basic phonetics?[/code]

[jajdude]

[spyro25]

old fat i believe the OP's students have a problem with their pronunciation of the v fricative after the schwa.

his students usually make a plosive by letting the sound come out by pushing the air to the closed lips then opening the lips, which will make a 'b' or 'p' sound in this case. This is easy to correct by by showing where the position of teeth make contact with the lower lip and how to push the air out of the incomplete contact between teeth and lower lip, making the 'v' sound.

there isnt any such fricative in korean so that is where the problem lies.

you are right about the schwa but i dont think that is the problem with the OP.

minimal pairs test is the way to go here.

[Old fat expat]

cool.

Your right. Looks like I need comprehension exercises.

[poet13]

Yes, it is the 'V' I am concerned with.

It would be easier if the error were consistent, but I get anything from a near silent 'f', to abud and abound, and sometimes just, abuh. I can successfully give individual instruction, but with 700 students over 24 classes, I need some technique that will work on the classroom scale.

Anyone else?

[poet13]

"...13/30, 14/40,... 19/90 are troublemakers."

I work on these numbers during my clock time lesson plan.
We do repetition drills and exaggerate the two main differences in the words; the N at the end of the 'teens, and the accent. They seem to learn this fairly readily....

[Old fat expat]

Here are a few paired words for your b-v

beer veer
bend vend
bent vent
best vest
bile vile
bet vet
biking Viking
bine vine
bolt volt
bow vow
bowel vowel
bury very
curb curve
dub dove
dribble drivel
fibre fiver
gibe jive
Lab lav
sabre savour
lubber lover
rebel revel
marble marvel

I have sound files with exercises, and cards that I use with all the pairs. Another exercises is to repeat the sound four times, then the paired sound. Do it rythmically: b-b-b-b- v-v-v-v b-b-b-b v-v-v-v

[poet13]

Cool, thanks. There's a place to start.

[mj roach]

Have your students use their index and middle fingers (Vee for victory sign) to pull the lower lip outward. Stress that it is only the lower lip (upper & lower = W).

They have never had to make the motor/connection ...
for them kind of like learning to wiggle their ears.