Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Little Laura]

I have never been able to use the search engine here, need a tutorial for that! I'm sure pronunciation books have been discussed in the past.

I'm going to be tutoring some fairly advanced adults in pronunciation. Anyone have any books you've used you recommend?

Thank you!

[ttompatz]

What do you really want to teach?
Pronunciation is such a wishy-washy subject usually taught by those who know nothing about the subject. Let's all learn to speak like Newfies, Scousers or hillbillies from Tennessee.

IPA = International Phonic Alphabet.

The IPA for Language Learning: An Introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet
Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet

Phonetics and Phonology:

English Phonetics and Phonology Paperback with Audio CDs (2): A Practical Course 4th Edition
English Phonetics and Phonology by Peter Roach
Introduction to English Phonetics and Phonology, Cambridge University Press 2015
Phonology and Second Language Acquisition by Jette G. Hansen Edwards and Mary L. Zampini
Introductory Phonology by Bruce Hayes
Introducing Phonetics and Phonology by Mike Davenport and S.J. Hannahs
Practical Phonetics and Phonology: A Resource Book for Students by Beverley S. Collins and Inger M. Mees

.

[SeoulNate]

Wouldn't recommend using the IPA if you are just jumping into it on your own to teach, but the English/American PA should be a fine place to start.

http://soundsofspeech.uiowa.edu/english/english.html

Is a good place to start if you are unfamiliar with the terms (american), Cambridge puts out a pretty decent similar one for British sounds as well.

When teaching Korean students be sure to explain that these sounds (for the most part) are NOT the same sounds they hear in Korean and you may end up having to teach Korean phonetics first as most Koreans are completely oblivious to the sounds that their language makes, which is really what makes English phonetics so hard for them in the first place.

[drcrazy]

[schwa]

Korean puts pretty much equal weight on every syllable; English does not. Unstressed syllables give rise to the schwa, the commonest sound in our language. Few realize this & fewer still attempt to teach it, but thats the key to natural-sounding pronunciation.

[Little Laura]

Thanks to each for your help and tips. I will remember the schwa, Schwa! The U Iowa website is helpful, SeoulNate. Ttompatz, I will meet them this week so I'm not sure of their particular needs yet, but they have asked for help with pronunciation and I want to be prepared. I have taught pronunciation very successfully as the need arose as a supplemental part of all ESL classes I have taught for years (articulatory phonetics was my favorite class when I did my TESL certificate), but I have never taught a concentrated course in pronunciation. This is part of what this couple has asked for.

I very much appreciate your teaching tips and will implement them, Dr Crazy, but to answer your question, the reason I've gone ahead and ordered a book for my Turkish couple (Clear Speech by Judy Gilbert) is because a professional with more expertise than I have has already worked up many exercises to help my students improve in the areas they need. Why waste my precious time to do a lesser job than someone else already has? And there's so much in the way of supplementary material available at the publisher's website. I haven't received the book yet, but after comparing several, I'm pretty happy with my choice.

And to answer your other question, DC, truth be told, I left Korea 4 years ago. I need to update my avatar. I've done a few different things since I got back to the States, including continuing to teach ESL. Also opened a pet sitting business. (My two dear dogs passed into heaven while I was in Korea, it's my firm belief! Don't even try to talk me out of it.)

Again, many thanks for taking the time to answer my post. I feel so much more prepared with all your help!