Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cerriowen]

OK I've got a question for ya...

Page 91.

Sounds.

exam
example
exactly

experiment
expensive
experience

Do people hear a large enough difference between these sounds that it needs to be explained to a class of middle school students who struggle to hear the difference between and L and an R sound???

I can kinda see how there's an "ih" versus "eh" sound, but... I can't imagine anyone not understanding you perfectly if you used the same sound for both sets of words.

Anyone disagree?

[KYC]

You might hear the difference but they might not. Same thing when Koreans say a certain word and I repeat it.

experiment and experience might sound similar..maybe.

[Cornfed]

[TeeBee]

If your students are on the same level as mine, then no, the minor difference in pronunciation is lost on them.

The MS textbooks are full of that kind of nonsense. I've had to stop myself from laughing when I try to explain a "difference" in sound to my MS students. Especially when, as you say, they don't see much difference between "l" and "r".

I don't know if you have the teacher's book, but mine says the following: "...in words like "exam", it (ex) is pronounced as [igz]. But, in words like "experiment", it is pronounced as [iks]." As always, I tend to ask "So what? Why do they need to know this? Why? WHY?"

I'd probably opt for explaining the stronger sound that comes from placing the "ex" in front of a consonant like "p", and the way the sound is softened when placed next to a vowel. Or, at least that's the way it sounds to me.

I'm sure an advanced, or upper intermediate student would be fascinated by the subtle differences in the pronunciation of similar English words. My MS students are more worried about when they get to eat lunch.

[Cerriowen]

It's not so much that *I* can't hear a difference, I just don't hear a BIG enough difference to spend time teaching it for 10 minutes... Particularly when they can't hear the dif between "sheep" and "ship", or "Lock and Rock".

[JustJohn]

Not worth worrying about AT ALL.

Work on the stuff that actually matters (sheep/ship, rock/lock, Jew/zoo) before you start burdening them with unimportant details.