Pronunciation Snippet: Marking connected speech

  Connected speech is a feature of pronunciation that is often dealt with at higher levels in many materials. Perhaps this is because the terminology or the concept behind some of these features is too complex for lower level learners.
  Marks and Bowen (2012) say that pronunciation cannot be ordered according to level as grammar is "because all aspects of pronunciation are needed right from the start". So, is there a way to raise awareness of aspects of connected speech without overwhelming our learners? Absolutely.

Let's look at the following items that would be taught in an A1 classroom.

•  a cup of coffee
• Where do you live?

Many learners would read the phrases and expect to hear something like this:

But, if they hear these phrases being spoken outside of the classroom by native or fluent speakers, they will probably hear something like this:


These two versions of the same language items sound quite different to a learner and the second can come as quite a shock when they are used to hearing it in citation form. We can help prepare our learners for coming into contact with this rush of sounds. When introducing new language, whether it is lexis, grammar or functional language, we need to teach the meaning, form, use AND pronunciation. And when we say "pronunciation" we mean not just in citation form, but how it is likely to sound when they come into contact with it in the real world.

Here is how we might display these phrases on the board. We can use phonemic symbols, arrows to show that two words are connecting together, and a dot to represent the most stressed syllable.

Teaching notes: Take each phrase individually. Write them on the board. Ask the learners to say the phrase so that they can feel the words in their mouths. Next, tell them that they might hear these being said in a different way. Say the phrase as naturally as you would normally say it. You may need to repeat it more than once. Break the phrase down writing in the reductions, connections and marking the stressed syllable. Drill the phrase a couple of times.

So the next time you are introducing a new phrase or grammar item into your lesson, have a quick think about how you would say this naturally and mark down some ways you can give them a visual aid to your learners on the board.

Reference
Marks, J. and Bowen, T (2012) The Book of Pronunciation: Proposals for a practical pedagogy. Delta Publishing: Surrey