Getting Pronunciation Straight: A Theory and Practice Handbook

Todo en copias

Año: 2010 p. 66

978-987-05-8497-1

This handbook is about English pronunciation. More specifically, it is about the sound system of English and the characterization and patterning of its individual vowel and consonant sounds. Therefore, it contains an objective description of English sounds together with the most useful usage rules that regulate sound ordering and organization. The handbook is also about the symbolic representation of English sounds and, therefore, it also provides theoretical explanations and practical indications of how to develop pronunciation skills through transcription skills. The collection of chapters brought together in this handbook is the result of the collaborative work of the instructors in charge of the subject English Pronunciation Practice. This subject introduces learners to the study of the phonological component of the English language. The present work was born out of years of professional practice and came to replace the material its authors have been using with learners in a piecemeal fashion. It has been compiled in such a way that the basic conceptual information (in the form of rules and related explanations of use) and the more practical aspects of the subject are presented in one single useful compendium. Together, these chapters are supposed to fulfill a twofold function. In the first place, they will provide learners with some of the fundamental knowledge necessary to understand (and acquire) the pronunciation of English. Secondly,they will serve as a basis for the theoretical and practical contents of the other subjects that deal with English Phonetics in the curricula. In each chapter, we have included exercises, for classroom and home practice, which explicitly and implicitly encourage learners to focus on the target phonological forms. We encourage learners to work on these exercises extensively with the help of a dictionary and in a way that personal involvement and participation are achieved. We hope that learners will put into practice the insights gained from working through this book to improve their pronunciation and,consequently, their language proficiency.