Contextualizing Pronunciation Practice in the Esol Classroom

The teaching of pronunciation in ESOL classes has not always been as successful as other aspects of English teaching, possibly because pronunciation has been considered a separate skill and has not been well integrated in language courses. If pronunciation can be presented in meaningful contrasts and in situations that are both relevant and interesting to the students—in other words, if instruction in pronunciation can be contextualized—perhaps achievement can be improved. Productive contextualization suggests: (1) pronunciation features and contrasts should carry meaning with minimum redundancy that will offer additional clues affecting interpretation; i.e., the student should have to rely on what he hears (and produces) rather than on an intelligent estimate of what the situation calls for; (2) situations should be meaningfully related to student interest and/or experience; (3) the repetition of specific drills and situations should be minimized; (4) the language and style of pronunciation exercise material should be convincingly natural and realistic; and (5) at least some exercises should be designed to give practice when the students’ attention is on the content rather than the form of the message.