According to the famous poem When the English tongue we speak by Lord Cromer, it seems that sounds and letters in the English language disagree. The evidence the author provides in his poem appears to indicate this peculiarity of the English language. Yet, one should not despair. English pronunciation and spelling might not coincide, but this does not mean one could not understand the existing discrepancies and become a fluent and confident speaker of the English language.
This course is intended to scaffold the learners’ development of speaking skills. The primary goals are to raise the learners’ awareness of the pronunciation of the English sounds as well as to enable them to speak intelligibly and clearly in English.
What learners should strive for is intelligibility in their speech. In order to become successful users of the English language, their speech should be comprehensible to their interlocutor(s). Reduced intelligibility can lead to communication failures. Knowing how English sounds are pronounced as well as the features of English intonation will help learners improve their speaking skills in English. Actually, it will help boost their confidence in speaking in English.
The course covers the following topics: (1) Basic concepts in phonetics, (2) Peculiarities of the English vowel sounds, (3) Peculiarities of the English consonant sounds, (4) Word and sentence stress in English, (5) Characteristics of the English intonation, (6) Some aspects of connected speech in English, and (7) English pronunciation and spelling. The learners are provided with information about the above-mentioned topics. They are encouraged to do a lot of practice in order to become intelligible and successful speakers of English.
- Teacher: Viorica Condrat