Techniques in Teaching Pronunciation to Pre-Service Teacher

Abstract

In many English language classrooms, teaching pronunciation is given the least attention. ESL teachers hold the view that what is essential for being able to communicate in English is rich vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. There is certainly some truth in this. Nevertheless, being able to pronounce words properly can be critically important in certain situations. Factors leading to pronunciation problems are interference of mother tongue, learners' age, attitude and their insufficient knowledge of phonology and phonetics of English. This study was undertaken because language teachers play a decisive role in enhancing their students' pronunciation and this should be rightly emphasized during pre-service education so that the future teachers can work on it. Moreover, the study indicates that ESL learners need extensive training especially in the recognition of sounds and the differences in the production and articulation of these sounds.