Teaching/learning pronunciation

[Ralf]

[Englishuser]

Hi Ralf,

People don't ask me if I am not a native speaker, they usually initially assume I am a native speaker. My performance in spoken English can be described as follows following two IELTS Speaking tests:

Band 9

Fluency and coherence

Speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction; any hesitation is content-related rather than to find words or grammar. Speaks coherently with fully appropriate cohesive features. Develops topics fully and appropriately.

Lexical resource

Uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics. Uses idiomatic language naturally and appropriately.

Grammatical range and accuracy

Uses a full range of structures naturally and appropriately. Produces consistently accurate structures apart from 'slips' characteristic of native speaker speech.

Pronunciation (Band 8 is the highest mark awarded for pronunciation under the marking scheme)

Is easy to understand throughout, with L1 accent having minimal effect on intelligibility. Uses a wide range of phonological features to convey meaning effectively.

If the Examiners' assessment is anything to go by then I would probably not face many problems communicating orally in English.

EU

[Englishuser]

Ralf wrote:

[Ralf]

[Ralf]

[Conchita]

[Englishuser]

Hi,

I would love to provide you with a sample, but unfortunately I haven't got a microphone right at the moment so my own articulatory skill won't be of much use as far as our discussion is concerned. I would have to agree with you, Ralf, and your linguistics professor that U-RP (upper-crust RP) is a very rare accent. I would be interested in knowing how often Alan gets to talk to native speakers of U-RP.

As for myself, I find I am in a very privileged position indeed since I get to interact with people from all parts of the UK on a daily basis, and occasionally I am lucky enough to get to speak to people from other countries.

As so often in these matters, I turn to Professor John Wells's writings in an attempt to shed some further light on this discussion about U-RP. Professor Wells writes:

[Ralf]

[Alan]

Hi,

John Wells is brilliant but is talking with tongue in cheek when he says what you quote. As for you EU, well I think you should get out more and stop worrying about the way people speak.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Here comes 2004...

[Englishuser]

Hi Ralf,

Is it common for English people to make fun of Irish accents? Many Brits I have discussed Irish English with tell me they think Irish accents are beautiful. One even hoped her brother (who is English) would acquire an Irish lilt as he studies in Dublin!

EU

[Englishuser]

Hi Alan,

I think it is perfectly acceptable for a descriptive phonetician such as John Wells to write about how the language is spoken. You still haven't told me why the voice quality associated with U-RP annoys you.

EU

[Ralf]

[Ralf]

[Stew.t.]

Hi guys

I believe the acquistion is often down to exposure and regular practice.

@Ralf
As for the melodic accents, maybe the Belfast accent is the bets example, don´t ya think;



I think there are melodies in a lot of English accents, a greta example of different accents in a nice sketch from Peter Sellers;



_________________
Please meet Stewart Tunncilff

[Alan]

Hi EU,

Many voices and accents annoy me - it very much depends on the voice and the person who's speaking. My question to you and I have asked it several times is why you are so hung up on this so-called U R P. Is it the sound, the associations with it, the people who use it or what? You obviously set great store by it and I wonder why. You have broadcast your assessments relative to your accent and been asked to provide an example. I really can't believe that someone so fascinated with accents as you clearly are, hasn't got a microphone. Come on, don't be bashful.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story French or English?