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Pronunciation Mistakes that Brazilians Make While Speaking English - TEFL Blog
Fri, 05 Jul 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Pronunciation Mistakes that Brazilians Make While Speaking English
The origin of many non-native English speakers can be recognized by their accents. For instance, Indians, French, and German people are easily identified by their accent. However, there are accents that are not easily recognizable, and one of them is the Brazilian accent. We can recognize Brazilians while he or she speaks English by 6 mistakes in the pronunciation that only Brazilians make.
Table of Contents
Listen to this blog post:
Additional Sounds
Sound Replacement
Say as it is Written
Difficult Sounds
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Monica D. Please... [Read more]
Difficulties of English Pronunciation in Vietnam - TEFL Blog
Thu, 19 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Difficulties of English Pronunciation in Vietnam
Once I arrived in Vietnam to teach the English language, I realized that poor pronunciation is common in Vietnamese students as well as teachers. These mistakes are similar, as it was obvious the Vietnamese teachers passed them to the students. In this essay, I am going to deliberate on the causes of the problem and suggest a few solutions.
Table of Contents
Language structure
How to work this out?
Consonants
Reading comprehension
Word building
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohammad E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.... [Read more]
Why Phonetics and Phonology are Fundamental for Pronunciation - TEFL Blog
Mon, 29 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why Phonetics and Phonology are Fundamental for Pronunciation
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, pronunciation is "how words are pronounced. Pronunciation can be an intimidating prospect for English language learners, especially since English phonetics and phonology hardly seem consistent. The difficulty of English pronunciation should not be underestimated as speaking is a vital component of language learning. Confidence in this skill can be closely linked to students' accuracy and fluency. Therefore, a teacher should understand the basics of phonology and phonetics to help build students' confidence in their speaking skills.
Table of Contents
Phonetics is useful in explaining how words are pronounced.
While phonetics and... [Read more]
Challenges for Brazilian Learners of English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 25 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Challenges for Brazilian Learners of English
Brazilians are learning English all over the country, for various reasons and with diverse goals. In this text, I would like to approach some very common deviations to standard English dialects, such as General American and Received Pronunciation, by Brazilian speakers. I have chosen to address some problems in phonetics and pronunciation that are the most frequent in my classes. I also give attention to some problems in word linking that generate tough challenges for English teachers.
Table of Contents
Official Language Influence
Pronunciation
Vowels
Consonants
Diphthongs
Linking
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Phonetics Difficulties for French Students - TEFL Blog
Tue, 14 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Phonetics Difficulties for French Students
One of the most important problems encountered while learning a foreign language is undoubtedly pronunciation. Knowing a language fluently may not always be enough. Fluency level may be open to discussion if an accurate pronunciation is not used. Therefore as teachers, we must teach our students how to use the correct pronunciation. However, pronunciation can be a nightmare for some students, especially for young learners.
Table of Contents
Common Errors in Pronunciation
/h/ Sound
Ways to Fix Errors
Articulation
Simple Way to Overcome the Problem
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Selin K.... [Read more]
How to Solve Common Problems for English Learners in Vietnam - TEFL Blog
Wed, 06 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
How to Solve Common Problems for English Learners in Vietnam
The Vietnamese learners of English share with those of other nationalities almost every difficulty in learning English. However, there are several issues in learning English that can be viewed as particularly perceived in the classrooms in Vietnam. Those particular issues may have originated from the country's specific culture and language. It might be useful to point out several typical difficulties and their causes, and propose a couple of techniques for an EFL teacher to tackle them. Below are two groups of difficulties, one is psychological, the other is more or less physical. Although they are very common in Vietnam, those issues are by no means unique to that country... [Read more]
There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English) - TEFL Blog
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English)
Throughout high school and college, I mainly focused on learning how to speak Japanese as my second language. Unlike English, Japanese is a fairly phonetic language. Two of its three writing systems, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic. This makes it easy for foreigners to learn because each syllable, also known as sound clusters in some circles, is almost always said exactly how it is spelled. The third writing system, kanji, is not and, as such, is much more difficult for foreigners to learn because kanji are essentially pictures that describe their meaning. They are much more difficult to learn and use in everyday speech.
Table of Contents
Differences in... [Read more]
Common Pronunciation Challenges for Learners in Azerbaijan - TEFL Blog
Mon, 17 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Common Pronunciation Challenges for Learners in Azerbaijan
Pronunciation is an essential part of the English language. Clear and cohesive speech can create meaningful conversations, meanwhile incorrect pronunciation can lead to misunderstandings. Every, non-native English-speaking country has pronunciation problems. One of the countries which come across with pronunciation errors is my homeland Azerbaijan. It is a lovely country, with nice traditions and people.
Table of Contents
Multilingual Country
Historical Reasons
Modern Situation
Digital Age
Teacher Training
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Narmina M. Please note that this... [Read more]
These Are the Most Common English Pronunciation Mistakes Made by Italian Native Speakers - TEFL Blog
Thu, 30 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
These Are the Most Common English Pronunciation Mistakes Made by Italian Native Speakers
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Stefania F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Table of Contents
Teaching English pronunciation to students of other languages is always a big deal.
One of the biggest challenges when teaching English to Italians is its phonetics.
I personally witnessed pronunciation difficulties when I taught English in Italy in high school last year.
Apart from Italian students, I also taught a small group of French, Latin-American, and Arabic migrants, recently arrived in Italy. Not only did they have a low level of Italian, but they were... [Read more]
Peculiarities of The English Language - TEFL Blog
Thu, 30 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Peculiarities of The English Language
I did not realize how difficult English is until I became fluent in Spanish. I am currently studying French and I am pretty good at French. I have a basic knowledge of Esperanto.
Table of Contents
English is difficult for several reasons
English is not a phonetic language
There are exceptions to every rule
Some examples of other exceptions to English rules
Pronunciation
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Listen to this blog post:
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wayne K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
English is difficult for several reasons
I will just touch on each of... [Read more]
Pronunciation Challenges of French Native-Speaking Students - TEFL Blog
Mon, 14 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Pronunciation Challenges of French Native-Speaking Students
Each student faces their difficulties when it comes to English pronunciation depending on their country of origin. This essay will focus on the pronunciation difficulties facing ESL students in France and will also propose some solutions to help students overcome these difficulties.
Table of Contents
French Sound System
IPA
Difficult Sounds
The Dark /L/ Sound
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kerri M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
French Sound System
The number of English vowel sounds greatly outnumbers those... [Read more]
Problems for English Learners in Russia - TEFL Blog
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Problems for English Learners in Russia
People from different countries inevitably face problems when they are trying to learn English. Russia is no exception. Let's have a quick look at some typical problems that my fellow countrymen face.
Table of Contents
Pronunciation
Grammar
Meaning
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sergei S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Pronunciation
As you may know, Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and some may think that it can cause problems. In reality, the Russians are fine with understanding the Latin alphabet and can... [Read more]
The Biggest Differences Between British English and American English - TEFL Blog
Mon, 23 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The Biggest Differences Between British English and American English
While both Americans and the British speak English, there are a few variations in the language which can cause some confusion for non-native speakers. Therefore, it is important to take a look at the most notable differences between these two versions of the English language.
Table of Contents
Spelling
Grammar
Pronunciation
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph Bart van der K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Spelling
One of the key differences in the spelling of words. British English usually has... [Read more]
Why the Chinese Accent is so Difficult to Minimize in English - TEFL Blog
Fri, 08 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why the Chinese Accent is so Difficult to Minimize in English
As an aspirant teaching English to Chinese children, I chose 'Pronunciation problems of Chinese people' as the most attractive and the most useful topic for my summative task at this moment.
Table of Contents
So let's begin from the very beginning.
The Second difficulty in pronunciation is so-called dark L or L's with no vowel sound after them.
How can the teacher help students to correct this?
Different Approaches
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As resources of this joyful and useful research on the internet, I have used three videos on Youtube made by the three experienced teachers of the English language. Only one of them... [Read more]
English Pronunciation Problems of Italian Native Speakers - TEFL Blog
Sun, 12 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
English Pronunciation Problems of Italian Native Speakers
Teaching English pronunciation to students of other languages is always a big deal. English teachers from other countries may think that it is a topic to be skipped or only briefly introduced to students, but it is one of the most important subjects and it should be an integral part of an English course. As a matter of fact, the full understanding of a language and good communication actually depend, to a certain extent, on how correctly words are pronounced. Also, it is not only a matter of pronunciation but intonation. Every language has its own intonation and stress on words, so an English learner could find it difficult to get used to a new way of pronouncing words in... [Read more]
4 of the Most Common Pronunciation Problems in Egypt - TEFL Blog
Thu, 04 Apr 2019 Jon ITTT
Alumni Experiences
4 of the Most Common Pronunciation Problems in Egypt
A learner's mother tongue has a profound influence on verbalization of the second language. The absence of some sounds in the learner's first language, and the difference in intonation, word, and syllable stress between the learner's native language and English are some of the many factors that often lead to an incorrect pronunciation of English words. In order to address these issues, a teacher needs to have a basic understanding of the student's native language. This essay will briefly explore the most common pronunciation problems for Egyptians learners of English and some suggested solutions to tackle these problems.
Table of Contents
Problems with the /p/ sound
Confusing voiced and... [Read more]
The Most Common Problems Students in Russia Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 Jon ITTT
Alumni Experiences
The Most Common Problems Students in Russia Face When Learning English
It is not a secret for anyone that native speakers of any language always easily identify "non-native" when they hear at least a few words spoken by them. Often native speakers are able to fairly accurately determine the country from which the person came, based on his pronunciation. This happens due to the fact that it is common for all of us to use the sounds of our native language in the pronunciation of words of a foreign language, as well as to use articulation models we know from childhood the position of the organs of speech (lips, tongue, etc.).
Table of Contents
The "Russian mistakes"
Muting voiced consonants in the endings.
Replacing long vowels with short... [Read more]
The Most Common Problems Students in Italy Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
The Most Common Problems Students in Italy Face When Learning English
According to the EF English Proficiency Index, in the year 2017 Italy ranked last - among European countries - in English proficiency skills. Being an Italian myself and having studied foreign languages up to my Master's Degree, I have progressively grown aware of the main factors which cause Italy to perform so poorly. Other than grammatical gaps, which are not to be analyzed in this context, I have noticed how the extremely limited exposition to spoken words can affect not only the students' ability to understand and follow conversations or arguments, but even the possibility for them to be understood when trying to speak.
Table of Contents
Lack of Proper... [Read more]
Ways to Spur Students in ESL Courses - TEFL Blog
Wed, 05 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Ways to Spur Students in ESL Courses
As an English teacher, it is quite common to encounter high achievers, those who are so inspired and self-motivated in learning English, as well as low achievers, those who find themselves with no interest or goals in class. About the former group, there are always ways to encourage them in English learning, while for the latter, the teacher really has to think over and over before taking appropriate actions.
Table of Contents
Teaching Pronunciation First
Various Teaching Methods
Setting up an English-only Class Environment
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I have always had to think of ways to encourage students in my teaching practice because the... [Read more]
3 Common Pronunciation Problems for Students in Peru - TEFL Blog
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 Jon ITTT
Alumni Experiences
3 Common Pronunciation Problems for Students in Peru
Difficulty with pronunciation is likely something that every EFL teacher will face at one point or another in their career. Every language in the world has different ways of pronouncing different words/ letters. In addition to this, most speakers of other languages have heavy accents that can make pronouncing English words very difficult. This can be a challenge when teaching English as a foreign language. It can be especially challenging because not all learners around the world will face the same problems. Students in Vietnam will likely have different pronunciation problems than students in Kenya and students in Brazil will likely have different pronunciation problems than students... [Read more]
The Most Common Problems Students in Turkey Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 29 May 2019 Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
The Most Common Problems Students in Turkey Face When Learning English
As defined through the units of the course and through many linguistic books, pronunciation is to say a word in a language in the correct way. Although the correct pronunciation of words and even the correct intonation in sentences in English, is thought through course books all over the world and thanks to media students are exposed to the natural and correct pronunciation, numerous mistakes are observed inside the classroom and outside. The reasons for the problems in pronunciation might vary depending on the country. I have been teaching English in Turkey for a while and have witnessed many problems with the students which will be explained through this essay.... [Read more]
Phonetical Challenges for Vietnamese English Learners - TEFL Blog
Sat, 30 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Phonetical Challenges for Vietnamese English Learners
Phonology is the system of sounds that exist within a particular language, while phonetics is the study of how speech sounds are produced. One difficulty for all learners of a second language is learning how to produce new sounds by moving the mouth, lips, and tongue in new ways. Several other languages also share the Roman alphabet with English but do not pronounce letters and combinations of letters the same way. These learners need to learn the English phonology so that when they read English, they will know how to pronounce the words they read correctly, and so that they speak English with a more native-sounding accent.
Table of Contents
English in Vietnam
Language... [Read more]
The Most Common Challenges For The Turkish ESL Learners - TEFL Blog
Tue, 23 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
The Most Common Challenges For The Turkish ESL Learners
There is nothing comfortable than being in your comfort zone, especially when speaking your language (native language). The feeling that comes with it, how you pronounce words, the use of jokes and proverbs, idioms, and other slang within it, no one can take that joy or even compensate it because it naturally comes from within. It makes you feel safe at home and confident even when speaking about topics that you have never seen or heard before simply because your brain is already rich with enough vocabulary. So it allows you to navigate, swim and tackle the issues from all possible angles.
Table of Contents
Global challenges
Sentence structure... [Read more]
The Most Common Issues of Vietnamese Learners of English - TEFL Blog
Mon, 18 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Most Common Issues of Vietnamese Learners of English
In Vietnam, it is so important and popular that English becomes a compulsory subject for students at schools and universities. Working people also need to learn English for their job, to talk to English speakers or get a new well-paid job.
Table of Contents
During my studies and the process of teaching, I noticed that learners are facing some problems such as:
Pronunciation is the first obstacle because the same have different sounds
Patiency and Knowledge
How to Solve Problems?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Huyen N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily... [Read more]
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers?
What's the most difficult part of learning a new language? Is it writing? Perhaps it's the reading or memorizing new vocabulary? Well for some it's speaking the new language, specifically when it comes to pronunciation. Every language has its unique ways or pronouncing their vowels and constants as well as how they form their sentence structure. Especially this write up will focus on Japanese English as a Second Language (ESL) students and the difficulties they face while learning English and its pronunciation.
Table of Contents
Japanese Writing
Teaching Approach
Pronunciation Differences
Further Steps
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL... [Read more]
Why Learning Phonetics is Important - TEFL Blog
Fri, 22 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why Learning Phonetics is Important
Linguistics is the scientific study of the human language and its structure, and as any other science, it is divided into different branches or areas of analysis. One of these divisions examines the articulation of sounds and has a name that corresponds to its function: phonetics. Despite the crucial character it plays in its scientific field, the one it performs in teaching is considered roughly secondary. Nonetheless, a change in role assignment could improve the learning of the English language immensely.
Table of Contents
Speaking as a skill
What aspects should you teach?
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This post was written by our TEFL... [Read more]
Common Struggles of the Chinese Native Speakers Learning English - TEFL Blog
Thu, 19 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Common Struggles of the Chinese Native Speakers Learning English
Most researchers agree that the learner's first language influences the pronunciation of the target language and is a significant factor in accounting for foreign accents. So-called interference or interference from the first language is likely to cause errors in aspiration, stress, and intonation in the target language.
Table of Contents
Phonetics
Unusual Sounds
Language Structure
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesna A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Phonetics
Some Chinese students tend to have... [Read more]
Many Shades of the English Language - TEFL Blog
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Many Shades of the English Language
Every language has its peculiarities, more so in the English language, which is spoken in the largest number of countries in the world. And thus has attained the status of a global language. Factors attributed to this phenomenon are many. One of the major reasons is that the Britishers had a large number of colonies which enabled them to come in contact with the inhabitants of different parts of the world.
Table of Contents
Vocabulary
Pronunciation
Spelling and Pronunciation
Meaning
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Stone S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs... [Read more]
How Important are Phonology and Pronunciation in the English Language Classroom? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 01 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker
Alumni Experiences
How Important are Phonology and Pronunciation in the English Language Classroom?
As a speaker of 5 languages (French being my native one), I've been exposed to different ways of teaching how one particular language sounds and why it sounds that way, what kind of meaning is conveyed using what sounds in what order, and so on. Quite often, I've noticed that in the school system, not enough emphasis is put on studying the sounds that pertain to the language itself.
Table of Contents
Learning English in a French Environment
The Importance of Intonation
Other Common Pronunciation Mistakes in English
One Innovative Way I Tried to Help My Students
In Conclusion
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Listen to this blog post... [Read more]
Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English
Learning a second language can be difficult and depending on the learner's mother tongue, it can present challenges unique to a certain group of people. More specifically, there are several unique challenges for Japanese native speakers who are learning English and vice versa. English can be difficult for Japanese native speakers for various reasons such as difficulty distinguishing certain sounds, the use of katakana to teach English words, and drastically different sentence structure.
Table of Contents
Difficult Sounds
Vocabulary Typical to Japanese Only
Sentence Structure
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This post was... [Read more]