Nternational Phonetic Alphabet

Pronunciation and Phonology in the EFL Classroom - Issues with the International Phonetic Alphabet   There are two issues that need to be stressed when working with the international phonemic alphabet. First is the fact that we are no longer concerned with how a word is traditionally spelled. Additionally we need to stress that we are only concerned with the sounds needed to correctly produce a word. So rather than numerous spellings, which can often be pronounced in different ways, we have one symbol representing one sound. Once we can isolate a sound, rather than juggling various spellings, we can work with our students on how to say that sound. Doing that successfully is related to manner and place of articulation, which will be covered shortly. To get a better understanding of...  [Read more]

Pronunciation and Phonology in the EFL Classroom - International Phonetic Alphabet   A better way to go about imparting how to make sounds or what sounds are utilized in a word, is this international phonemic alphabet. Now we have as mentioned one symbol being used in all the words which share that same sound. Now once we get a little bit more familiar with our phonemic alphabet we can also show how different our different sounds can be as in this symbol for ?ooh?, this symbol for ?ow? and this symbol for ?uh?. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design...  [Read more]

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Phonetics: How can Phonemic Awareness Facilitate Effective Reading? Phonemics according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is a branch of linguistic analysis that consists of the study of phonemes. In other words, it could be explained as the study of the sound system of a given language and the analysis and classification of its phonemes. Phonemics awareness, on the other hand, is the ability to examine language independently to its meaning and to manipulate its component sound[1]. Table of Contents Difference between phonemes and phonics Universal way of acquiring a language Why phonemes are important? Correlation between phonemic awareness and spelling ability Teachers' Role Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL...  [Read more]

Pronunciation and Phonology in the EFL Classroom - Phonemes   In this video we'll be looking at the international phonemic alphabet and how it's used in the classroom. There are other phonemic alphabets but this is the most popular and the system, which is most widely used. You may have seen some of these symbols before as any good dictionary will supplement standard English spellings with the phonemic spellings to aid in pronunciation practice. Here we have a situation where we have what are called phonemes and each phoneme represents a sound within the English language. How is this helpful? Well, what it does is help students understand how to say words rather than simply relying on the often archaic English spellings. To illustrate this point let's for a moment put ourselves in...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Lowercase Alphabet Chutes & Ladders Game Here's the classic Chutes & Ladders game with the lowercase ABCs and phonics vocabulary for a super simple, super fun learning game.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL Certificate with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Uppercase Alphabet Chutes & Ladders Game Here's the classic Chutes & Ladders game with the uppercase ABCs and phonics vocabulary for a super simple, super fun learning game.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL Certificate with ITTT.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

The Korean Alphabet SOURCE: koreantutor . tumblr . com/tagged/lessons Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! A-Z Upper Case Alphabet Board Game This a fun and simple game like Snakes and Ladders for students to play with young ESL students to practice upper case letters of the alphabet.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL Certificate with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Easter Worksheets - Name Eggs Here is an awesome Easter worksheet for your ESL students. Work on the alphabet with this "name eggs" activity.   This Easter worksheet is perfect for beginner students. Have your students color the eggs in their name and then write their name on the line provided.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL certificate with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences English as a Non-Phonetic Language Like we all know, the English alphabet has 26 letters. These 26 letters can make 44 different sounds or phonemes – 20 sounds come from the vowels a, e, i, o and u; and 24 sounds come from the remaining 21 consonants. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word. Table of Contents The Vowel Sounds The Consonant Sounds Syllable Stress Without Jumping to Conclusions Listen to this blog post Are you ready to take your TEFL course? Related Articles: If we consider sounds made simply by the letter 'a' for instance, in the word 'apple' – it's /ae/, in 'car' – it's /a:/, in amount – it's /a/, and so on. This, consequently, makes English a...  [Read more]

Agency Week TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Agency Week TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts A.D. - India said: PHONETICS?The English Language must be introduced to the Indian students by using the phonetics in all the schools?. The English Language is difficult to learn as far as the spelling and their pronunciation goes and the same can be well understood by George Bernard Shaw?s poem ?Hints on Pronunciation for Foreigners?. The same is also evident with the examples of similar spellings but different pronunciations as well as different spellings but same pronunciations...  [Read more]

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Should Chinese ESL Students Have Explicit Phonetic Instruction? During nine years of teaching English as a Second language, I have discovered how important phonetics is in learning the correct pronunciation of the English language, and in fact, in any language. Derwing and Munro (2005) emphasize, "It is essential to have an accurate understanding of the target language phonological system to enhance the quality of pronunciation". Table of Contents We should look at some of the problems that L2 learners have when trying to produce accurate L1 language patterns. We also have to take into account the students. Chinese students are very reluctant to speak in a classroom setting. So what pronunciation mistakes are most common? Do you...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Challenges for Vietnamese Students in American English Pronunciation Today, Vietnam is entering the world stage as a united and independent country, eager to learn English, but unable to meet its standards for EFL education. Vietnamese students are a victim of several unfortunate coincidences in pronunciation, and often complain that reading and writing are easy to learn but speaking and listening simply impossible. Two huge differences in the way these languages differentiate words have made English communication into a "black box" for the Vietnamese, more difficult for them to penetrate than for other Asian peoples. Among these differences are the very small number of shared sounds, as well as tonogenesis, a pitch-based method...  [Read more]

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 Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Selin K....  [Read more]

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? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Advantages and Disadvantages of Teaching Phonetics This will be a discussion aimed at presenting both the advantages and disadvantages of teaching phonetics. We will show how teaching phonetics help create approachability and reinforce language similarities. Inversely we will look at how English suffers from inconsistent phonetic rules and the conflict between words as written and words as said. We will also look at methods to mitigate these issues. Table of Contents Self-awareness Noticing language similarities English rules Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mitchell D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent...  [Read more]

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Utmost Importance of Phonetics and Phonology Speech has been used to communicate and express many things since the dawn of man. When we look at wildlife, we can see a pattern in a speech similar to human communication. To truly understand science speech, we must look deeper at the concept of communication. Table of Contents Why Speech is Important? Word Stress Speech and Communication Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Why Speech is Important? World leaders, actors, entertainers, successful businessmen and other professionals...  [Read more]

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Phonetics and Phonology in the ESL Classroom What is phonology? Most students have not even heard about it. Whenever I ask my students whether they know or have ever learned about phonetics, the same answers come out, "No, we don't know about it at all". It is no wonder they reply like this because there is no phonetic teaching lesson in English classes from KG to high school here in my country. As for me, I got to study about this only when I attended college. Even then, it wasn't taught comprehensively and I only learned very little. So I couldn't read nor write phonetic symbols very well. Thus I thought it was the most difficult part of studying English. Table of Contents Reasons to pay attention to phonetics Phonetics in the...  [Read more]

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Importance of Phonetics when Teaching English For the longest time, people have separated teaching English from linguistics, which tends to include all their subcategories. However, phonetics, in particular, plays an incredibly integral part of the teaching of the English language. Why is an understanding of phonetics important in aiding the teaching pronunciation, articulation, and intonation? Being able to demonstrate how one changes the shape of their mouth, or the placement of their tongue can be the difference between someone speaking correct English and sounding as close as possible to a native speaker. Without at least a basic knowledge of this concept, how can we as teachers properly explain and display the way our...  [Read more]

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Rules of Phonetics and Phonology in ESL Teaching In my experience tutoring students in English as a foreign language, the most overlooked learning points were undoubtedly phonetics, phonology, and their connection to pronunciation. Occasionally, there would be a few students who specifically asked for materials that would allow them to perfect or improve their English accent. Some students even requested to receive tutoring in different accents such as the Australian accent. No matter what the request was, it became clear to me over time that the missing link when teaching pronunciation was its connection to phonology and phonetics. From this point on, I became incredibly interested in this topic. Table of Contents My Course Research...  [Read more]

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Importance of Teaching Phonetics to ESL Students How many of us have had to call into customer service only to struggle to understand the employee's English? The simple process to find a solution to a problem often becomes increasingly frustrating and exhausting for both parties. While monolinguistic persons may not appreciate the struggle to learn and master a new language, as instructors to those individuals working to learning English, phonetics is key. Table of Contents English alphabet Why do students need phonetics? How to teach phonetics effectively? Practice in isolation Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Antranik...  [Read more]

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]

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Deciphering English Language Sounds: The Realm of Phonetics and Phonology In this blog post, we'll will delve into phonetics and phonology as described in George Yule's book, "The Study of Language." Phonetic and phonology are two branches of linguistics focused on the sound system. They are critical to understanding how speech sounds are produced, which, in turn, shapes language and communication. This discussion will explore various aspects of phonetics and phonology, breaking down the complex world of sounds in the English language. Table of Contents Phonetics and the Sound System Articulation Points Manner of Articulation Vowels and Diphthongs Phonology: The Sound Patterns of Language Teaching...  [Read more]

Fri, 08 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Phonetics and Phonology and Suggestions for Their Effective Teaching Phonetics and phonology may seem like advanced or 'bonus' aspects of teaching the English language, but they are essential and fundamental to successful English communication for English students. While teaching and practicing concepts like pronunciation, intonation, stress, and articulation may be difficult (or seem outright impossible!), there are several methods and tools which English teachers can employ to help their students master them. Table of Contents Clear Understanding Importance to Teach this knowledge How to start? Practical Work Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Wed, 27 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Phonetics/Phonology: Why Teaching this Neglected Aspect of Language is Important I chose this topic for my essay because it is not something I had ever given much thought to. As a native speaker, I don't recall studying correct pronunciation in school along with other aspects of language learning such as grammar and vocabulary. Correct, or at least acceptable and understandable, the pronunciation was something that just happened. Table of Contents Why is Teaching Phonetics Important? What is the Best Way to Teach Phonetics? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: I was initially somewhat surprised when I saw that an entire online module had been devoted to the topic, but as I read the module,...  [Read more]

Pronunciation and Phonology in the EFL Classroom - Traditional Spellings to Phonemic Spellings Pt. 1   Now let's take a look at how we go from traditional spellings into the phonemic spellings. The first step in this process is identifying each unit of sound or each phoneme within a word. Let's look at bet, bit, but, and bought. The only difference in each one of these words is in the vowel sound. We have bet, bit, but and bought. Each word simply uses three sounds. Now we have photo. That's four phonemes. Wow we have taxi. That's five phonemes. We have unite with a hidden phoneme in there being the ?y? sound before anything else. Those are five phonemes as well and now we have a longer word: chemistry. Let's give that a shot. That's eight phonemes used in the word chemistry. Now...  [Read more]

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Phonological Awareness for Developing Language Abilities Phonology involves studying how sounds are organized in a language to create meaning. It differs in every language as sounds are organized to create words, which are then organized in sentences. Table of Contents Understanding both phonology and phonetics is important when teaching language to others. The English IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) utilizes symbols to represent single sounds. Do you want to teach English abroad or online? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jane M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Pronunciation Mistakes of Japanese Students This piece will discuss the difficulties faced by Japanese learners of English regarding English pronunciation and suggest methods to help learners in different age groups overcome them. It posits that most difficulties stem from the differences in phonology between the English alphabet and the Japanese kana system. Table of Contents Differences in the Alphabetic Systems Ways to Overcome Difficulties Working with Adults How to Approach Young Students Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Niall M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of...  [Read more]

Pronunciation and Phonology in the EFL Classroom - Traditional Spellings to Phonemic Spellings Pt. 2   "As mentioned before our four words here all are similar in using the ?b? and ?t? sounds at the end. So we know that those phonemes will be used in spelling each one of those words phonetically. Now what we're left to do is assign a phoneme for our vowel sounds. So if we analyze the word, it's ?e? as in bet. We look at our chart, we see the phoneme which corresponds to that sound and that happens to be the standard ?e? that we all recognize. Here, bet phonetically looks very similar to bet in the Roman script. Now let's take a look at ?i? bit. Now we look at our chart and we see that this symbol represents the ?i? sound and that resembles a capital I not a lowercase I but a capital...  [Read more]

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How Basic Understanding of Phonetics Can Help Your EFL Teaching Say the word 'hat' to yourself out loud. Now say 'mouth'. Was it easy? If you are a native English speaker you did it without thinking. You didn't have to contort your face into all sorts of funny shapes or feel self-conscience during the process. The reason is that you already know the phonology of those two English words. You may not understand exactly how you said those words; whether they were plosives or voiced or non-voiced, whether or not the tongue was forward touching the teeth or raised touching the soft palate. You don't need to know. You have heard and said these words hundreds if not thousands of times in your life. You already can say them easily without...  [Read more]