Final Reflection

Learning English phonetics has given me a deeper understanding of the language.

Teaching pronunciation is a crucial aspect of language learning. Firstly, clear pronunciation ensures that learners can be understood by others. Mispronunciations can lead to misunderstanding or confusion. Secondly, if you have good pronunciation skills, it will help others better understand spoken language, and it improves listening comprehension. And also increase speakers’ confidence and be more likely to engage in conversations with others.

 

Prior to studying phonetics, many students had trouble telling some vowel sounds apart from consonants, which made it difficult for me to speak English clearly. For instance, the distinction between long and short vowels, such as /iː/ and /ɪ/, may appear insignificant, yet it has the power to alter a word's meaning. It looks like a huge challenge for teaching, for that, teaching them IPA will be better. They will be more conscious of these nuances as a result of studying the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and how each sound should be spoken. Young learners’ capacity to make precise sounds is greatly enhanced .

 

Another aspect that struck young learners is the role of stress and intonation. In English, stress patterns can completely alter the word's meaning or the overall message of a sentence. Words like "import" (noun) and "import" (verb) have different stress placements. Moreover, intonation can convey emotions, attitudes, and even turn a statement into a question. Understanding these elements has enabled them to not only speak more naturally but also better understand native speakers.

 

But there have been difficulties along the way as you've learned English phonetics. The intricacies of English pronunciation rules and exceptions are extremely daunting. For example, I have a hard time with homophones, minimal pairs, silent letters, and similar things. Furthermore, some English consonants are just not there in my mother tongue, which makes it challenging to produce them at first.

 

Despite these challenges, I am determined to continue improving. I plan to practice regularly by listening to a wide range of English materials, imitating native speakers' pronunciation. English phonetics is not just about speaking clearly; it's about connecting with people from different cultures and expressing myself more effectively in the global community.

 

As a teacher, understanding that pronunciation can be challenging, I should create a supportive environment where students feel comfortable making mistakes and practicing regularly. And we should  incorporate phonetic training exercises to help students recognize and produce unfamiliar sounds. In addition, I can use minimal pairs to help students distinguish between similar sounds. Last but not least, I believe in providing personalized feedback for students to address specific pronunciation issues.





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