The International 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 the phonemic alphabet, let's take a look at our chart. In the bottom half of our chart we have our...  [Read more]

  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 means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the...  [Read more]

  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 the shoes of our students when trying to understand how to...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about Centre Registered TESOL 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: J.A. - Ireland said: Phonetics-phonologyPhonetic reading has become the method du jour in the last two decades for teaching young students how to read. There is much controversy surrounding this teaching method and the division seems to, roughly, follow along the generational division lines. Regardless of personal feelings on teaching students how to read, the value of phonics, especially to those learning a new language, cannot be denied. There is a difference between phonetics and phonology, however,...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about Certificate TESOL Celta 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: J.B. - Australia said: Phonetics and PhonologyPhonetics and phonology are the names given to the two different areas in the study of linguistic sounds and sound patterns, produced when speaking in ones native tongue or language. Although both areas are similar in that they both study the science of speech, there are differences between the two. While phonetics specifically centres on how speech is made and heard, phonology is more involved with recognizing and understanding the patterns and the different...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Certification Latvia Riga 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: said: The unit gives an overview on the phonology of English. It deals with the aspects of teaching phonetics such as intonation, stress and rhythm. The international phonetic alphabet is also introduced to aid in the teaching of phonetics. Phonetics is an important aspect of learning English as it helps in getting the most accurate pronunciation of words. However, l find this is also one of the most difficult aspects in the language as phonetics is not very emphasised when I started learning...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs United Kingdom St Helens 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: said: This unit focuses on teaching pronunciation and phonology. In phonology, STRESS, RHYTHM, INTONATION AND INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABETS are considered. The various techniques for each are also detailed in this unit. I learned to teach word pronunciations through phonological item; 1. Stress: making the student feel the music of English language and add the stress naturally using the following technique: contrastive stress, gestures,choral work, the board and stress marks. 2. ...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Certification Pikine Senegal 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: said: I have loved this introductory unit which gives me a general idea of what to expect in the course. The detailed synopsis in each unit set up clear learning goals and will way facilitate my study progress. As a teacher who has no previous background in Business, I now have gained the confidence that I will be able to deliver successful lessons upon completion of the course.In this unit, I have learned about the intonation, articulation, stress, phonemic alphabets and symbols. I have...  [Read more]

Phonetics and TESOL Phonetics, the study of the sounds of human speech, and in particular “Articulatory Phonetics”, are not commonly taught to native speakers of English, let alone learners of English as a second language. However if the learner is serious with their English and wish to progress to an advanced level, learning phonetics, in particular the International Phonetic Alphabet, would be of immense benefit. English spelling is often contradictory, devoid of relation to the pronunciation of a word, and lacking in clear patterns. Patterns that do exist are numerous, with a large number of exceptions, and all of this makes it very difficult for the learner of English as a second language to master pronunciation. The International Phonetic Alphabet puts all of the individual...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Cottonwood Idaho 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: said: In this unit, I learned about teaching pronunciation and phonology to my students, which is really important and at times can be difficult for learners. We talked about Stress, Rhythm, Intonation and the International Phonetic Alphabet. Intonation is a variation in volume and pitch in a whole sentence. Stress is what gives English its rhythm, beat and it's accent on certain words within a sentence. The two videos for this unit were actually very helpful as they really show you how you should be...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Weston Idaho 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: said: I found this unit very interesting, although I believe it might have been more effective if it had been in two units instead of one. Articulation and the International Phonemic Alphabet would have been better together, and the sections on Stress and Intonation could have been a separate unit altogether. I feel as though I learned the basics of stress and intonation but I think if it was in a separate unit there could be more focus on it. I really enjoyed learning about the International Phonemic Alphabet...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs Central African Republic Bangui 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: said: The content of Unit 13 is Teaching Pronunciation and Phonology, where pronunciation is about the individual sounds and rise and fall of speech in a sentence, and phonology is the science and study of the physical properties of sounds. Intonation is the variation of volume and pitch in a sentence, and stress is the emphasis put on individual words. The Phonemic Alphabet with the symbols of the International Phonemic Alphabet chart is introduced, with exercise in its use. There is a...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs Japan Toda 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: said: Unit 13, Teaching pronunciation and phonology, provides general guidelines to the teaching of applied phonetics of the English language. The unit summarizes a variety of approaches for the teaching of intonation and stress, and the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. The section on speech articulation illustrates the complexity of speech production and how speech organs and places of articulation can best be exploited to result in an exact pronunciation of the English language. I learned from...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs Russia Almetyevsk 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: said: Unit 13 was probably the most challenging unit for me because it was all about pronunciation and phonology which are two areas of language learning that I know very little about. As stated at the beginning of the unit, pronunciation is probably the most neglected aspect of language learning because it is difficult and most teachers never really study phonetics. Even as a French teacher, I briefly learned the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), but never really felt comfortable with it. ...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Certification Xining China 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: said: I especially enjoyed this chapter. it included learning about the phonemic symbols and international alphabet. The videos were very helpful is demonstrating how to teach the international alphabet. This chapter also included intonation of sentences and stress of syllables and how changing intonation and stress changes the message of the sentence. The manner and place of articulation was also covered in this chapter.Unit 11 covers teaching receptive skills which are reading and listening...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Pawnee Rock Kansas 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: said: This unit covered pronunciation with the international phonetic alphabet, the importance of teaching correct pronunciation to English learners, and how to teach it in the classroom. I agree that pronunciation should not be ignored while teaching English in order to avoid creating bad habits, but creating a lesson that younger learners would understand seems difficult. Learning the phonetic alphabet and how different sounds are formed with mouth diagrams was a challenge in a college linguistics...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Pinetop Country Club Arizona 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: said: In this unit, phenology was covered. Of all the units covered so far, I found this one one of the most interesting and useful. I really liked the short poem using the same words and different pronunciations. THe students I am currently teaching don't have a 'v', 'r' or 'l' sound in their alphabet and therefore struggle with the production of these sounds. Having the mouth diagram and now knowing where these sounds are produced from, i fee like now I have a clearer understanding of how to...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Courses Havana 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: L.S. – Russia said: Though I can certainly see the benefit of being comfortable and familiar with the international phonetic alphabet, I can more clearly see the difficulty in introducing it as a useful tool for language learners. I imagine trying to introduce to them a whole new alphabet that makes the same sounds as the commonly used one would trip them up. If you introduce it to beginner learners, I imagine there would be an intermingling of both systems when the write, and if introduced to established...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Certification Algeria Tiaret 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: said: The unit 13 of this course focus on how to teach pronunciation and phonology , a very important way to increase learners fluency and accuracy . Pronunciation and phonology are helpful to make English learning process standard, in a way words can be pronounced the same way no matter the accent , easier to make the student understand the right pronunciation of English language . Intonation , stress , articulation and international phonetic alphabet are the main areas covered in this unit ,...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Altus Pennsylvania 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: said: This unit covered various aspects of pronunciation, intonation, stress, and phonology. There seemed to be quite a bit of information presented, especially the International Phonemic Alphabet. Learning the new symbols for the phonemic alphabet was not an easy task. The videos were helpful, especially how to use the symbols in a lesson setting. It would seem that because there are so many variations in English dialectical sounds throughout the world, that there could be disagreement in identifying the...  [Read more]