the missing link
TRANSCRIPT
The Missing Link:Pragmatics and Pronunciation
Tamara [email protected]
SHAPE Language Center, Belgium
perceptions of
politeness
pragmatics pronunciation
Pragmatics
… knowing how, when, and why to say what to whom
NSFLE (2000)
• Close the window, please.
• Would you mind if I closed the window?
• Brr, it’s chilly in here.
It does not take massive breakdowns to create
tensions between people of different cultural
backgrounds. Rather, it is a cumulative process made up of uncomfortable moments
and small frustrations.
Beal (1992)
Pronunciation
“Thank you very
much. Please come
again.”
Pronunciation
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Intonation
Sentence Stress
When grammar and intonation are at odds, the intonation directly carries the
illocutionary force of the speech act.
Wennerstrom (2001)
Bringing Pragmatics and Pronunciation into our
Conversation Classrooms
To Teach or not to Teach?
Environment helps,
BUTExposure alone is not enough.
We have to take an explicit approach!
Intonation
Sentence Stress
Pronunciation Mini Lessons
• Awareness raising
• Arrows
• Choral repetition
– Conducting
– Kazoos
• Recordings
Intonation
Hello! Are you alright?
Yes. How about you?
• The fences from Well Said
• Dots above stressed words
• Clapping
• Rubber bands
• Recordings
Would you mind if I borrowed your pen?
Sentence Stress
mind borrowed pen
It’s been nice chatting with you.
My Lesson Plan
Morley (1992) Martinez-
Flor & Uso-Juan
(2006)
My Lesson Plan
1. Warm Up
2. Consciousness Raising
3. Explicit Instruction
4. Practice
5. Assessment (?)
Warm Ups
Getting Started
• Observations
• Surveys
Consciousness Raising
Video Clips
• Television clips
– Reality TV
– Scripted TV (last resort)
• DIY
– Unscripted communicatively competent speakers
• Video
• Audio
Aneesa: I feel like she loves attention. I can’t believe people. I have to say in the back ofmy mind, like, “you need attention, you need attention, you need attention.”
Cara: She does need attention, yes.
Aneesa: And I am just like …
Cara: Actually, she is very needy. But, I still thinkthat she’s physically ill as well.
Tiffany: Hey! How’s it going?Tamara: Good.Tiffany: Hey, let’s … can I just look at your calendar? Because I have a question. I know you’ve got your weekends planned months in advance, but Elmer and I were just thinking about, and we’re not sure about this at all, but for the concert, possibly, if we’re going to be there all day on Saturday, maybe staying in a hotel room that night.Tamara: Oh, yeah?Tiffany: So, if, and this is totally if this works with your guys’ schedule, if you guys wouldn’t mind and you wanted to come up for that weekend, would you mind watching the dogs?Tamara: Yeah, no problem.Tiffany: If it works. If it totally works. Are you sure you don’t mind?Tamara: Sure.Tiffany: Oh! The doggies will be so happy!
Tiffany: Hey! How’s it going?
Tiffany: … if you guys wouldn’t mind and you wanted to come
up for that weekend, would you mind watching the dogs?
Tamara: Yeah, no problem.
Tiffany: If it works. If it totally works.
Are you sure you don’t mind?
Tamara: Sure.
Explicit Instruction
Communicate that you are Listening!
• encouraging words: – Mhmm.– Yeah.– Wow!
• comments: – How interesting!– That’s amazing!
• emphasis questions: – Really?
• repeating questions: – word / phrase as
a question• information
questions: – Why did she do
that? – What happened
next?
Disagreeing Top 4
1. Agreement prefaced disagreement– “Yes, but”– Agreement part is faster and weaker
2. Showing discomfort– “Well”– Long and flat intonation
3. Checking the statement– “Really?”– Rising intonation
4. Pretending a lack of comprehension– “What?”– Rising Intonation
Favor Asking Steps
minimizing checking promising
introducingwarningdisarming
Practice
Who will colonize Marzipan?
Assessment
Great Pronunciation Supplements
• Avery, P. and Erlich, S. (1997) Teaching American English Pronunciation, Oxford University Press
• Beisbier, B. (1994) Sounds Great, Thompson and Heinle
• Gilbert, J. (2001) Clear Speech, Cambridge University Press
• Grant, L. (2001) Well Said, Heinle and Heinle
• Hancock, A. (1995) Pronunciation Games, Cambridge University Press
• Meyers, C. & Holt, S. (2001) Pronunciation for Success, Aspen Productions
• Miller, S. (2005) Targeting Pronunciation, Houghton Mifflin Co
• Noll, M. (2007) American Accent Skills, Ameritalk Press
Great Pragmatics Supplements
• Foreign Affairs Canada website, www.intercultures.ca
• CARLA website: www.carla.umn.edu/speechacts
• Teaching Pragmatics website: http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/resforteach/pragmatics.html
• Martinez-Flor, A. and Uso-Juan, E (2006) A comprehensive pedagogical framework to develop pragmatics in the foreign language classroom: The 6Rs approach, Applied Language Learning, 16(2)
We want our students to be
fully effective communicators.
Kanellou (2009)
