Pronunciation self-study links

(TESOL Materials--Pronunciation, Self-Study)

Google: docs, pub

[I've recently started working at a school that has an assessment program in which I watch videos of student speeches, give feedback to the students about features of their pronunciation, and then students are expected to improve on these features of pronunciation for subsequent videos.

I have struggled with this, because I felt like I wasn't able to give sufficient feedback to students to improve.  I could say, "Your intonation is flat.  Go practice intonation" or "you don't have any rhythm.  Go practice rhythm."  But I wasn't able to give students any sort of study plan.

I expressed this frustration to another teacher in the staff-room, and he told me that he has a list of self-study resources that he gives students as feedback.  They are mostly links to Youtube videos or other Internet websites.  For example, if the student has problems with sentence stress, he gives them a list of videos to watch for sentence stress.  If a student has problems with linking sounds, he has a list of videos on linking sounds.

He was kind enough to share his list with me.  I am taking the liberty of posting his list on this blog because:

1) I want to bookmark it for myself for future use.

2) It may be of use to other teachers out there.

I personally am ambivalent about whether certain features of English pronunciation can be acquired through conscious study (see Krashen, etc).  But at the same time, since I am required by the school curriculum to give students pronunciation feedback, and the students are required to improve on my feedback points, I feel like I have to at least go through the motions of giving them resources.  Any other teacher teacher in a similar position may find this list useful.

I've edited this list very slightly (deleting dead links, some adjustment on formatting), but it's not my list, and I can't take credit for it.

I also have to admit that I haven't actually watched all the videos it links to, so I can't vouch for everything on here. Caveat lector.]

Linking

Vowel to vowel (V-V) linking:

1. Stop Saying... : Vowel to vowel linking 

2. English Pronunciation - Linking: Vowel to Vowel -- American Accent 

Consonant to consonant (C-C) linking - disappearing or changing sounds:

1. Linking Consonant to Consonant -- American English Pronunciation 

Consonant to vowel (C-V) linking:

1. Pronunciation: Consonant - vowel linking 

2. English Pronunciation - Linking: Consonant to Vowel -- American Accent 

Individual sounds:

1. A large range of instructional videos on individual sounds: Rachel's English Playlists 

2. Same as above:

The Sounds of English from BBC Learning English 

3. English Language Club Youtube Channel 

4. IMPORTANT - how sounds work: Phonemic Chart for TEFL

5. Download this app for further pronunciation help of individual phonemes (sounds): Sounds of Speech

→ Making sounds & using your mouth muscles:

English Pronunciation Practice: Daily Pronunciation 1 (2019) 

Consonant clusters:

1. English Pronunciation Practice: CONSONANT CLUSTERS 

2. Consonant Clusters: British Pronunciation Lesson 

3. Learn English Tongue Twisters.Consonant Clusters.FR, BR, BL Sounds 

4. Master Spoken English - Rhythm Patterns and Consonant Clusters - bl pl br pr - DVD4.5.2 

5. How to Pronounce the TR Consonant Cluster - American English 

6. How to Pronounce CH, TR, J, DR in CHAIN, TRAIN, JANE, DRAIN - American English Pronunciation Lesson 

Sentence stress:

1. Sentence Stress in English Pronunciation 

2. Sentence Stress: English Club 

Rhythm and chunking/thought groups:

1. Speak English more naturally: Using rhyme for word stress and intonation 

2. Stress Timing and Rhythm in Sentences: Learn English with Simple English Videos - ESL 

3. How To Use English Rhythm & Intonation: Chunking Part 1 (very good video!!)

4. Linking and Thought Groups – Spoken English 

5. Thought Groups 

6. Pausing within Sentences | English Pronunciation Lesson (very easy to follow)

Connected speech - general:

1. 5 Features of Connected Speech:  ESL Base 

2.  5 Connected Speech Secrets For Fast, Native English Pronunciation 

3. How To Sound Like A Native English Speaker: Connected Speech 

4. Connected Speech Practice | English Pronunciation Lesson