This book advocates a new approach to pronunciation teaching, in which the goal is mutual intelligibility among non-native speakers, rather than imitating native speakers. It will be of interest to all teachers of English as an International Language, especially Business English. It proposes a basic core of phonological teaching, with controversial suggestions for what should be included.
"'The book challenges major aspects of current practice with honesty, rigour, and depth, and the author is to be congratulated firstly for having the courage to take on an area of ELT which is both linguistically and culturally a minefield, and secondly for offering such a fresh vision of the teaching of the pronunciation of English. Without doubt, the book is essential reading for teachers, teacher educators, publishers, and examining boards alike.' - Applied Linguistics Journal"
"'... thoroughly thought-provoking and well worth studying.' - IATEFL Newsletter"
"'Challenging to the end... a wholly thought-provoking text.' - Wayne Trotman, EL Gazette, June 2001"
Acknowledgements Introduction 1: The background: Changing patterns in the use of English The historical shift Changing ownership; changing terminology Appropriate pedagogy for an international language The EIL phonological problem: where do we go next? 2: The variation problem 1: Inter-speaker variation Inter-speaker variation Inter-speaker segmental variation and its effects Inter-speaker suprasegmental variation and its effects 3: The variation problem 2: Intra-speaker variation L1 and IL intra-speaker variation: a distinction Phonological intra-speaker variation and its effects on interlanguage talk 4: Intelligibility in interlanguage talk What do we mean by intelligibility? Defining intelligibility in interlanguage talk Bottom-up and top-down processing The role of phonology in ILT: miscommunication in the ILT data Intelligibility and the spread of English Conclusion 5: The role of transfer in determining the phonological core The complex process of L1 phonological transfer Conclusions: transfer, intelligibility, and teachability 6: Pedagogic priorities 1: Identifying the phonological core Establishing the Lingua Franca Core The origin of the Lingua Franca Core Features of the Lingua Franca Core Redefining phonological error and correctness for EIL 7: Pedagogic priorities 2: Negotiating intelligibility in the ELT classroom Accommodation theory and intra-speaker variation in ILT Communicative efficiency and interlanguage Accommodation and IL repertoire Accommodating classrooms 8: Proposals for pronunciation teaching for EIL An overhaul of pronunciation teaching in English language teacher education An overhaul of pronunciation testing Radical improvement in the status of 'NNS' EIL pronunciation teachers Pronunciation learning for 'native speakers' of English Afterword: The future of the phonology of EIL Bibliography Index
